About the Fund


Seminars and conferences

Since 2003 the Fund, in cooperation with German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, has been realizing a training program for managers of Russian specially protected areas (SPA), composing Russian World Natural Heritage properties. The seminars are attended by experts of UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN, representatives of international financial agencies, Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, scientific and public organizations, managers of foreign World Natural Heritage sites, etc.

Workshops arranged by the Fund in previous years:

In the framework of seminars the draft of a medium-term program of the implementation of the Convention was developed:

  • Development of a concept and a special Federal Program of the implementation of the Convention's "natural" part.
  • Introduction of amendments to the Russian Federation legislation and regional legal acts to define the legal status of World Heritage sites.
  • Compilation of a list of Russian natural sites recommended for nominating to the World Heritage List.
  • Establishment of World Heritage site coordination centers (especially important for sites incorporating several protected areas with a different status). The coordination centers should become the basis for a future Association of Russian World Natural Heritage Sites.
  • Development of an alternative financing search strategy for the World Heritage sites. Maintaining contacts with members of the World Heritage Centre Partnership Program. Direct financial assistance to the World Heritage sites through grants and agreements to carry out specific projects.
  • Development of management plans for Russian World Heritage sites.
  • Description of the borders of World Natural Heritage sites.
  • Development of a system of reactive monitoring in World Heritage sites; development of a unified method of acquiring, processing and presentation of information on the state of conservation of World Heritage sites.
  • Focusing attention of the local people, regional business and administration on the problems of the World Heritage sites.
  • Development of alternative economic activities for local population (ecological tourism, traditional folk crafts etc.); application of low-cost job growth and wage-push mechanisms to environment-oriented activities.
  • Information support for the World Heritage sites (issue of informational bulletin, translation and dissemination of literature related to the subject matter, design of web-sites for the World Heritage properties, etc.).
  • Organization of annual training seminars, working meetings, exchange programs with foreign World Heritage sites. Initiation of cooperation between the "Twin Sites".
  • Priority preparation of nominations included in the Tentative List of the Russian Federation: Magadansky Reserve and Commander Islands, and trans-boundary nominations "The Green Belt of Fennoscandia" (Russia-Finland-Norway) and "Daurian Steppes" (Russia-Mongolia-China).