State Darwin nature reserve is an important and protected natural area in the Russian Federation. It was established by decision of the Council of people's Commissars in the summer of 1945. At the moment the reserve area is 112, 673 hectares, while the area of protected territory is $ 27, 028 ha. in the Fall of 2002 Darwin natural reserve received the status of international biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It is located on the famous coast of the Rybinsk reservoir, namely at the junction of Yaroslavl, Tver and Vologda regions. The Darwin reserve occupies the extremity of a Peninsula that juts deep from the Northwest to Southeast in the territory of the Rybinsk reservoir. The Peninsula is unflooded part of the huge Small-Sheksna lowland, much of which was hidden under the waters of the reservoir.

The creation of the Darwin reserve was carried out with the aim of preserving the truly unique nature of the Small-Sheksna rivers, and to study the action of the influence of the Rybinsk reservoir on numerous elements of the whole natural complex. The bowels of the earth, flora and fauna, and water that are in the area of the reserve is permanently withdrawn from economic use and made full use of the reserve that provided the relevant Federal laws.

The reserve has four main division: Security Department consists of several forestry – Horlivka, Central, Maroccolo and Zakharenkova; Research Department; Department of environmental education, founded in 1999 and Department support activities crucial to a greater extent, the problems of economic orientation. The reserve has a nature Museum with exhibits and dioramas about the reserve itself; and there dendrological collection, nature trail and environmental education room.

Relief coating Darwin reserve – monotonous. The territory is a flat low plain with small manes – elevations. Most of the territory placed under the array untouched bogs, because changes in wetlands even outside the reserve can be very detrimental to the entire state natural reserve complex.

The value of Darwin's natural complex as the security functions of the fish productivity of the reservoir is very large. Unprecedented many shallow bays are the main nursery areas and spawning grounds for commercial stocks of fish in the Rybinsk reservoir. For the conservation and enhancement of high productivity species in reservoir fishes, it is necessary to provide a special regime for the protection of the entire coastal zone of the reserve.

The shallow waters of Darwin reserve is very well heated, which gives life to many water-loving plants: sedge, rogosa, rush, bent grass, the most typical, Alisma, hornwort, and many other representatives. For the reason that the greatest part of the land to the protected area covered with pine forests, lands particularly rich in blueberries, cloudberries and cranberries.

The reserve is home to an unprecedented variety of birds and animals characteristic of the Vologda region. Here you can find ermine, marten, squirrel, wolves, otters, badgers, elk, foxes, hares. Especially many on the reserve bears. Recently increased the number of wild boars, which were successfully settled and multiplied in a conservation area. In the forest many owls, black grouse, wood grouse, greater spotted eagle, black kite, Sparrow hawk and Falcon species.

Biologist Darwin reserve Netzavim Vyacheslav Vasilevich has created the world's first farm grouses. For 50 years the work has managed to gather a unique collection of butterflies, which has almost all representatives of this class of insects found in North-Western Russia.

The unique features of the protected zone includes peat Islands; many peat bogs have been flooded with the advent of the reservoir, but huge layers of peat surfaced and went to drift on the waves – now they are growing not only grass but also trees.