View source for Swamps of Belarus

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
[[File:Puszcza Białowieska stanowisko 2 13.07.2009 p.jpg|thumb|Swamp in [[Białowieża Forest]], on the Belarus–Poland border]]
[[Swamp]]s, [[marsh]]es, [[mire]]s, [[bog]]s, and [[fen]]s are important parts of the natural landscape in [[Belarus]]. Vast swamplands historically covered the country, and currently there are around 2.5 million hectares of [[wetlands]] in Belarus. Notable swamp regions are [[Pinsk Marshes]] and [[Olmany swamps]] in [[Polesia]] and [[Yelnya Swamp]] in Vitebsk region.

== Names ==
[[Swamp]]s, [[marsh]]es, [[mire]]s, [[bog]]s, and [[fen]]s are all usually called "{{lang|be|Балота}}" (balota) in Belarusian,<ref>Kopach, Aleh. [https://dlibra.tu.koszalin.pl/Content/1359/2018_SEnr13.pdf#page=50 "Grammatical way of naming American and Belarusian swamps."] SYMBOLAE EUROPAEAE: 49.</ref> though there are many synonyms: {{lang|be|Багна}}, {{lang|be|Дрыгва}}, {{lang|be|Гiжня}}, etc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Люди высокой воды: Полесье. Выживание, покорение природы или устойчивый баланс? |url=https://bahna.land/ru/bolota/lyudi-vysokoj-vody-polese-vyzhivanie-pokorenie-prirody-ili-ustojchivyj-balans |website=bahna.land |access-date=30 May 2024 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://greenbelarus.info/articles/02-02-2022/yakaya-roznica-mizh-bagnay-i-drygvoy-pyacdzyasyat-adcennyau-slova-balota |title=Якая розніца між багнай і дрыгвой? Пяцьдзясят адценняў слова "балота" }}</ref>

== Current situation ==
[[File:SwampsInBelarus (cropped).jpg|thumb|Swamps in Belarus in 1958 and 2000]]
In the early 20th century, almost 40% of the territory, 8 million hectares, were wetlands. Around 2.56<ref name="nan"/> to 2.94<ref name="Bambalov">{{cite journal |last1=Bambalov |first1=N |last2=Kozulin |first2=A |last3=Rakovich |first3=V |title=Peatlands in Belarus |journal=Stapfia 85, zugleich Kataloge der OÖ. Landesmuseen Neue Serie |date=2005 |issue=35 |pages=221–232 |url=https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/STAPFIA_0085_0221-0232.pdf |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> million hectares were swamps and marshes (more than 12% of Belarus's territory). Today, about 4% of the territory is swamps, or 863 thousand hectares.<ref name="nan">{{cite web |last1=Груммо |first1=Д.Г. |last2=Козулин |first2=А.В. |last3=Зеленкевич |first3=Н.А. |last4=Созинов |first4=О.В. |title=Болота Беларуси |url=https://binran.ru/files/conferences/Mire/Grummo_2021.pdf |publisher=НАН Беларуси |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> Over half of Belarus's swamps were drained for agricultural and forestry purposes between the 1960s and 1970s, leading to loss of biodiversity, increased droughts and frosts, and depleted groundwater levels in some areas. Efforts to revive and rehydrate drained peatlands in order to restore their ecological functions began in the 2010s.<ref name=pryroda/><ref name=undp1>{{cite web |title=Как Беларусь использует повторное заболачивание нарушенных торфяников для сохранения уникального биоразнообразия своих болот. |url=https://www.undp.org/ru/belarus/news/kak-belarus-ispolzuet-povtornoe-zabolachivanie-narushennykh-torfyanikov-dlya-sokhraneniya-unikalnogo-bioraznoobraziya-svoikh-bolot |website=UNDP |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru}}</ref><ref name=bahna>{{cite web |title=Уничтожим болота и настанет "время Великой суши" |url=https://bahna.land/ru/bolota/unichtozhim-bolota-i-nastanet-vremya-velikoj-sushi |website=bahna.land |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru}}</ref><ref name="nan"/>

There are 9,192 swamps in Belarus.<ref name="nan"/> Low type [[peat]] deposit area is 81.6% (2,103.800 ha), transitional area is 3.4% (106.200 ha),
and high one is 15.0% (333.700 ha).<ref name="Bambalov"/> [[Yelnya Swamp]], one of the oldest swamps, was formed about 13,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite web |title=Болото Ельня оказалось намного старше, чем предполагали ученые |url=https://34travel.me/post/elnya-vozrast |website=34travel.me |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru |date=19 December 2023}}</ref>

==History of melioration==
[[File:Belarus-Peat Mining near Rudzensk-4.jpg|thumb|Peat mining near Rudzensk]]
The [[Land development|draining of wetlands]] in Belarus has a long history, going back to the Western Swamp Drainage Reclamation Expedition (1872–1902) ({{lang-ru|Западная экспедиция по осушению болот}}) under the direction of General {{ill|Iosif Zhilinsky|ru|Жилинский, Иосиф Ипполитович}}. This massive project constructed thousands of kilometers of drainage canals throughout [[Pinsk Marshes|Polesia]], converting swamps into meadows, arable land, and timber transport waterways. While innovative for its time, it disrupted the natural hydrology of the region. Around 410,000 hectares of swamps were drained.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Мееровский |first1=А. С. |last2=Филиппов |first2=В. Н. |title=Западная экспедиция по осушению болот в истории мелиорации Беларуси |journal=Мелиорация |date=5 February 2022 |issue=4 |pages=52–57 |url=https://melio.belal.by/jour/article/view/984 |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru |issn=2070-4828}}</ref>

In 1911, the Minsk Swamp Experimental Station ({{lang-ru|Минская болотная опытная станция}}) was opened, under its first director botanist {{ill|Alexander Flerov|ru|Флёров, Александр Фёдорович}}. It started research on the {{ill|Kamarouskae swamp|be|Камароўскае балота}} in Minsk. By the late 1920s, this swamp covering 218 hectares had been completely drained after works began in 1925. In 1930, the station became the All-Union Research Institute of Soil Science and Melioration, with a goal of systematically studying the wetlands of the Soviet Union.<ref name="pryroda">{{cite web |title=Зачем осушали полесские болота, и что из этого получилось? |url=https://pryroda.in.ua/blog/zachem-osushali-polesskie-bolota/ |website=Природа України |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=История |url=https://niimel.by/o-nas/istoriya |website=niimel.by |publisher=Институт мелиорации |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>

Belarus has one of the world's largest deposits of [[peat]]. Peat has been mined industrially since 1896, and in Soviet times it was the main fuel for power plants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bahna.land/ru/bolota/pervichnyj-analiz-torfyanoj-promyshlennosti-belarusi|title=Первичный анализ торфяной промышленности Беларуси|website=bahna.land}}</ref>

Large-scale swamp draining efforts were revived in the Soviet era during the 1960s–1970s, with over 60% of Belarus's wetlands being drained, primarily for agriculture and peat mining. Though increasing production in the short term, severe disruption of wetland ecosystems led to [[soil degradation]], [[groundwater depletion]], [[biodiversity loss]], and local [[climate change]]s.<ref name=bahna/><ref name="nan"/>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Amelioration of the {{ill|Kamarouskae swamp|be|Камароўскае балота}} in Minsk, early 1920s" heights=180>
Miensk, Kamaroŭka. Менск, Камароўка (1911) (3).jpg
Miensk, Kamaroŭka. Менск, Камароўка (1911).jpg
Miensk, Kamaroŭka. Менск, Камароўка (1911) (2).jpg
<!--Болотоведческие работы в Минске. 1911.jpg-->
Miensk, Kamaroŭka. Менск, Камароўка (1911) (4).jpg
Болотоведение_номер_4,_1912.jpg|{{ill|Bolotovedenie|ru|Болотоведение (журнал)}} ("Swamp science"), a journal issued by the Minsk Swamp Experimental Station since 1912
</gallery>

==Reviving the swamps==
{{Also|Wetland#Restoration}}
Recognizing the important ecological roles that swamps play, including storing carbon, maintaining hydrological cycles, and providing habitat for flora and fauna, Belarus has made efforts since the 2010s to restore portions of its drained peatlands. This "rewetting" process involves techniques like blocking drainage canals to raise water tables.<ref name=undp1/>

International environmental organizations like the UN Development Programme have partnered with the Belarus government to fund and execute restoration projects on over 60,000 hectares of degraded peatlands so far. While still a small fraction of what was lost, these restored swamps aim to revive ecological functions and mitigate impacts like wildfires, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity decline caused by draining.<ref name=undp1/><ref>{{cite web |title=Экономика восстановленных болот: почему мы инвестировали в реабилитацию болота Жада |url=https://www.undp.org/ru/belarus/news/ekonomika-vosstanovlennykh-bolot-pochemu-my-investirovali-v-reabilitaciyu-bolota-zhada |website=UNDP |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.undp.org/ru/belarus/zachem-nam-nuzhno-znat-o-kazhdom-iz-nashikh-bolot |access-date=30 May 2024 |title=Зачем нам нужно знать о каждом из наших болот? }}</ref>

== Biodiversity ==
Belarus's swamps and wetlands host a diverse array of flora and fauna: 267 species of flowering plants and ferns, including 37 woody species, 167 herbaceous species, and 63 species of mosses. The wetlands provide habitat for over 50 valuable medicinal plants, as well as berry plants like cranberry, lingonberry, and bilberry. Rare and threatened species found here include insectivorous plants, sphagnum mosses, cotton grass, and plants listed in the Belarus Red Book. The wetlands are vital for conserving bird populations, sheltering significant portions of European populations of species like the aquatic warbler, black stork, white stork, lesser spotted eagle, and great snipe. Mammal species like elk, raccoon dog, and wolf also depend on these wetlands. Belarus has designated 20 potential territories of international and national importance, covering 2.9% of the country's area, to safeguard this exceptional biodiversity concentrated in fen complexes, bog complexes, river floodplains, forest–floodplain–lake mosaics, fishery ponds, and forests.<ref name="Bambalov"/>

== In culture ==
[[File:Marsh. Polissia.jpg|thumb|"Marsh. Polissia", painting by [[Ivan Shishkin]], 1890]]
Swamps played a big role in Belarusian literature, with many authors writing about "swampy land" or "swampy country", like [[Yakub Kolas]]'s novella ''The Morass'' ("{{lang|be|Дрыгва}}", 1933), [[Yanka Maur]]'s novella ''{{ill|The Robinsons of Palesse|be|Палескія рабінзоны (аповесць)}}'' ("{{lang|be|Палескія рабінзоны}}", 1930), and [[Ivan Melezh]]'s novel ''{{ill|People on the Marshes|be|Людзі на балоце (раман)}}'' ("{{lang|be|Людзі на балоце}}", 1962). [[Uladzimir Karatkevich]]'s novella ''[[King Stakh's Wild Hunt]]'' ("{{lang|be|Дзікае паляванне Караля Стаха}}", 1964) is set in a swamp area. Swamps are often seen as a symbol of Belarus; swampy lands were the cheapest and their agricultural output was very poor, so the theme of melioration and developing a better land was popular in Soviet times.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gapova |first1=Elena |title="The Land under the White Wings": The Romantic Landscaping of Socialist Belarus |journal=Rethinking Marxism |date=2 January 2017 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=173–198 |doi=10.1080/08935696.2017.1316104}}</ref> Belarusian poets described Polesia as the land of swamps and forests.<ref>{{cite web |title=ПАЛЕССЕ ЯК КАНЦЭПТ У ПАЭЗІІ ЯКУБА КОЛАСА |url=https://narbel.bsu.by/palesse-yak-kancept-u-paezii-yakuba-kolasa/ |website=bsu.by |access-date=18 June 2024}}</ref> In [[Victor Martinovich]]'s 2013 novel, ''Sphagnum'', Belarus is compared to a peat moss, [[sphagnum]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://belsat.eu/ru/news/20-12-2022-v-varshave-i-onlajn-pokazhut-spektakl-po-romanu-sfagnum-viktora-martinovicha|title=В Варшаве и онлайн покажут спектакль по роману «Сфагнум» Виктора Мартиновича|website=belsat.eu}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== List of largest swamps ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Native names !! Photo !! Status !! Area (ha) !! Turf type !! Coordinates !! Description
|-
| [[Yelnya Swamp]] || Ельня || [[File:PANO_20210531_193814.jpg|120px]] || Republican landscape reserve, [[Ramsar site]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Yelnia {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1218?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 18,794 || [[Raised bog]] || {{coord|55|33|N|27|51|E|display=inline}} || One of the largest raised bogs in Belarus with numerous lakes scattered throughout. Located in Vitebsk Oblast, Miory district.
|-
| [[Olmany swamps]] || Альманскія балоты<br> Ольманские болота || [[File:Olmanskie_swamps_in_Belarus_-_May_2021_04.jpg|120px]] || Republican landscape reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Olmany Mires Zakaznik {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1091?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || Poddybiche - 48,292; Vilya - 4,741 || Raised, transitional, [[fen]] || {{coord|51|47|N|27|21|E|display=inline}} || The largest complex of raised, transitional and fen bogs in Europe located in Stolin district, Brest region.
|-
| [[Pinsk Marshes]]<br>(or Pripet Marshes, Polesie Marshe) || Прыпяцкія балоты<br>Припятские болота || [[File:Prypiat.jpg|120px]] || National park, Ramsar site || Kandel-Yalovets-Olkhovo - 22,020; Mezhch - 25,326 || Transitional || {{coord|52|09|N|27|00|E|display=inline}} || Vast complex of transitional and raised bogs in the extensive floodplain of the Pripyat River in Lelchitsy district, Gomel region.
|-
| Yukhvichy Swamp || Юховичское болото || || Republican landscape reserve || 1,655 || Raised bog || {{coord|56.0435|N|28.6108|E|display=inline}} || Raised bog overgrown with pine and birch in Rossony district, Vitebsk region.
|-
| {{ill|Sporava Swamp|be|Спораўскае (балота)}} || Спораўскае балота<br>Споровские болота || || Republican biological reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Sporovsky Biological Reserve {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1007?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || Total: 19,384; Peschanka - 2,224; Berestovets - 2,671; Oborovskoye - 6,597 || Fen || {{coord|52|25|N|25|19|E|display=inline}} || Complex of fen floodplain bogs along the Yaselda River in Brest region. Habitat of globally threatened Aquatic Warbler.
|-
| {{ill|Zvanets Swamp|be|Званец (балота)}} || Званец || || Republican biological reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Zvanets {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1219?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 10,441 || Fen || {{coord|52|02|N|24|52|E|display=inline}} || One of the largest fen bogs in Europe, habitat for the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler in Drogichin district, Brest region.
|-
| {{ill|Mokh Swamp|be|Балота Мох}} || Мох || [[File:Ciacierki - Miorski rajon - 2.jpg|120px]] || Republican hydrological reserve || 4,298 || Transitional || {{coord|55.6226|N|27.4466|E|display=inline}} || Regulates water levels of surrounding lakes in Miory district, Vitebsk region. Transition mire with open sections.
|-
| Kozyansky Swamps || Козьянские болота || || Republican landscape reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Kozyansky {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2196?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || Obol - 4,900; Yamilshcha - 2,087 || Raised bog || {{coord|55|27|N|29|21|E|display=inline}} || Raised bogs with numerous small lakes scattered throughout in Polotsk and Shumilina districts, Vitebsk region.
|-
| {{ill|Domzheritskoye Swamp|ru|Домжерицкое болото}} || Домжерицкое болото || || National park, Ramsar site || 8,995 || Raised bog || {{coord|54.7241|N|28.3672|E|display=inline}} || Large raised bog in Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, Lepiel district, Vitebsk region. Up to 6 endangered plant species per m2.
|-
| Slobodskoye Swamp || Слободское болото || || National park, Ramsar site || 2,565 || Raised bog || {{coord|54.6955|N|28.6136|E|display=inline}} || Raised bog in Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, Lepiel district, Vitebsk region. High diversity of endangered plant species.
|-
| {{ill|Osveyskoye Swamp|be|Асвейскае}} || Асвейскае<br>Освейское || [[File:Asvieyskaye Lake 1.jpg|120px]] || Republican landscape reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Osveiski {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1217 |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 3,357 || Raised bog || {{coord|56|04|N|28|09|E|display=inline}} || Raised bog adjoining [[Lake Osveya]], the second largest natural lake overgrown with peat in Belarus. In Verhnedvinsk district, Vitebsk region.
|-
| Servech Swamp || Болото Сервечь || || Republican hydrological reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Servech {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2250?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || Servech - 4,542; B. Sitse - 1,607 || Raised, fen || {{coord|54|58|N|27|29|E|display=inline}} || Wetland complex including Lake Servech and Servech River floodplain. Northernmost habitat of the Aquatic Warbler in Belarus. In Dokshitsy district, Vitebsk region.
|-
| {{ill|Vygonoshchanskoye Swamp|ru|Выгонощанское болото}} || Выганашчанскае балота<br>Болото Выгонощанское ||  || Republican landscape reserve, Ramsar site || 40,207 || Fen || {{coord|52.6935|N|25.8217|E|display=inline}} || One of the largest preserved wetlands on the divide between the Black and Baltic Sea basins in Ivatsevichi and Lyakhovichi districts, Brest region.
|-
| {{ill|Marochna Swamp|be|Марочна (балота)}} || Марочна<br>Морочно || || Republican wetland reserve, Ramsar site || Marochna - 5,969; Marochna-1 - 1,314 || Raised bog || {{coord|51.8532|N|26.5919|E|display=inline}} || Largest raised bog in western Polesie, important cranberry site and water regulator. In Stolin district, Brest region.
|-
| Stary Zhaden Swamp || Болото Старый Жаден || || Republican wetland reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Stary Zhaden {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2140?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || Smolyarnya - 3,101; Shchashchits - 3,143 || Fen, raised bog || {{coord|51|54|N|27|36|E|display=inline}} || Complex of fen and raised bogs in Zhsykavichy and Lelchycy districts, Gomel region.
Continued:
|-
| {{ill|Duleba Swamp|be|Астравы Дулебы (заказнік)}} || Астравы Дулебы<br>Болото Дулебское || [[File:Острова Дулебы.jpg|120px]] || Republican hydrological reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Duleby Islands-Zaozerye {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2138?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 30,772 || Raised bog || {{coord|53|47|N|29|29|E|display=inline}} || Raised bogs and old-growth forests, former military site, in Klichaw and Byalynichy districts, Mogilev region.
|-
| Zaozerye Swamp || Болото Заозерье || || Republican hydrological reserve, Ramsar site || 4,965 || Raised bog || {{coord|53.8442|N|29.4557|E|display=inline}} || Boreal raised bogs in Byalynichy district, Mogilev region.
|-
| {{ill|Dokudovskoye Swamp|be|Дакудаўскае балота}} || Дакудаўскае<br>Докудовское || [[File:Дакудаўскае балота.JPG|120px]] || Republican biological reserve || 933 || Raised bog || {{coord|53.8004|N|25.4481|E|display=inline}} || Remnant raised bog in Lida district, Grodno region. Swan Lake in center.
|-
| Kotrya Swamp || Котрянское болото || || Republican landscape reserve, Ramsar site || 6,138 || Fen || {{coord|53.8175|N|24.3670|E|display=inline}} || Large forest-bog complex at the headwaters of the Kotra River in Kotra Forest, Shchuchyn district, Grodno region.
|-
| Mokhovoye Swamp || Болото Моховое || || National park || 983 || Raised bog || {{coord|54.9078|N|27.0953|E|display=inline}} || Raised bog surrounding Lake Dyagili in Narochansky National Park, Myadel district, Minsk region.
|-
| {{ill|Gaby Swamp|ru|Габы (болото)}} || Габы || || National park || 4,397 || Raised bog || {{coord|54.8673|N|27.3303|E|display=inline}} || Large raised bog with well-developed ridge-hollow complexes in Narochansky National Park, Myadel district, Minsk region.
|-
| Lebediny Moh || Лебединый Мох || || Local wetland reserve, Ramsar site || 2,584 || Transition, raised bog || {{coord|55.7347|N|29.0581|E|display=inline}} || Complex of forests, bogs and lakes including Lake Stradan in Polatsk district, Vitebsk region.
|-
| Drozhbitka Swamp || Болото Дрожбитка || || Republican wetland reserve, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Drozbitka-Svina {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2261?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 2,293 || Fen || {{coord|55|35|N|29|23|E|display=inline}} || Wetland complex including fens, bogs and 14 lakes in Polatsk district, Vitebsk region.
|-
| {{ill|Dikoe Swamp|be|Дзікое (балота)}} || Дзікое <br>Дикое || || National park, Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Dikoe Fen Mire {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2263?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 6,967 || Fen || {{coord|52|47|N|24|14|E|display=inline}} || One of the three largest undisturbed fen bogs in Polesie region, located in the watersheds of the Yaselda and Narew rivers. Limited cranberry harvesting occurs. In Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park.
|-
| {{ill|Zhada Swamp|be|Жада (заказнік)}} || Болото Жада || || Republican wetland reserve || 4,555 || Forest-mire|| {{coord|55.4291|N|28.0168|E|display=inline}} || A large forest-mire massif in the upper reaches of the Plavno River. Part of the swamp was previously drained and has become re-wetted. Includes open raised, transitional bogs and forested wetlands. In the central part there are two dystrophic lakes: Ilovo and Strechnо.
|-
| Vileity || Вилейты || || Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Vileity {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2251?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> || 8,452 ||  Fens and transitional mires || {{coord|55|15|N|26|46|E|display=inline}} || "a waterlogged forest with a complex of fen and transitional mires, floodplain meadows and marshes, rivers, oxbow lakes and a system of channels overgrown with woods."
|-
| {{Ill|Vydrytsa|be|Выдрыца (заказнік)}} || Выдрыца<br>Выдрица || [[File:Р. Выдрыца.jpg|120px]] || Ramsar site<ref>{{cite web |title=Vydritsa {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2195?language=en |website=rsis.ramsar.org |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref>|| 17,403 || Forested peatlands || {{coord|52|44|N|29|40|E|display=inline}} || "lies on a floodplain between the Berezina and Vydritsa rivers ... is a system of oxbow lakes, forested peatlands, meadows, marshes, swamps and drainage channels"
|}
Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=25 лучших для посещения болот Беларуси |url=https://www.bahna.ngo/ru/ekoturizm/25-luchshikh-dlya-poseshcheniya-bolot-belarusi/ |website=bahna.ngo |access-date=29 May 2024 |language=ru}}</ref>

== Map ==
{{Location map+|Belarus| relief   = yes|width=1000|height=1000|float=center|caption=Major swamps of Belarus|places=
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=33|lon_deg=27|lon_min=51|label='''[[Yelnya Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=100}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=51|lat_min=47|lon_deg=27|lon_min=21|label='''[[Olmany swamps]]'''|position=top|label_size=100}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=09|lon_deg=27|lon_min=00|label='''[[Pinsk Marshes]]'''|position=top|label_size=100}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=47|lon_deg=24|lon_min=14|label='''[[Dikoe Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=26|lon_deg=28|lon_min=01|label='''[[Zhada Swamp]]'''|position=bottom|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=56|lat_min=02|lon_deg=28|lon_min=37|label='''[[Yukhvichy Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=25|lon_deg=25|lon_min=19|label='''[[Sporava Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=02|lon_deg=24|lon_min=52|label='''[[Zvanets Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=37|lon_deg=27|lon_min=28|label='''[[Mokh Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=27|lon_deg=29|lon_min=21|label='''[[Kazyanskaye Swamps]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=54|lat_min=43|lon_deg=28|lon_min=22|label='''[[Domzheritskoye Swamp]]'''|position=bottom|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=54|lat_min=42|lon_deg=28|lon_min=37|label='''[[Slobodskoye Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=56|lat_min=04|lon_deg=28|lon_min=09|label='''[[Osveyskoye Swamp]]'''|position=bottom|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=54|lat_min=58|lon_deg=27|lon_min=29|label='''[[Servech Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=42|lon_deg=25|lon_min=49|label='''[[Vygonoshchanskoye Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=51|lat_min=51|lon_deg=26|lon_min=35|label='''[[Marochna Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=51|lat_min=54|lon_deg=27|lon_min=36|label='''[[Stary Zhaden Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=53|lat_min=47|lon_deg=29|lon_min=29|label='''[[Duleba Swamp]]'''|position=right|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=53|lat_min=51|lon_deg=29|lon_min=28|label='''[[Zaozerye Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=53|lat_min=48|lon_deg=25|lon_min=27|label='''[[Dokudovskoye Swamp]]'''|position=bottom|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=53|lat_min=49|lon_deg=24|lon_min=22|label='''[[Kotrya Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=54|lat_min=55|lon_deg=27|lon_min=06|label='''[[Mokhovoye Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=54|lat_min=52|lon_deg=27|lon_min=20|label='''[[Gaby Swamp]]'''|position=bottom|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=44|lon_deg=29|lon_min=03|label='''[[Lebediny Moh]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=35|lon_deg=29|lon_min=23|label='''[[Drozhbitka Swamp]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=55|lat_min=15|lon_deg=26|lon_min=46|label='''[[Vileyty]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
{{Location map~|Belarus|mark=Blue_pog.svg|lat_deg=52|lat_min=44|lon_deg=29|lon_min=40|label='''[[Vydrytsa]]'''|position=top|label_size=85}}
}}

== See also ==
* [[Geography of Belarus]]
* [[:be:Катэгорыя:Балоты Беларусі|Category:Swamps of Belarus]] in Belarusian Wikipedia
* {{ill|Swamp draining in Belarus|ru|Осушение болот в Белоруссии}}
* {{ill|Ramsar sites in Belarus|ru|Рамсарские угодья Белоруссии|fr|Liste des sites Ramsar en Biélorussie|es|Sitios Ramsar de Bielorrusia}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Łotysz |first1=Sławomir |title=Pińskie błota: natura, wiedza i polityka na polskim Polesiu do 1945 roku |date=2022 |publisher=Towarzystwo Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas |location=Kraków |isbn=978-83-242-6646-3 |language=pl}}
** Book review: {{cite web |title=Пинские болота и полешуки без сладких стереотипов |url=https://nashaniva.com/ru/311634/ |website=Наша Ніва |access-date=30 May 2024 |language=ru |date=15 March 2023}}
* {{cite web |title=Пра самую дзіўную польскую пустыню |url=https://yelnyatrip.com/blog/54-great-joy-for-the-polish-desert* |website=YelnyaTrip |access-date=30 May 2024 |language=be}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Markova |first1=S. |last2=Haponiuk-Winiczenko |first2=K. |last3=Zeliankevich |first3=N. |last4=Berniakovich |first4=I. |last5=Hočevar |first5=A. |last6=Kershaw |first6=G. P. |title=Summary Reports |journal=Environmental Role of Wetlands in Headwaters |series=NATO Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences |date=2006 |volume=63 |pages=283–296 |doi=10.1007/1-4020-4228-0_25 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/1-4020-4228-0_25 |publisher=Springer Netherlands |isbn=978-1-4020-4226-3 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Созинов |first1=Олег |last2=Груммо |first2=Дмитрий |title=Рамсарские территории Беларуси: «Болото Дикое» / Ramsar Site of Belarus: Dikoe Fen Mire |date=1 January 2020 |url=https://www.academia.edu/42266549 |access-date=18 June 2024}}
* {{cite book |last1=Груммо |first1=Д.Г. |last2=Созинов |first2=О.В. |last3=Зеленкевич |first3=Н.А. |title=Флора и растительность ландшафтного заказника "Ельня" |date=2010 |publisher=Нац. акад. наук Беларуси, Ин-т эксперименталь-ной ботаники. |location=Минск |isbn=978-985-6735-68-7}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Joosten |editor1-first=Hans |editor2-last=Tanneberger |editor2-first=Franziska |editor3-last=Moen |editor3-first=Asbjorn |title=Mires and peatlands of Europe: status, distribution and conservation |date=2017 |publisher=Schweizerbart Science Publishers |location=Stuttgart |isbn=978-3-510-65383-6 |url=https://www.schweizerbart.de/publications/detail/isbn/9783510653836/Joosten_Tanneberger_Moen_Mires_and_peat |access-date=18 June 2024}}
* {{cite book |title=Болота Беларуси |last1=Козулин |first1=Александр |last2=Тановицкая |first2=Нина |last3=Бамбалов |first3=Николай |date=2017 |location=Минск |url=https://bahna.land/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Bolota-Belarusi.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127223757/https://bahna.land/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Bolota-Belarusi.pdf |access-date=18 June 2024|archive-date=2018-01-27 |lang=ru}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Swamps in Belarus}}
* [http://peatlands.by/ Database and map of Belarusian peatlands]

{{Belarus topics}}
{{Wetlands}}

[[Category:Marshes of Belarus]]
[[Category:Swamps by country]]
[[Category:Wetlands of Belarus]]
[[Category:Geography of Belarus]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Belarus]]