Protected Areas in the Russian Arctic Download
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PROTECTED AREAS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC: CURRENT STATE AND PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPMENT УДК 502.21(985-751.1) ББК 28.088л6 CONTENTS C PREFACE 4 Protected Areas in the Russian Arctic: Current State and Prospects for Development C by M.S. Stishov INTRODUCTION 6 ISBN 978-5-906219-06-0 1. THE EXISTING NETWORK OF PROTECTED AREAS IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC 11 This book is a contribution towards fulfilling the Russian Federation’s commitment in the field of protected areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It includes analyses of the representativeness of protected areas in the 2. REPRESENTATIVENESS, COMPLETENESS AND MAIN GAPS arctic region of Russia and assessment of their role in the conservation of rare and valuable species of flora and fauna. OF THE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC 32 The book is the first study of the representativeness of regional protected areas that includes a comprehensive analysis 2.1. Representativeness and completeness of the Russian Arctic protected area network for of protected areas of all categories. Problems related to regional protected areas, options for solving the identified problems, and prospects for enhancing Russia’s arctic protected area networks are all based on the analyses of the landscapes and ecosystems 33 representativeness and completeness that are presented in this book. 2.1.1. Polar desert and tundra zones 33 The book’s target audiences are experts working in regional and federal governmental bodies responsible for the 2.1.3. Pacific maritime subarctic zone 58 functioning of protected areas, staff of existing protected areas, and all those interested in wildlife conservation in Russia. 2.1.4. Representativeness of the existing PA network for landscape-ecosystem diversity and main Suggested citation: network gaps 64 Stishov, M.S. 2013. Protected Areas in the Russian Arctic: Current State and Prospects for Development. WWF 2.2 Representativeness, completeness and main gaps of the Russian Arctic protected areas Russia. network for rare animals, plants and lichens 74 УДК 502.21(985-751.1) 2.2.1. Mammals 75 ББК 28.088л6 2.2.2. Birds 82 2.2.3. Amphibians and reptiles 89 Acknowledgements 2.2.4. Fishes of inland waters 89 Project coordinator and author: M.S. Stishov Authors of network-wide syntheses and analyses 2.2.5. Insects 96 Existing network of protected areas – M.S. Stishov, P.I. Zbanova 2.2.6. Freshwater and land molluscs 98 Key problems in the existing protected area network – M.S. Stishov 2.2.7. Vascular plants 99 Prospects for development of protected areas – M.S. Stishov, P.I. Zhbanova 2.2.8. Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) 129 The information and analyses presented in this book are drawn from a number of regional and thematic reviews. 2.2.9. Lichens 134 Authors of regional reviews 2.2.10. Representativeness of the existing PA network for rare species, and unprotected areas key to Murmansk Oblast – V.N. Petrov rare species conservation 137 Arkhangelsk Oblast – A.G. Kirilov Nenets Autonomous Okrug – I.A. Lavrienko, O.V. Lavrienko 2.3. Representativeness and completeness of the Russian Arctic protected areas network Komi Republic – S.V. Degteva, A.K. Blagovidov with respect to areas with high nature conservation value 147 Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug – M.V. Mirutenko, E.S. Ravkin, O.V. Brigadirova, V.B. Petrunin 2.3.1. Wetlands of international importance 148 Krasnoyarsk Krai – O.N. Nogina, E.B. Pospelova Sakha Republic – L.S.Volkova, Y.S.Sivtsev 2.3.2. Important bird areas 156 Magadan Oblast – A.V. Andreev 2.3.3. Seabird nesting colonies and nesting areas 168 Chukotka Autonomous Okrug – N.G. Shevchenko, M.S. Stishov 2.3.4. Coastal sea mammal rookeries 177 Kamchatka Krai – O.V. Chernyiagina, E.G.Lobkov, V.E. Kirichenko, J.N. Gerasimov 2.3.5. Main calving areas of wild reindeer herds 179 Authors of thematic reviews 2.3.6. Nesting, moulting and migratory staging areas for game species of waterfowl 184 Landscapes and ecosystems – M.S. Stishov, G.M. Tertitskiy 2.3.7. Spawning and rearing grounds, feeding areas and migratory routes of commercial Rare mammal species – B.I. Sheftel fish species 186 Rare bird species – V.V. Morozov, S.A. Bukreev, M.S. Stishov Rare fish species – M.S. Stishov 2.3.8. Coastal marshes 188 Rare invertebrate species – A.K. Blagovidov, M.S. Stishov 2.3.9. Intact forest landscapes 188 Rare species of plantae vesculares – V.J.Razevin 2.3.10. Rare and relict communities and ecosystems 192 Rare bryophyte species - M.S. Ignatov Forest, open woodland and shrub communities 192 Rare lichen species – G.P. Urbanavichus, I.N. Urabanavichene Key bird habitats – T.V.Sviridova, S.A. Bukreev Steppe, cryophytic-steppe and tundra-steppe communities 193 Wetlands – O.J. Anisimova, I.E. Kamenova Communities associated with distinctive substrates 193 Seabird nesting colonies – M.V. Gavrilo, M.S. Stishov Thermophilic communities 195 Coastal breeding-grounds of sea mammals – M.V. Gavrilo, A.A. Kochnev Wild caribou – L.M. Baskin, P.I. Danilov, V.V. Larin, V.V. Mosolov, V.P. Novikov, I.M Ohlopkov, V.M. Safronov 2.3.11 Completeness of the Russian Arctic PA network for areas of high nature conservation value 196 Swampland communities – G.A. Sergienko, M.A. Shreders Virgin forest areas – D.A. Aksenov, I.V. Glushkov, M.L. Karpachevskiy, T.O. Yanitskaya, A.J. Yaroshenko 3. PROSPECTS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK Rare and relict species and ecosystems – M.S. Stishov, A.K. Blagovidov IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC 207 Russian translator: Denis Maksimov 3.1. Existing plans and proposals for development of federal and regional PA networks Editor of translated texted: Joan Eamer in the Russian Arctic 207 Cartography: M.S. Stishov, I.A. Yaroshenko 3.2. Proposed PA network in the Russian Arctic based on evaluation of the existing network’s completeness and representativeness 219 Published by WWF-Russia Printed by Skorost Tsveta Number of copies: 1 000 For free destribution Text: © WWF-Russia, 2014. All rights reserved. Cover: © WWF-Russia The Programme of Work on Protected Areas was signed in 2004 and the country exceed any plausible exploitation quotas. This undermines the PREFACE at the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention populations of mammals, birds and fish. on Biological Diversity (COP 7). This programme largely defines In The Foundations of Governmental Policy in the Arctic for the Period until the requirements and approaches for the establishment and maintenance of protected 2020 and Further Prospects (approved by the President of the Russian Federation areas (PAs) for all the signing parties. on September 18, 2008 – #1969), the “conservation of unique arctic ecosystems” is One of the key goals of the program is the planning and creation of a listed as one of the top national priorities. There are two goals outlined as central in representative network of protected areas both at the national and regional levels. assuring ecological integrity for the arctic environment. The first is the conservation From 2005 to 2012, WWF Russia completed projects on protected areas for the and the protection of the arctic environment. The second is the eradication of whole of the Russian Federation (www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/292), as ecological consequences that result from human activity and global climate change. well as for specific regions of Russia and neighboring countries. The following There are two main tools for implementation of the second of these goals. The first regions were targeted: the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion (www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/ is the development of concrete guidelines for the use of bioresources in the Russian book/292), the Republic of Altai (www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/764) and Arctic, as well as undertaking specific actions to preserve the arctic environment, countries of Central Asia (www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/179). Current such as pollution monitoring. The second is the creation of protected areas, a key projects focus on perspectives on protected area development in the Russian element of the environmental policies of the Russian Federation. Arctic. The goal of the current WWF Russia effort is the development of a network The circumpolar Arctic occupies approximately 4 per cent of the surface area of of protected areas in the Russian Arctic. Protected areas must be representative the Earth but is home to only 1 per cent of global biological species. Although there of the biological diversity present in the region and work towards conserving the is a relative low level of biodiversity in the Arctic, it plays a key role in conserving biological and landscape diversity of the Arctic in the context of future socio- global biodiversity. The low biological diversity of the Arctic sharply increases economic developments. The main steps in development of this network are: the evolutionary-ecological significance of each individual species as well the 1. Analysis of the representativeness of the existing network of federal and regional importance of many of these species to humans. It also enhances the community- protected areas, followed by assessment of the efficiency of the protected areas forming role of many species in the structure of habitats and ecosystems. in the protection of regional biological diversity The Russian sector of the Arctic takes up no less than a third of the entire Arctic 2. Identification of gaps in the current PA system, based on the above analysis and plays a globally important role in the conservation of ecosystems because it hosts 3. Identification of areas that require the creation of new protected areas to close the most typical Arctic landscapes. The Russian Arctic is home to approximately 80 these gaps per cent of all species typically found in arctic landscapes and 90 per cent of the estimated 2,000 species found in the circumpolar Arctic.