1-9 December, St. Petersburg and Kazan hosted the International Forum for the 50^th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which brought together more than 1,700 delegates from Russia, the CIS countries, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

In 2023, Bashkir scientists together with the Natural Heritage Protection Fund and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences will prepare the nomination dossier for Toratau, Yuraktau and Kushtau Shikhans. Further, the documents will be provided for examination to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Explanations on the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee scheduled to take place in Kazan (Russian Federation) from 19 to 30 June 2022 are posted on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre:

The dossier of the nomination of the natural site of the Republic of Tajikistan "Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve", prepared with the assistance of the Natural Heritage Protection Fund, was registered at the World Heritage Centre on January 21.

During the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in an online format in Fuzhou (China) from July 16 to 31, 29 cultural and 5 natural properties were inscribed on the List, 3 sites were significantly expanded. The Committee made decisions on the nominations accepted for consideration in 2020 (the session was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic) and 2021. Thus, at the moment the List includes 1,154 properties: 897 cultural, 218 natural and 39 mixed from 167 countries of the world. 

The National Park Kytalyk located in Yakutia in the basin of the lower Indigirka River reaches has been added to the Tentative List of the Russian Federation. This opens up the opportunity to prepare the nomination for inclusion of Kytalyk in the UNESCO World Heritage List this year.

13 cultural, 3 natural and 3 mixed properties have been inscribed on the List, one site was significantly expanded in the course of the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee. Thus, as a result of the session, the List contains 1092 properties: 845 cultural, 209 natural and 38 mixed ones. 

Today, at the morning meeting of the 42nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (Manama, Bahrein), the Bikin National Park has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Park has been inscribed on the List as a significant extension (more than 1.16 million ha in area) of the existing property Central Sikhote-Alin.

The booklet has been published by the Natural Heritage Protection Fund in order to support the inscription of the Bikin National Park on the World Heritage List during the 42^nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (Bahrain, 24.06 – 04.07.2018). The illustrated popular science publication contains materials of the Bikin River Valley nomination (extension of the Central Sikhote-Alin World Heritage site).

The information was prepared in response to a query from the IUCN — the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee. In the query, the main attention had been devoted to the absence of a buffer zone and a management plan of the nominated Bikin River Valley natural site. 

Taking into account the additionally transferred information, the IUCN will prepare its recommendations for the World Heritage Committee, which will take its decision regarding the Bikin River Valley at its 42^nd session (Bahrain, 24.06 – 04.07.2018).