Booklet "Volga Delta - potential World Heritage site" has been published
10.10.2008 |
The booklet is based on the materials of the Volga Delta nomination dossier prepared jointly by the Natural Heritage Protection Fund, the Astrakhansky State Biosphere Reserve, RAS Institute of Geography, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage named after D.S. Likhachev with the assistance of the EURONATUR (Germany) and the UNDP/GEF project "Conservation of Wetland Biodiversity in the Lower Volga Region" in 2007-2008.
The nomination dossier and the booklet are both issued on the occasion of the 450 anniversary of the city of Astrakhan'. The territory of the Astrakhanskaya Oblast' contains, apart from a potential cultural World Heritage site "Astrakhansky Kremlin" that is already on the Russia's Tentative List, a unique natural complex of the Astrakhansky Reserve, which certainly deserves inscription on to the World Heritage List.
The outstanding value of natural complexes of the Astrakhansky Reserve has already gained international recognition: the territory is a part of the Ramsar site "Volga Delta" and possesses the status of a biosphere reserve. Besides, according to the results of the IUCN Gap Analysis of the World Natural Heritage the territory of the Volga Delta has been recognized as positively deserving World Heritage status.
The Volga Delta lies at a "crossroads" of migratory flyways of numerous waterfowl species, which makes the territory a very important biodiversity conservation area. The Volga Delta is one of the world's most dynamic river deltas, and as a result of interaction between a large river and a landlocked basin of the Caspian Sea, the delta has a very specific hydrological regime. These features give to the Volga Delta a high chance of being nominated under several natural criteria.
Volga Delta - potential World Heritage site