REPORT ON THE ALL-RUSSIAN SEMINAR-MEETING OF
DIRECTORS
OF STATE NATURE RESERVES
November 20–26, 2000: The Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Kavkaz State
Nature Biosphere Reserve hosted an All-Russian Seminar-Meeting of Directors
of State Nature Reserves to discuss the organization of work at Russia’s
state nature reserves. The seminar-meeting was held in Krasnaya Polyana
(Krasnodar Krai) and sponsored by the Global Ecological Facility (GEF) Project
Russian Biodiversity Conservation.
The seminar-meeting was attended by 153 participants, including the heads
of 91 of Russia’s state nature reserves; heads of the natural resources
committees of the Republics of Altai, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Saha (Yakutia),
Krasnodar Krai, Amur and Irkutsk Regions; heads of the departments of natural
resources of the northwestern and southern regions, as well as of the State
Committee on Ecology of the Republic of Bashkortostan; heads and specialists
of the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of the
Russian Ministry of Natural Resources; heads and specialists of the Global
Ecological Facility (GEF) Project Russian Biodiversity Conservation, of
the World Wild Fund Russian Office, of the Environmental Education Centre
“Zapovedniks”, of the Dersu Uzala Center for Development of Ecological Tourism,
of the Center for Russian Environmental Policy, of the Biodiversity Conservation
Center, and of several other environmental and scientific organizations
and the mass media.
The participants of the seminar-meeting agreed:
To generally approve the content of the Draft Work Concept for Russia’s
State Nature Reserves.
To give the above-mentioned document the following title: Major Goals
for Russia’s State Nature Reserves till 2010.
To propose that the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources review the above-mentioned
document and consider the suggestions presented by meeting participants
within 30 days, and submit it for adoption by the Russian Ministry of
Natural Resources.
To recommend that state nature reserves submit any further suggestions
concerning this project to the Department of Environmental Protection
and Ecological Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources within
two weeks.
To ask the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources to introduce the Management
of Reserves into the structure of the central office of the Ministry within
the block of the federal nature preservation service for purposes of improving
the management of state nature reserves and national parks. To suggest
that the Ministry of Natural Resources create a Federal State Office of
the Ministry of Natural Resources in order to improve the coordination
and systematic support of scientific research, environmental education,
etc., in state nature reserves and national parks.
To recommend that the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources draft a departmental
document regulating the procedure of interactions between the regional
branches of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the state nature
reserves and national parks.
To propose that the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources jointly with the Kavkaz
State Reserve prepare and publish the papers given at this meeting.
To recommend that the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources investigate the possibility
of adding state nature reserves to the list of organizations working according
to the watch method.
To recommend that the Krasnodar Krai Committee of Natural Resources,
the Kavkaz State Nature Reserve and the Association of Reserves and National
Parks of the Northern Caucasus extend trans-border cooperation with nature
conservation bodies and natural protected territories of the Republic
of Abkhazia in environmental protection and protection of biodiversity
and landscape diversity.
To note the exceptional importance of regular seminars for heads of
reserves. To suggest that the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and
the Global Ecological Facility (GEF) Project Russia’s Biodiversity Conservation
hold another All-Russian seminar for heads of reserves and national parks
in 2002. And devote this seminar to working with the local populations
around the reserves and parks.
To note the significant role of the Environmental Education Centre
“Zapovedniks” in preparing and training reserve and national park staff.
To support the initiative of the EEC “Zapovedniks” to create a specialized
visit centre in Moscow called the Moscow Reserve Embassy.
To note the significant role of Zapovednyye Ostrova and Zapovedny Vestnik
Newspapers in publicizing the reserves.
To recommend that the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources sign an
agreement with the Russian Ministry of Education on joint efforts in ecological
education on the basis of specially protected natural territories.
To express gratitude to the Governors of the Khanty-Mansiy and Yamalo-Nenets
Regions, as well as to the heads of territorial administrations, for long-term
financial support of Malaya Sosva, Yugan and Verkhne-Tazov state nature
reserves.
To recommend that the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecological
Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources study the possibility
of conducting in-depth analyses of state nature reserves’ effectiveness.
To express gratitude to the Kavkaz Resreve for its work in organizing
this seminar-meeting.
Provided by the Department of Environmental Protection
and Ecological Safety of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources
