The IV world Congress on biosphere reserves started in Lima. On March 14 in the capital of Peru, the representatives of highly protected areas from different countries gathered together.
The main aim of the Convention is to form a new vision of biosphere reserves under the programme “The Man and the Biosphere” (MAB) for the next decade. The long-term intergovernmental programme «The Man and the Biosphere» started under the auspices of UNESCO in 1971. It includes over 600 objects from 117 countries; the Russian network is made up of 41 highly protected areas in 32 subjects of the Federation.
During the Congress it is planned to evaluate the results of the implementation of «Madrid Action Plan» and the Seville strategy adopted at the II and III congresses, as well as to develop and adopt «Lima Action Plan» for the implementation of the UNESCO Programme ” The Man and the Biosphere” in 2016-2025. The forum was attended by the delegation of 11 Russian reserves and national parks. The Prioksko-Terrasny reserve is represented by the Deputy Director for scientific and research work Yuri Buyvolov. According to his report, all main tasks in the field of scientific research and monitoring mentioned in the project “Lima action plan” have been implemented for over 15 years in the Prioksko-Terrasny biosphere reserve.
The Congress will last four days under the slogan «To preserve nature for sustainable society development “. During the meeting, they will discuss issues that are typical for biosphere reserves throughout the world. First of all they are associated with the development of agriculture, high technologies, tourism, education, personal development and human self-realization.
“Despite the fact that historically Russian reserves were created exclusively for wildlife conservation, indirectly, they have always fulfilled a socially important function. Nowadays, their social significance is getting more obvious,” noted the Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the field of Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Recourses of Russia Vsevolod Stepanitsky.
The research worker of the Kronotsky reserve Anna Zavadskaya was a participant of the Congress and noted that biosphere reserves provide various ecosystem services, which in most cases are not expressed in financial terms and are often underestimated. According to her report, the animal species are preserved and reproduced in Russian biosphere reserves, which have great commercial value. For example, salmon populations are preserved in the Kronotsky nature reserve, the production of which is the foundation of the regional economy and brings direct benefits to the local people outside it.
The Central Siberia Nature Reserve is specialized in the preservation of populations of sable and its habitat and it allows local people to receive an annual income of 900 million rubles. The Teberda Reserve is an engine for the development of tourism in the region; it provides employment and income for 80% of the population of nearby settlements. A huge contribution to the welfare of local residents is also made by the Kenozersky, Central Chernozem, Rostov, Voronezh, Oksky, Sredne-Volzhsky, Baikal and other biosphere reserves of the country.
Source: press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources
