1 Rouble Narochansky National Park. Mute Swan

Belarus launched its wildlife conservation series in the early 2000s partly as a means of generating hard currency through collector sales abroad — the domestic economy was in no position to absorb commemorative coinage. Narochansky, the country's oldest national park established in 1945 around Lake Naroch, was a logical subject: the lake is the largest in Belarus and a significant breeding ground for migratory waterfowl.

KM#54 is among the earlier issues in what became a long-running series, struck before the program shifted toward silver for premium collector editions.