May 22 marks the holiday approved by the UN General Assembly – International Day for Biological Diversity.
By presidential decree No. 204 of May 7, 2018, the conservation of biological diversity was assigned to the national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period until 2024.
The conservation and restoration of rare and endangered wildlife, the formation of a regulatory and methodological framework, as well as the planning and implementation of activities in this area are the priority areas of activity of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources.
Since 2019, work has been carried out within the framework of the federal project “Preservation of Biodiversity and the Development of Ecological Tourism” of the national project “Ecology”. Particular attention is paid to 11 objects of the animal world, requiring the adoption of priority measures for restoration and reintroduction. Among them: Amur tiger, Central Asian leopard, Far Eastern leopard, snow leopard, polar bear, bison, saiga, Przhevalsky horse, argali (Altai mountain sheep), dzheren and Siberian crane (white crane). Currently, the ministry is developing conservation strategies and restoration programs for each species.
The work is carried out in close cooperation with commercial companies and public organizations. To date, in the framework of the initiative “Business and Biodiversity” announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia in 2019, funds worth more than 350 million (inf. Krever) rubles have already been raised to implement measures of the federal project. Cooperation agreements were concluded with Rosneft PJSC, LUKOIL PJSC and Zarubezhneft JSC.
“Within the framework of the federal project, the business was offered a modern methodology for the conservation of biodiversity, identified priority indicator species of animals for corporate programs, unified the structure of programs and requirements for their maintenance. Working groups have been set up on priority objects of the animal world that ensure the effective implementation of the measures taken by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia to preserve and restore the corresponding rare species of animals, ”commented the curator of the direction, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Elena Panova.
The basic bridgeheads for the implementation of measures for the conservation and reintroduction of rare and endangered wildlife are specially protected natural areas of federal significance.
So, in the Orenburg Reserve (Orenburg Region), since 2015, a program has been successfully implemented to restore the Przhevalsky horse population. In the fall of 2020, it is planned to bring a new batch of animals from the USA to the reserve.
Daursky Nature Reserve (Trans-Baikal Territory) is working on the issue of opening an argali reintroduction center on its territory. The plans of the Sayano-Shushensky reserve (Krasnoyarsk Territory) include the development of the Center for the reintroduction of the snow leopard on the basis of the aviary complex of the reserve.
At the Leopard Restoration Center in the Caucasus, run by the Sochi National Park, six individuals of the Near-Asian leopard are currently undergoing training for life in nature – four females and two males. Planned time for release of animals into their natural habitat is summer 2020. The activity of the Center for Breeding and Reintroduction of the Far Eastern Leopard, which is being created in the Lazovsky Reserve (Primorsky Territory), will be directed to replenish the population of another subspecies of the leopard – the Far Eastern.
Prioksko-Terrasny (Moscow region) and Oksky (Ryazan region) nature reserves conduct many years of work to restore the bison population. Animals born in nurseries successfully settle in the wild in various territories. In the next three years, the bred individuals will be exported to the Ust-Kubenskoye hunting farm (Vologda Oblast), the Turmon Reserve (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania) and the Smolensk Lakeland National Park (Smolensk Region).
In addition, the federal project on biodiversity conservation envisages the creation by 24 of 24 of 24 new specially protected natural areas, many of which will also cover key habitats of rare animal species. In 2019, Zigalga national parks in the Chelyabinsk region, Samursky in the Republic of Dagestan, Lensky Pillars in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Koygorodsky in the Komi Republic and Tokinsko-Stanovoy in the Amur Region were already created. In 2020, it is planned to create three more protected areas: the Bear Islands Reserve in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Togul National Park in the Altai Territory, and the Vorjema River Valley Reserve in the Murmansk Region.
The main document summarizing the status of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, on the basis of which the development of scientific and practical measures aimed at their protection, reproduction and rational use is the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia has already carried out large-scale work on updating this document, which resulted in an updated edition of the Red Book. In April 2020, the List of fauna objects was replenished with 43 items: 29 new species of birds and 14 mammals.
Currently, within the framework of the federal project, the Ministry is developing a regulatory legal framework for the conservation and reintroduction of rare and endangered wildlife, and a regulatory and methodological framework is being developed to create infrastructure for eco-tourism in national parks and promote a comprehensive tourism product in Russia and internationally. markets.
Work on the conservation of Russia’s biological diversity continues. We invite you to visit our national parks and reserves, see the untouched beauty of wildlife, learn more about the activities of the country’s reserve system employees and even join the environmental volunteers of the protected areas!
Press Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia
