Цимлянск, Natural reserve in Rostov Oblast, Russia.

The Tsimlyansky reserve is a large protected area in Rostov Oblast that combines land and water habitats. It encompasses areas around an artificial lake with different environments where various animal and plant species live.

The area was officially protected in 1983 to conserve endangered species and their natural habitats. This action came from growing recognition that the region held ecological value worth safeguarding.

The reserve lies in the Kuchugury tract of the Don-Tsimlyansk sands, and its name comes from the Tsimla River, whose channel forms the western boundary. On the Volgograd side the protected zone continues as the Tsimlyansk Sands nature park. Former farmsteads inside the reserve, such as Linki and Dodonov, are now depopulated; only five people remained at Aksyonov at the end of 2009.

The reserve is isolated from the rest of Rostov Oblast by the Tsimlyansk Reservoir, and its territory is difficult to cross by motor vehicle. The former hamlets of Linki and Dodonov have been depopulated, and only five people remained in Aksyonov at the end of 2009. The north-eastern boundary follows the administrative border with Volgograd Oblast, and the protected water area covers a two-kilometre strip along the reservoir.

The reserve protects a small population of Don mustangs, 30 to 70 head, that roams the Kuchugury sands. The site is also listed as a key bird area (KOTR No. RO-001), with stable nesting groups of white-tailed eagles and little bustards.