18/05/2005 WWF has welcomed
the announcement by Russia's Ministry of Natural
Resources to establish five new federally
protected areas over 840,000ha the first
protected areas to be established by the government
in five years.
"Today's announcement gives hope and
optimism to the challenge of protecting the
wealth of biodiversity found in Russia's forests,"
said Igor Chestin, WWF Russia's Chief Executive
Officer.
Russia holds 25 per cent of the world's virgin
forests and has between 810 per cent of the
planet's flora and fauna.
Three of the five federal protected areas
Zov Tigra, Anyuski, and Sredneussuriysky
provide refuge to the endangered Amur tiger.
Located in the Primorsky region of the Russian
Far East, these forests are threatened by
illegal logging. Illegal and unsustainable
trade in endangered and rare species are also
major problems.
The Primorsky regional government had in
1998 pledged to establish the three protected
areas. This action was recognised as a Gift
to the Earth, WWF's highest accolade in recognition
of globally significant contribution to the
protection of the living planet.
The federal protection would provide these
national parks with additional protection,
as well as state financing in their management
and maintenance. They will add to Russia's
network of protected areas which currently
comprises 100 zapovedniks (nature reserves)
and 35 national parks.
"WWF hopes that this is the start of
many more federal protected areas being established,"Chestin
said.
Since four years ago, the Russian government
had drawn up a list of 21 state protected
areas planned for establishment between 20012010.
However, no action had been taken until now.
Besides urging the government to act to ensure
more protected areas on the list are established
by the target date, WWF is also calling for
the establishment of an independent agency
to be responsible for nature conservation,
including management of the national parks
so they do not exist in name only.
The government's announcement coincides with
the conclusion of a two-day conference which
saw protected area directors and nature protection
officials and experts from across Russia coming
together to discuss pertinent issues facing
the country's forests.
It also coincides with the celebration of
Russia's 12 Gifts to the Earth, including
the 100th Gift a commitment by the Governor
of Krasnoyarsk to double the region's protected
area network by adding a further 3 million
hectares.
Notes:
Ten years ago WWF launched the Living Planet
Campaign. Central to the campaign was WWF's
call to heads of government and industry to
make globally significant conservation commitments
which the conservation organization would
recognize as Gifts to the Earth. To date,
100 Gifts to the Earth have been celebrated.
Through governments' commitments, the world's
protected areas have been enlarged by 160
million hectares, or more than three times
the size of France.
In Russia, 14 regions have made conservation
commitments which were recognized as Gifts
to the Earth. New protected areas have been
created, existing parks enlarged, and conservation
management improved. The first and 100th Gift
to the Earth came from Russia. The first from
the Sakha Republic was also the largest
a commitment to protect some 70 million hectares
of forests.
