The establishment of the first Lithuanian Nature Reserve Žuvintas started and was most of all associated with the activities of an outstanding Lithuanian naturalist and ornithologist from the previous century, professor Tadas Ivanauskas (1882-1970), . Thanks to his initiatives preserving endangered water birds, the Nature Reserve status was introduced in the territory of Žuvintas Lake since 1937, i.e. the hunting of birds and mammals was prohibited in the Lake and its 1 km surroundings.

After the Soviet Union occupation of Lithuania, Žuvintas lost the Nature Reserve status since 1940 and consequently was kept in hands of Soviet people’s food industry Commissariat.

In  1946, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences was empowered “to establish nature reserve in the district of Žuvintas, including Žuvintas Lake with its western wetland together with nearby forest“. The area of Žuvintas Strict Nature Reserve was 3167,2 ha in year 1951. Consequently, the area of Reserve was enlarged to 5428 ha.

Žuvintas Strict Nature Reserve was enrolled into the International list of Designated Wetlands and Shallow Waters of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) since the year 1993.

Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve has the status of Important Bird Area (IBA) and Site of Community Importance (SAC) in compliance with the established criteria for European conservation territories of natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora since 2004.