RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY A WORKSHOP HELD FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES IN THE EUROPEAN PART OF RUSSIA AND BELARUS
On July 9-12, 2004 a workshop for representatives of Russian (European part)
and Belarus biosphere reserves was held at the site of Volzhsko-Kamsky state
natural reserve and Raifsky Blessed Virgin monastery. The workshop was organized
by the Russian Committee established under the UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere
Program (MAB), UNESCO office in Moscow and the government of the Tatarstan Republic
with the aid of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Tatarstan
Republic and the Volzhsko-Kamsky state natural reserve. The workshop was attended
by representatives of several biosphere reserves (Astrakhansky, Visimsky,
Voroneshsky, Darwinsky, Nerussko-Desnyanskoye Polesye, Nishegorodskoye Zavolshye,
Oksky, Prioksko-Terrasny, Smolenskoye Poozerye, Ugra, Centralno-Lesnoy, Centralno-Chernozemny,
and Chernye Zemli)as well as representatives of the Russian MAB UNESCO
Committee, the UNESCO office in Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources
(Department for Protected Areas), the Center on Biodiversity Conservation, the
Institute of Sustainable Communities, the Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Moscow State University, the
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Tatarstan Republic (TR), the
Raifsky Blessed Virgin monastery, administration of the TR Zelenodolsky region
and state natural reserves Bolshaya Kokshaga and Volzhsko-Kamsky.
The workshop focused on the following issues:
Biosphere reserves' experience in the Seville Strategy recommendations
implementation and their contribution to the realization of the concept of
sustainable development;
Establishment of the Russian Biosphere Reserves Association and consideration
of specific mechanisms for improving cooperation within the framework biosphere
reserves network in the European part of the Russian Federation;
Development of a standard biosphere reserve description for web-site presentation
and participation of biosphere reserves in data exchange improvement;
Preparation of possible joint projects to attract extra-budgetary financing.
Moreover, participants were informed of Volzhsko-Kamsky
reserve's experience and were involved in a series of field excursions.
In conclusion, participants considered a draft resolution. In the statements made on that draft resolution it was noted that Russian biosphere reserves successfully implement functions imposed on them by the Seville Strategy. The tasks of landscape and biological diversity and cultural heritage preservation have been efficiently addressed within their territories. Adequate scientific research and ecological education has been established. Furthermore, biosphere reserves serve as a a framework for training experts from relevant fields of science.
At the same time, biosphere reserves do not receive adequate financing from the federal and regional budgets, which impedes successful implementation of target II of the Seville Strategy. Efforts to receive supplementary funds by independent activities do not always produce the expected results.
In order to increase the Russian biosphere reserves' efficiency the participants of the workshop recommended:
To establish an Association and to elaborate a draft model Charter for biosphere
reserves in the European part of Russia (responsible: M. N. Brynskikh, director
of Prioksko-Terassny Reserve, and V. P. Novikov, director of Ugra
National Park).
To authorize the Biosphere Reserves Association:
To proceed with publication of a specialized electronic newsletter and establishment a joint data base;
To conduct joint annual conferences for biosphere reserves' experts, regional
administration officials and business representatives;
To request regional leaders the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation to increase their assistance and financing of biosphere reserves from their budgets.
To request the Department for Protected Areas of the Ministry of Natural Resources:
To proceed with identification of the legal status of the Russian biosphere
reserves;
To prepare forms for annual reporting on biosphere reserves taking into account a specific nature of their activities and mainstreaming the main targets of the Seville Strategy;
To consider the establishment of an administrative sector to address biosphere
reserves' issues.
To request the Biosphere Reserves Coordination Council to negotiate bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements with regional partners in order to achieve its objectives.
To request the Russian MAB UNESCO Committee, UNESCO office in Moscow and
the government of the Tatarstan Republic to seek financing required for workshop
documentation publication both in Russian and in English.
To request the Russian MAB UNESCO Committee and UNESCO office in Moscow
to send letters to the governors and Presidential Plenipotentiaries in those
regions where biosphere reserves (BR) are located expressing the hope for
worldwide support of the BR's activities.
To request UNESCO to support the application of Volshsko-Kamsky
state natural reserve for admission to the Worldwide Biosphere Reserves Network.
