Types
and Forms of Russian Protected Areas
One of the most comprehensive
attempts at biodiversity conservation in Russia and the Formmer
Soviet Union has been the establishment of an extensive network of
protected natural areas. Much of the biodiversity of North
Eurasia is preserved today in Zapovedniki, or strictly protected
scientific nature reserves. The system of National Natural Parks,
established only ten years ago, is another major component of
federally-managed protected natural areas (PNA). Zakazniki, or
Special Purpose Preserves, and wildlife sanctuaries, make up the
backbone of protected areas in the regions. Yet another designation
is Nature Monuments, preserving unique biological objects at even
smaller scale.
As of spring of 1998, Russia had 98 Zapovedniki and 32 national
parks. Zapovedniki encompass a total area of over 75 million
acres, or 1.4% of the Russian territory. National parks cover about
16 million acres, less than one-half percent of Russia. Regional
level Zakazniki and nature monuments number well over one thousand
and cover up to 4 % of the country's territory.
Other former Soviet republics also have Zapovedniki, National
parks and similar types of PNAs. Many of these territories are among
some of the world's most important "cradles" for biological
diversity. Among particularly significant are preserves in the Far
East of Russia (Sikhote-Alin, Botchi zapovedniki, and others). This
is the largest remaining contiguous ecosystem in Russian Far East,
protecting habitat for Siberian tiger, musk deer, roe deer, spotted
deer, Chinese merganser, cranes, and a few dozen rare, threatened, or
economically important plant species.
Russia's PNAs provide many important benefits, besides just
preserving the biological riches. They have significant aesthetic
value, and attract many tourists. While recreation is generally very
restricted in Zapovedniki, which distinguishes them among most other
protected areas in the world as "true wilderness areas", national
parks are created primarily for recreation purposes. The educational,
informational and research values are also important, especially in
Zapovedniki, which were envisioned in the early 20th century as
"outdoor laboratories", or "baseline nature areas" for ecological
research. Zapovedniki present a series of unique territories,
unparalled in the world as models for comparison to areas of human
disturbance, for study of natural ecosystem processes and functions.
For decades long-term research and monitoring has been conducted in
Zapovedniki, accumulated in Zapovednik archives ("Chronicles of
Nature"), creating a valuable yet underutilized informational
resource.
Zapovedniki (strict scientific state nature reserves) fall within
category I of IUCN classification of protected areas of the world.
They are the backbone of the post-Soviet, and in particular, Russian
system to preserve biodiversity. The first Zapovednik, Barguzinski,
near lake Baikal was created in 1916. The effort has been made to set
aside entire "greater ecosystems", which would function normally
without human interference. Expansion of the system was based not
only on preserving species rarity or habitat uniqueness, but also was
centered on ensuring representativeness. The result is the system as
we see it today, preserving "samples" of a tremendous diversity of
natural communities.
Zapovedniki are not evenly
distributed throughout the country. For example, there are 24
zapovedniki in the Russian Central Plain, whereas only two exist in
the Arctic zone. A number of gaps have been identified by the experts
working for the Global Environmental Facility's Russian Conservation
program in 1995.
Two zapovedniki were added in 1996: huge Gydanski (878
thousand ha) in the northern part of gydanski peninsula near the Kara
Sea, and much smaller Bastak (91 thousand ha) in the Jewish autonmous
region in the Far East.
Seventeen Zapovedniki have been designated as UNESCO biosphere
reserves. Zapovedniki range in size from 231 ha (Galichya Gora) to
4,692,000 ha (Big Arctic Zapovednik).
Most zapovedniki in Russia are managed by the recently re-established
Department of Zapovedniki of the Russian Department of Nature
Protection (formerly, Ministry of Environmental Protcetion). A few
belong to the Russian Academy of Science, or particular
universities.
The first parks (Losiny Ostrov ("Moose Island") near Moscow and
Sochi) were established fairly recently, in 1983. National Parks fall
within category II of the IUCN classification. Parks play an
important role in preventing exploitation of valuable and
comparatively large tracts of land, some of which have traditionally
been used for recreation. NPs range in size from 7,000 ha (Kurshkaya
Kosa) to 1,891,701 ha (Ugyd Va, in the Komi republic). The data on
biodiversity in these areas are only now become available for the
first time.
The national park system is managed by the Russian Forest Service,
which involves prevalence of "management" agenda over "protective"
one. Many eco-tourism programs are being successfully developed by
the national parks.
These areas meet criteria of IUCN category III, or more frequently
VII. Zakazniki are the areas where temporary, or permanent
limitations are placed upon certain on-site economic activities
(e.g., logging, mining, grazing, hunting, etc.). Many of the
Zakazniki have traditionally been managed for game species. Some
protect complex ecosystems, colonies of birds, or populations of rare
plants. They range in size from 0.5 up to 6,000,000 ha.
Nature Monuments are designated to protect objects of
a special scientific, cultural, or aesthetic value such as rock
formations, bird rookeries, or a scenic landscape. Traditionally,
nature monuments were smaller than zakazniki in area (100 sq meters
to 500 ha).
Other types of protected areas in Russia include
micro-sanctuaries for insects, wetlands protected under international
conventions, scientific forest reserves, special types of "climate
regulating" forests along tundra-forest ecotone, and in deserts,
green belts around cities, etc. Another designation is the "specially
protected forests", protected under the Forest Code of Russia. The
designation prohibits clear cutting and sets rules for other forestry
procedures and techniques, such as a 1-km buffer zones around
capercaillie's mating grounds, or zones along hiking trails. Over 16%
of Russian forests belong to so-called "first group", where strict
regulations are imposed upon the logging practices (e.g., no cuts in
riparian buffer zones, etc). The first privately funded preserve
appear in Russia in 1992, Muravievka Nature Park in the Amur river
basin. The project was sponsored by the International Crane
Foundation of the US, Wild Bird Society of Japan, and the Amur River
Program of the Socio-Ecological Union.
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