Reserve - natural specially protected territories or water areas, completely taken out of economic use for eternity in order to preserve rare species of animals and plants, natural natural complexes. Limited scientific observations are allowed on the territory of the reserve.

An area of territory (water area) where the entire natural complex is preserved in its natural state. As a rule, reserves (unlike zakazniks) are closed to tourists, but in some of them there is access to the territory by special permits.

It is generally believed that the first environmental and wildlife protection law was enacted in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C. This was also when the world's first nature reserve was established by King Devanampiyatissa.

The first mention of the conservation status of the area now known as Tunisia's Ishkol National Park dates back to the 13th century, when the then ruling Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya banned hunting in the vicinity of the lake.

The Prophet Muhammad declared forests and green areas as sanctuaries (khima) where every form of life was protected. The most famous of these was the reserve near Medina, which had an area of almost 20 km².

In the Middle Ages in Europe, the nobility cared about preserving the productivity of their hunting grounds. For this purpose, special areas were allocated where any hunting was temporarily prohibited in order to reproduce game, and the punishment for violating the ban was quite severe.