Booklet "Natural World Heritage in Russia. 10 years of Russian-German Collaboration"
ОVERALL RESULTS OF RUSSIAN-GERMAN COLLABORATION WITHIN
THE FRAMES OF THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
On May 28, 1992, Russian Federation and Federal Republic of Germany have signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Collaboration in the Sphere of Environmental Protection. Russian Ministry of Nature Resources and German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety have been appointed for coordinating and organizing collaboration within the framework of the agreement.
Since 1995 one of priority projects of the permanent Russian-German "Nature protection and biodiversity conservation" workgroup is collabo ration within the frames of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The collaboration is being successfully developed with active support of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
Between 1995 and 2002 the German side provided financial and scientific assistance in preparation of 11 nominations of Russian natural properties. Four of these have already received the UNESCO World Heritage status: Volcanoes of Kamchatka (1996); Western Caucasus (1999); Curonian Spit (2000); and Uvs Nuur Basin (2003). The Putorana Plateau and Magadansky Nature Reserve nominations have been prepared and announced on the Russian Federation Tentative List of natural objects, and the Putorana Plateau has been submitted to the World Heritage Center in 2006. The Russian part of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia nomination has been completed and is to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre as a Russian-Finnish-Norwegian transboundary nomination. In 1999 the nomination Lena Delta has been prepared by Russian and German specialists. The Vodlozersky National Park and Bashkirian Urals nominations have not been inscribed on the World Heritage List after a World Conservation Union (IUCN) expert evaluation in 1998. The possibility of preparing a repeated nomination under the cultural landscape criteria is being considered.
From the German side the following organizations took part in joint preparation of nominations with Russian colleagues:
- Dresden University of Technology (Bashkirian Urals, Western Caucasus, Curonian Spit, Putorana Plateau, and Magadan Nature Reserve nominations);
- The German Society for Nature Conservation (NABU) (Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Green Belt of Fennoscandia, Vodlozersky National Park, Bashkirian Urals, Western Caucasus, Lena Delta and the Lena Pillars nominations);
- The "Western Caucasus" NonGovernmental Organization (Western Caucasus nomination);
- The International Academy for Nature Conservation (Island of Vilm, Germany)(the Vodlozersky National Park, Uvs Nuur Basin and Lena Delta nominations).
Since 2003 BfN has provided support for a training program for managers of Russian specially protected natural areas being part of natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Under this program were conducted three international training seminars on the implementation of the Convention, management plan preparation and developing alternative ways of nature use. Independent experts and German specialists from Marburg University, the BfN and the German World Heritage Foundation provided significant assistance in conducting the seminars.
Between 20032005 the German World Heritage Foundation together with the Natural Heritage Protection Fund rendered technical assistance to Kronotsky Zapovednik, Zabaikalsky and Yugyd Va National Parks in pro viding electronic communication facilities and development of ecological tourism. In 2006 the German World Heritage Foundation confirmed fund ing the transport means purchase for the Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Nature Park.
In 2005 recommendations for methodic and legal management of World Heritage Sites in Russia have been given upon the Russian-German conference held in the State Duma of Russian Federation.
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Booklet "Natural World Heritage in Russia. 10 years of Russian-German Collaboration"