Although the current boundaries of the Republic of Belarus are only little over 200000 km², its geographic location is very important for the spread of aquatic exotic species as it includes the continental divide between the Black Sea and Baltic Sea basins. Abundant lakes and rivers also assist to the spread of exotic species across the area. However, the most important factor that facilitated the colonization of Belarus by alien species, as well as their further spread into Eastern and Western Europe, was the construction of several shipping canals.

Lakes

There are 1072 glacial lakes in Belarus with the surface area > 0.1 km² (Kurlovich and Serafimovich 1981). Majority of these lakes (72.7%) are situated in the northern part of Belarus within drainage basin of the Zapadnaya Dvina River (see figure below). In addition to glacial lakes, there are over 1000 floodplain lakes in Belarus. The latter are usually very small and especially abundant in the Dnieper, Pripyat, and Sozh rivers’ basins. Most lakes in Belarus are isolated, while large lake systems connected by navigable waterways are rare.

Map of the Republic of Belarus. Dashed lines indicate the drainage basins of the Zapadnaya Dvina (ZD), Dnieper (D), Neman (N), Pripyat (P), Zapadnyi Bug (ZB), and Lovat (L) rivers.

Rivers

From over 20800 streams and rivers found in Belarus, only 6 (Dnieper, Berezina, Pripyat, Sozh, Neman, Zapadnaya Dvina) are longer than 500 km, 42 are longer than 100 km, and 19300 are less than 10 km long (Blue Book of Belarus 1994). The Dnieper and Pripyat rivers drain 56% of Belarusian territory into the Black Sea, and other 46% of the territory drains into the Baltic Sea through the Neman, Zapadnaya Dvina, Narev, Zapadny Bug, and Lovat rivers. About 56% of the Belarusian riverine flow discharges into Ukraine, 25% into Latvia, 17% into Lithuania and 2% into Russia and Poland. Belarus receives water from Russia (70%) and Ukraine (30%). The total length of navigable rivers in Belarus is about 3900 km, with most intense navigation on the Dnieper, Pripyat, Berezina and Sozh rivers (Blue Book of Belarus 1994).

Dnieper-Bug Canal (Korolevskiy Canal)

This canal was build between rivers Dnieper and Vistula (Black Sea → Dnieper River → Pripyat River → Pina River → canal → Mukhavets River → Zapadnyi Bug River → Vistula River → Baltic Sea) to establish ship traffic between Kherson on the Black Sea and Gdansk (Danzig) on the Baltic Sea. The whole canal is 196 km long and includes canalized part of the Pina River (74 km), a canal through the continental divide (Korolevskiy Canal, 58 km) and a canalized part of the Mukhavets River (64 km). Construction of this canal began in 1775 but soon had been terminated and was finished only in 1848 (Tyulpanov et al. 1948). However, some traffic existed before the construction was completely finished. In 1817, for example, 382 ships and 221 timber rafts were already transported through the canal (Lopukh 1989).

Shipping was possible only in years with high water and mainly during the spring (Blue Book of Belarus 1994). This canal was built primarily to ship timber in rafts, and therefore the traffic was mostly one-way, with vast majority of ships and rafts moved towards Vistula. For example, in 1897, 241 ships and 14290 rafts went from the Mukhavets River toward the Vistula River passing Brest-Litovsk (now Brest) and only 14 ships with no rafts came from the opposite direction (Dnieper-Bug System 1903). In 1919-1939, main constructions fell apart, but in 1940 they were rebuilt and the canal has been enlarged for shipping (Tyulpanov et al. 1948). During the World War II, main constructions were destroyed again and rebuilt later in 1945-1946. However, a dam was built on the Mukhavets River in Brest during the latter reconstruction to keep high water level in the canal, and hydrological connection between rivers Mukhavets and Zapadnyi Bug became terminated (Tyulpanov et al. 1948; Lopukh 1989; Blue Book of Belarus 1994). Several Belarusian ships sold after that to Poland were transported by making temperate connections between these rivers. Special chambers were dug, in which ships were moved from the Mukhavets River; then a dam was built behind the ship, closing this connections, and another land dam was removed in front of the ship allowing it to move into the Zapadnyi Bug River. Therefore, hydrological connection was temporary reestablished with each sold ship, and this may allowed some aquatic organisms to migrate from Mukhavets to the Zapadnyi Bug River. Currently, locks on this canal are under reconstruction to fit European standards. After reconstruction, ship traffic between the rivers Dnieper and Vistula is to be reestablished, which will also reestablish a hydrological connection and a migration corridor for aquatic organisms between Black Sea and Baltic Sea basins.

Dnieper-Neman Canal (Oginsky Canal)

This canal connects rivers Dnieper and Neman (Dnieper River → Pripyat River → Yaselda River → canal → Vygonovskoe Lake → Shchara River → Neman River → Curonian Lagoon → Baltic Sea). The whole canal is 54 km long. Its construction, initiated and originally funded by Polish hetman, composer and poet Michael Kasimir Oginsky, had been lasted from 1770 to 1784 and then several repeated reconstructions were performed during 1866-1868 (Tyulpanov et al. 1948). The canal was mostly used to export Russian timber by rafts; however, it was also used to transport grain, fur, linen, honey etc. by ships and steamships to the ports in the south-eastern Baltic Memel (now Klaipėda) and Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad). The maximum of cargo transportation was reached in 1847-1848 (Lopukh 1989). Heavily destroyed during the World War I, the canal was almost completely restored during 1924-1939. However, the importance of the Dnieper-Neman Canal in transportation was lost by the end of the 19th century because of development of the railroads. In the first part of the 20th century, it was used for local timber rafting operations and occasionally for shipping. In 1942, during a battle between Soviet partisans and German troops, navigation system of the canal was destroyed and has been never rebuilt after that. In 1980, the canal was blocked with a land dam at the output from Lake Vygonovskoe (Geography of Belarus 1992). Currently, Belarusian government is planning to reconstruct the canal and to establish a commercial shipping in the near future, which also will reestablish a hydrological connections and a migration corridor for aquatic organisms between the Dnieper and Neman rivers.

Dnieper-Zapadnaya Dvina Canal (Berezinskaya Vodnaya Sistema)

This was a very complex system of rivers, lakes and canals to connect the Berezina River (Dnieper River tributary) with Zapadnaya Dvina River (Dnieper River → Berezina River → Serguchskiy Canal → Serguch River → lakes Manets and Plavno → Berezinskiy Canal → Lake Berescha → Berescha River → Verbskiy Canal → Essa River → Lake Prosho → First Lepelskiy Canal → Lake Lepelskoye → Second Lepelskiy Canal → Ulla River → Chashnitskiy Canal → again Ulla River → Zapadnaya Dvina River → Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea). The whole canal was 162 km lengthwise and had 14 locks. It was constructed in 1797-1805 (Berezinskaya Sistema 1904; Tyulpanov et al. 1948; Blue Book of Belarus 1994). Initially, the canal was unidirectional and allowed to transport the timber (rafts) and agricultural products only from the Berezina River to the Zapadnaya Dvina River (to the Riga’s port). In 1823-1836, the system was reconstructed for transportation in both ways (Tyulpanov et al. 1948). However, at the beginning of the 20th century, shipping was almost completely terminated because of excessive forest cuttings, lowering of the rivers and intensive development of the railroads (Tyulpanov et al. 1948). Only selected parts of the canal were still operated for occasional timber transportation in rafts up to 1941. Belarusian government is planning to reconstruct the canal and to establish a commercial shipping in the near future, which will also reestablish a hydrological connections and a migration corridor for aquatic organisms between Dnieper and Zapadnaya Dvina rivers.

Neman-Vistula Canal (Avgustovskiy Canal)

This canal connects rivers Neman and Vistula (Neman River → canal → Chernaya Gancha River → Lake Mikashevo → canal → Lake Krivoe → lakes Panevo and Orlovo → canal → Lake Studenichnoe → lakes Beloe and Netta → Netta River → Vistula River → Baltic Sea). The whole canal was 102 km in length, including 22 km within Belarus and 80 km in Poland, and had 18 locks. The canal was built in 1824-1839 for timber in rafts and cargo transportation by ships up to 130 tons to the Baltic Sea (Tyulpanov et al. 1948; Blue Book of Belarus 1994). By the end of the 19th century (after the rebellion by Kastuś Kalinoūsky in 1863), ship traffic trough the canal was terminated and only its Polish part has been used for timber transportation, with peak recorded in 1928 (Tourism and recuperation 2007). Most constructions of the canal were destroyed during the war of 1941-1945. Reconstruction of Belarusian part of this canal was completed in 2006 and it has been opened for transboundary cruise boats. Although this is not an interbasin canal (as it connects the Neman and Vistula rivers that both belong to the Baltic Sea basin), it essentially facilitates the spread of exotic invertebrates (e.g., invasion of crustacean Orconectes limosus into Belarus from Poland).

References:

• Berezinskaya Sistema (1904) In: Yuzhakov SN (ed) Large Encyclopedia, volume III. Prosveschenie Press, Sankt-Petersburg, p 87 [in Russian]

• Blue Book of Belarus: Encyclopedia (1994) Dzis’ko NA et al. (ed). BelEn Press, Minsk.

• Dnieper-Bug System (1903) In: Yuzhakov SN (ed) Great Encyclopedia. Volume VIII. Prosveschenie Press, Sankt-Petersburg, p 557 [in Russian]

• Geography of Belarus: Encyclopedic reference-book (1992) Belarusian Encyclopedia Press, Minsk [in Belarusian]

• Kurlovich NN and Serafimovich AA (1981) Lakes resources of Belarus. Vestnik BGU. Seriya 2. Khimiya, Biologiya, Geographiya, 1: 68–72 [in Russian]

• Lopukh PS (1989) Blue routes of Belarus. In: Reading-book on physical geography of BSSR. Narodnaya Asveta Press, Minsk, pp 85-88 [in Russian]

• Tyulpanov AI, Borisov IA and Blagutin VI (1948) Short reference-book on rivers and waterbodies of BSSR. State BSSR Press, Minsk [in Russian]