Establishment of protected areas is one of the most effective measures for the environment protection. The reserves, i.e. the areas where any human activity is not allowed, are especially effective. It is expected that they would become shelters for the threatened species. One of such areas is Nizhne-Svirsky Reserve at the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga. It was established in 1980, and since then no intervention in natural processes has been taking place there. Thirty-five threatened species of vertebrate animals have been registered in the reserve: 33 species of birds and two species of mammals. These species are either listed in the Red Book of Russia, or are considered as threatened or near-threatened in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). At the water borders of the reserve, salmon and whitefish migrate, their local populations being rated as protected in Russia. Most of registered threatened animals stay in the reserve for shorts periods during migrations or visit it occasionally. Only 8–10 species live in it relatively constantly. The small number of vulnerable species under protected conditions indicates that the creation of reserves may not be sufficient to solve the problem of their conservation. Generalization of data related to threatened animals of the Nizhne-Svirsky Reserve reveals significant contradictions between the Red Book of Russia and the IUCN Red List: some species are considered threatened in Russia but not in the IUCN Red List, although a significant part of their range is located in Russia; or vice versa: some species in Russia are considered common or even game species, whereas according to the IUCN Red List, they raise concern. In the present case, the first option often relates to raptors, whereas the second one to waders and ducks.