Natural reserve "kotulski" is in the Kingisepp district of Leningrad region. The reserve has a number of elongated shape and extends in a direction South-West from the Central coast Koporye Bay, owned by the Gulf of Finland, almost 30 km away

The state reserve "kotulski was established in 1976 and today carries regional importance. The objective of the reserve is the preservation of the diversity of woody vegetation, including oak woodlands near the Northern border, as well as natural features of the glacial landscape. In addition, regulated biological diversity, hydrological regime of lake ecosystems. The total area of a natural object is more than 12 thousand hectares, including more than 3 thousand hectares of lake area and about 50 hectares of the water surface of the Gulf of Finland.

The natural territory of the complex is surprisingly rich lacustrine systems, because on its territory there are five lakes. Deep, and Babinski kopansky lake is the so – called fragments of ancient river valley. The Deep depth of the lake is 22, 5 m; second deepest kopansky lake – depth 16 m, and the other lakes have a depth of only several meters.

Forests are represented by Vaccinium myrtillus and Oxalis spruce forests with some admixture of lime, oak, maple; Podlesny area you can see hazel and Daphne. The herb layer of the refuge presents spring chinoy, lungwort, liverwort, amazing, violet, and many other ground-forest plants. Small territory takes an oak forest with a predominance of starwort. In Heather and cowberry pine forests are Yuzhnoportovy types presented fascicular Kajima, sandy cloves, pigweed Veronica. Some space is devoted to the fern-reed birch, aspen. It is worth noting that the widespread are black alder swamps interspersed with Calla and some other wetland types, for example, Osaka-sphagnum, sedge, birch-sphagnum, dwarf shrub-sphagnum mixed with pines.Sandy Gulf coast is especially rich in Primorsko chinoy, rye sandy, seaside views of the Swan. Lacustrine shallow water rife rare for this area plants: Lobelia dortman, the finest caulonia and several types of Parusnikov.

It is worth noting that the natural conditions of the refuge Kotelsky" possess exceptional diversity, which leads to the incredible richness of the animal world. All five lakes of the reserve are rich Rudd, bream, roach, crucian carp, bleak, a bristle brush. Some time ago, the lake was treated with ihtiola, after which they were used for the development Giry, Peled and carp. On Kopansky the lake is very developed cage farms, characterized by the cultivation of rainbow trout.

Among the large mammals in the area of the nature reserve can be found deer, elk, bear, boar, wolf; especially common pine marten, raccoon dog, Fox, badger, ermine, black polecat, garden Dormouse and the flying squirrel. On-site location of the refuge, there are five species of bats.

With regard to rare species of birds, among them we can mention the ospreys, the lesser spotted eagle, pygmy owl, eagle owl, green woodpecker, corncrake, the Nutcracker and the white-backed woodpecker. Especially high numbers of black woodpecker, Nightjar and thrush-mistle thrushes, more common in pine forests. On the lakes you can see a lot of nests of black-headed gulls, great crested grebes, common terns, goosander, tufted ducks, carrier and Gogol.

On the territory of the nature reserve is strictly prohibited to make fires in the wrong places, tapping trees and collecting firewood, Parking and vehicles travel in the forest and lake area, the contamination of land, lakes and rivers of garbage and other wastes.