An extreme wildlife refuge
The Russian Arctic National Park is the northernmost protected territory in Eurasia. Established in 2009, it covers a vast 8.8 million hectares, including the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the northern part of Novaya Zemlya. This region is a critical habitat for many species adapted to the extreme polar environment. The park is an important denning area for the Barents Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) population, which was estimated at around 2,650 individuals in 2004.
The frigid waters and coastlines support large colonies of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), which haul out on shorelines like Cape Flora. The park also hosts marine mammals including the narwhal (Monodon monoceros), ringed seals, and bearded seals. Critically endangered bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) frequent these waters, a species still recovering from centuries of whaling. The sheer cliffs of islands like Rubini Rock transform into "seabird cities" during the summer, hosting enormous colonies of little auks, kittiwakes, and Brünnich's guillemots that can number over 100,000 breeding pairs.
A landscape of ice and stone
Franz Josef Land is an archipelago of 192 volcanic islands located on the northern edge of the Barents Sea Platform. Geologically, it is composed of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks overlaid by basalt sheets from large-scale volcanic activity during the Cretaceous Period. Glaciers dominate the landscape, covering approximately 85% of the land area with an average thickness of 180 meters. The highest point is on Wiener Neustadt Island, reaching 620 meters above sea level.
The climate is classified as a polar desert. Average winter temperatures are around -22°C (-8°F), while the average summer temperature is only 2°C (35°F). This harsh environment limits vegetation to mosses, lichens, and about three dozen species of Arctic flowering plants. The region is experiencing accelerated warming, at a rate five to seven times faster than the global average. This warming is causing rapid glacier retreat and revealing land that has been ice-covered for centuries, while also threatening the sea-ice dependent ecosystem.