«YOUR BOOKSHELF»

PUBLICATIONS OF THE COMMISSION FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

In 2002, the Committee for Nature Reserves of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) was rearranged into the Committee for Biodiversity Conservation. This procedure involved staff changes and wider scope of goals and objectives. Now Committee experts are in charge of all biodiversity conservation issues — from genetic resources to ecosystems. Nature Reserve Section is still working in the framework of the Committee for Biodiversity Conservation and deals with problems related to protected natural areas.

2002—2003: publication of traditional periodical series.

In 2002, the committee published Issues 9 and 10, and in 2003 — Issue 11. Since 2003, the GEF stopped funding the periodical and it became a yearbook. Issue 12 is currently produced. It is to be issued in mid 2004.

The following volumes were issued in 2002:

Issue 100. Vertebrates of Teberdinsky Nature Reserve

Issue 101. Kivach Nature Reserve Lichens

Issue 102. Vascular Plants of Bolshekhehtsyrsky Nature Reserve. 2^nd revised edition.

The following volumes were issued in 2003:

Issue 103. Vascular Plants of Pasvik Nature Reserve

Issue 104. Visimsky Nature Reserve Vertebrates

Issue 105.Vascular Plants of Sokhondinsky Nature Reserve

Is to be published:

Issue 106. Mosses, Algae, and Lichens of Nurgush Nature Reserve

The number of national parks in Russia is growing and these protected areas actively run inventory studies. Therefore, a new Flora and Fauna of National Parks series started in 2002, including the following two issues:

Issue 2. Vascular Plants of Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park(2002)

Issue 3. Vascular Plants of Orlovskoye Polesye National Park (2003)

In December 1999 work to evaluate the state of biodiversity conservation in Russian reserve areas, the creation of reserve biota database was commenced. Over 200 experts in biology from Russian reserves, research institutes and higher schools were involved in this work.

At the first stage (December 1999 — first half of 2001) the work was carried out within the frames of GEF Project “Conservation of Russia’s Biodiversity”. Starting from January 2002 database formation was continued with the support of the IUCN Office for Russia and CIS (IUCN CIS).

In 2003 specialists of the RAS Committee on Biodiversity Conservation took part in the preparation of the materials for publication. On the basis of data collected from reserves and numerous publications the following reports were issued:

1. The State of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia’s reserve territories. Edition 1. Vertebrates. Moscow, 2003. 257 p.

2. The State of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia’s reserve territories. Edition 2. Vascular Plants (2 volumes). Ìoscow, 2003. (Vol. 1. P. 1—403; Vol. 2. P. 404—683).

In the first quarter of 2004 the Committee plans to issue the third edition of the Lichen and Mosses Series.

The edition is to be distributed among all Russian nature reserves and national parks.

T. M. Korneyeva,
scientific secretary
of RAS Committee on Biodiversity Conservation