Privolshky Les Nature Reserve (Russian: Приволжская лесостепь заповедник) (also Privolshkaya Lesostep) (English: "Volga Steppe Nature Reserve") is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict ecological reserve) situated in the watershed midway between the Volga River and the Don River. The reserve is divided into 5 sectors, all in the western part of the Volga Uplands. Three of the sectors are steppe terrain, and two are forests. Rivers with upper reaches in the reserve flow into both the Don and the Volga. Administratively, the reserve is situated in the Kuznetsky District of Penza Oblast. The reserve was formally established in 1989 with the stated purpose of protecting representative habitat of the northern steppes, and the transition zone from steppe to forest. Some sections of the reserve, however