Zadrach research station: aims, achievements and closure

The Zadrach research station was established in 1995 with the purchase of a modest peasant house (the brown one). It is located in the Zadrach hamlet, Haradok district, Vitebsk region, in northeastern Belarus. A second house (the green house) was constructed in 1996, and both were adapted for living quarters and wildlife research. Nestled within the densely forested upper reaches of the Lovat River, the station became a base for ecological studies.

A Mission Rooted in Conservation

In the mid-1990s, the upper reaches of the Lovat River were home to a thriving population of European mink (Mustela lutreola), a critically endangered species. The primary goal of establishing the station was to study this species’ ecological traits and understand the reasons behind its decline. These efforts were led by the Belarusian team from the Institute of Zoology at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and culminated in intensive research until the species’ disappearance in the early 2000s.

Between 1995 and 1997, the station welcomed collaboration with eminent zoologists from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), including Professor Dr. David Macdonald and Dr. Hans Kruuk. This partnership was a transformative experience for the Belarusian team, made possible through support from the UK’s Darwin Foundation. There were applied the whole variety of available research methods of mammal population ecology including a lot of radiotelemetry. Over the course of their studies, 38 European minks (18 tracked long-term), 69 American minks (Neovison vison), and 19 polecats (Mustela putorius) were radio-tagged.

These findings were published in a series of academic articles and three books:

 D.W. Macdonald, V. Sidorovich, T. Maran, H.Kruuk. “European mink, Mustela lutreola: Analyses for Conservation” – Oxford, WildCRU and Darwin Initiative, 2002.

Sidorovich V. “Analysis of vertebrate predator-prey community. Studies within the European Forest zone in terrains with transitional mixed forest in Belarus” – Minsk, Tesey, 2011.

Sidorovich V. “Mustelids in Belarus” – Minsk, Zolotoy Ulej, 1997. 

Expanding Research Horizons

Following the main European mink project, the station served as a key base to investigate the vertebrate predator-prey community in the transitional mixed forests shaped by the last glaciation. This broad research direction dominated activity in the Lovat study area between 1997 and 2013.

During this time, only one major project (2001–2005) was completed, financed by the budget of the Institute of Zoology NAS Belarus. In addition, several narrower studies were conducted, contributing significantly to the broader understanding of predator-prey dynamics. These included:

1. Telemetry and other studies on badger, raccoon dog, and red fox, examining implications for the decline of badgers.
2. Analysis of the rodent eater guild.
3. Study of the owl assemblage, with detailed investigations of three Strix species.
4. Impact of beaver construction activity on small river ecosystems, exploring how this affected semiaquatic mustelids.
5. Predation impact of the American mink on water voles and the native predator guild of water vole eaters.
6. Population density and diet studies of diurnal raptors.
7. Census of amphibians and reptiles, providing crucial baseline data.
8. Population density and diet research on large carnivores.
9. Wolf breeding studies, adding to knowledge of their reproductive ecology.

The results of these studies were published in numerous articles and the book Analysis of Vertebrate Predator-Prey Community (2011).

Sidorovich V. “Analysis of vertebrate predator-prey community. Studies within the European Forest zone in terrains with transitional mixed forest in Belarus” – Minsk, Tesey, 2011.

The Station’s Decline and Closure

In 2015, I made a significant shift in my career and life. I left my position at the Institute of Zoology NAS Belarus and moved to Naliboki Forest, a densely forested area approximately 520 kilometers away from the Zadrach research station. This relocation marked a turning point in my ability to conduct intensive studies in the Lovat area. The distance posed considerable challenges, making it impossible to continue the regular, detailed research that had defined my earlier work at Zadrach.

Over the following years, I could only manage short visits to the station, typically once or several times per year. During these brief visits, my studies focused on bears living in abandoned villages with orchards—a somewhat limited scope compared to the expansive vertebrate research previously carried out. However, these trips highlighted a growing problem: the lack of consistent maintenance for the Zadrach houses and facilities. Gradually, both buildings began to deteriorate.

As time went on, my ability to visit Zadrach nearly collapsed entirely due to several compounding reasons. The logistical challenges of traveling such a distance, combined with changing priorities and constraints, led to fewer and fewer visits. By January 2025, the situation had reached a critical point, and the decision was made to sell the Zadrach station. The property was sold for a meager price, amounting to only about 5% of the total investment poured into it throughout the entire study period. This marked the end of an era for the station—a poignant conclusion to a site that had once been at the forefront of ecological research.