Biarezinski Biosphere Reserve, Nature reserve in Liepieĺ District, Belarus

Biarezinski Biosphere Reserve covers more than 108,500 hectares on the border of Vitsebsk and Minsk regions, centred on the village of Domzheritsy. More than 60% of the territory is bog, with lowland mires dominating, and the Berezina River runs about 100 km through the reserve, fed by over 50 small tributaries. The landscape alternates between pine forest, open sedge wetland and dark water, with four large interconnected lakes: Olshitsa, Plavno, Manets and Domzheritskoye.

In 1924 the People's Commissariat of Agriculture of the BSSR sent a team led by Anatoly Fedyushin to the Berezina River to survey the fauna, noting many beaver settlements in need of protection. The reserve was officially founded on 30 January 1925, one of the first Soviet reserves, with its office in the village of Zvenyaty. It was abolished in 1951 and restored in 1958, then designated a biosphere reserve in 1979.

The Nature Museum displays exhibits about local ecosystems, wildlife species, and traditional conservation methods of Belarus. The displays help visitors understand the relationship between regional inhabitants and the Berezina River wetlands.

The reserve offers guided nature trails, wildlife observation towers, and accommodation facilities located 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of Minsk. Most paths are easy to walk, but rubber boots are advisable in wet weather since some sections pass through swampy areas.

The reserve houses all five large European mammals: European bison, brown bear, moose, wolf, and lynx in their natural habitat. This combination is rare to find in Europe and makes the area an important refuge for threatened large mammals.