World Natural Heritage in Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia Greenpeace Russia, 2000 World Natural Heritage in Russia Greenpeace Russia, 2000 press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia The Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted at the UNESCO Gen- eral Conference on November 16, 1972. By the end of 1999 the Convention had been ratified by 158 countries. Today it stands as the most effective international policy instrument for the protection of unique natural and cul- tural sites on the world scale. As of January 1, 2000, 128 natural and 22 mixed (natural and cultural) complexes have received the status of "World Heritage Site". They include the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park and the Hawaiian Islands. In fact, all 128 territories are true natural wonders, five of which are situated in Russia, which started working on submis- sion of its natural territories only in 1994. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia In 1994, the State Committee on Environ- ral areas had already acquired high ranking mental Protection of the Russian Federation conservation status when Lake Baikal and (Goskomecology) and Greenpeace Russia Volcanoes of Kamchatka were inscribed onto stroke an agreement to launch activities the World Heritage List. In 1998 the List was aimed at inclusion of a number of Russian enlarged by another Russian nature com- sites onto the World Heritage List. In 1994, plex - Golden Mountains of Altai. In Decem- Greenpeace Russia prepared the documents ber of 1999, the 23rd Session of the World necessary to nominate the "Virgin Komi For- Heritage Committee made a positive deci- ests" natural site onto the World Heritage List. sion about inscription of the fifth Russian In December 1995, it became the first Rus- Natural Site - the Western Caucasus - onto sian World Natural Heritage territory. Due to the List. The necessity meet the requirements its newly acquired interna- of the International Conven- tional status, the unique for- tion, the scrutiny of interna- ests were rescued from log- tional experts and worldwide ging initiatives of the French public attention facilitated company "HUET Holdings" the adoption of the Law on and a gold mining project in Baikal, helped to prevent the the northern part of the withdrawal of a portion of Yugyd-Va National Park was the Virgin Komi Forests natu- suspended. ral complex for industrial By the end of 1996, about purposes, promoted a denial 6.5 million additional hec- for construction of Maikop- tares of pristine Russian natu- Dagomys highway through press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia the Caucasus Nature Reserve and helped to "Vodlozero National Park" was carried out in freeze a few economic projects that were 1996-1998. However, these nominations disastrous for the environment even at the were declined inscription as they did not time when submission preparation was still satisfy the criteria applied to a unique natu- in progress. ral site. In the near future these areas will The World Heritage Committee is presently be nominated as «cultural landscapes». considering documents for the following Russia is certainly rich in unique and un- nominations: "Ubsunur Hollow", "The Delta disturbed natural complexes. According to of the Lena", «Central our estimates, Russia ac- Sikhote-Alin», «Vrangel Is- counts for over 20 areas land» and "Curonian Spit". worthy of World Heritage The documentation for the status. Among the natural submission of nominations areas prospective from the for natural complexes of standpoint of their inscrip- the Putorana Plateau, the tion onto the World Herit- Valdai Upland, the Kuril Is- age List are the natunal lands and the Commander complexes of the Islands are under develop- Astrakhansky, Maga- ment. dansky, «Black Earth», The work aimed at Daursky Nature Reserves preparation of nominations and Mesherskyi National for "Bashkirian Urals" and Park. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia Aims and Goals of the Project «World Natural Heritage in Russia» the main goal of the Project is to give natu- ral territories the Highest Environmental Pro- tection Status as an additional guaranty that unique natural area will be protected; monitoring and control over the conserva- tion and integrity of the natural sites inscribed onto the World Heritage List; dissemination of information about the ter- ritories that have received and are to receive the «World Heritage Site Status», develop- ment of alternative methods of nature man- agement (in the first place, eco-tourism); engagement of financial institutions to sup- port World Heritage Sites. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia CRITERIA for inscription of natural sites onto the UNESCO World Heritage List To become a World Heritage Site, an intended territory is required to meet at least one of the four following criteria and to satisfy the condition of natural integrity: be an outstanding example representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landform, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features; be an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and bio- logical processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding uni- versal value from the point of view of science or conservation. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia World Natural Heritage sites in Russia VrangelVrangel IslandIsland CuronianCuronian SpitSpit GreenGreen BeltBelt ofof FennoscandiaFennoscandia VodlozeroVodlozero NationalNational ParkPark TheThe ValdaiValdai UplandUpland LenaLena DeltaDelta TheThe CommanderCommander TheThe VVirginirgin IslandsIslands KKomiomi FForestsorests PutoranaPutorana PlateauPlateau WWesternestern CaucasusCaucasus VVolcanoesolcanoes ofof KamchatkaKamchatka BashkirianBashkirian UralsUrals TheThe KurilKuril Lake Baikal Islands UbsunurUbsunur Lake Baikal Islands HollowHollow 1. inscribed on the GoldenGolden Mountains World Heritage List; Mountains ofof AltaiAltai 2. under preparation CentralCentral Sikhote-AlinSikhote-Alin for inscription on the WH List. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia Virgin Komi Forests Virgin Komi Forests is the first site in Russia in- Inta cluded onto the World Heritage List. This nomina- R. Usa tion opened a new page in the history of environ- R. Pechora mental protection in Russia. Virgin Komi Forests is an area which consists of Pechora M. Narodnaya (1895 m) two sites: Pechoro-Ilychsky Nature Preserve and Polar Ural Yugyd-Va National Park. It is the largest forest (3,280,000 ha) among the remaining European pri- mary forest stands, representing ecosystems almost undisturbed by intensive economic activities. It is a real treasury of taiga biodiversity. The area accounts for over 40 species of mammals including the brown North Ural R.Pechora bear, sable and elk, 204 species of birds including R. N. the white sea eagle and fish hawk (both recorded Troicko- Sosva in the Russian Red Book), and 16 species of fish, the Pechorsk most valuable of which are glacial relics - the lake char and arctic grayling. The main forest-forming tree species, fir-tree and spruce, are accompanied by cedar, for which this area is the north-western border of its habitat. Mid- and northern taiga change over to forest tundra with large areas occupied by press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia mountain tundra and bare stone peaks. The territory extends for more than 300 km from north to south along the western slope of the Polar and Northern Urals. The moun- tain complex of the Urals is an important cli- mate-forming element for the entire ecosys- tem of the region. Here is a place where the great Pechora River begins and where it receives waters from crystal-clear tributar- ies. Mountain microclimate facilitates a bril- liant floral mosaic: along the narrow river valleys the taiga species climb high up the mountainsides, leaving the timberline far be- neath. On eastern slopes, typical Siberian flora all of a sudden replaces European plant species, characteristic of the humid western slopes of the Urals. press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is located in the southeastern Siberia. The area of the site included onto the World Heritage List (1996) is 3,150,000 ha. Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a lake of the "superlative degree". It is the deepest (1637m) and the oldest (about 25,000,000 years old) lake in the world and contains the greatest number of flora and fauna species among all the freshwater bodies on the Earth. The lake contains 23,600 cubic meters of water R. Lena unique in its quality and volume (over 20% of the world stock). The whole basin of Baikal is a unique and fragile eco- R. Angara system, including a unique natural process of excellent drinking water generation intrinsic to the Baikal. The intermountain depression of the lake basin to- gether with surrounding mountain systems is an impor- L. Baikal tant natural border in Siberia. It is a junction of habitat Irkutsk limits of a number of flora and fauna species, which form unique local biocenoses that have no analogy else- Ukan-Ude where. Due to its isolation and ancient origin, the Baikal basin became a place where the richest and world's R. Selenga press <ENTER> for the next page Greenpeace Russia World Natural Heritage in Russia most unique freshwater fauna originated.