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).

During finished today in Krakow the 41-th session, the World Heritage Committee inscribed natural sites in Argentina and China on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as well as a transboundary site in Mongolia and the Russian Federation. It also approved the extension of the World Heritage site of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany, which now stretches over 12 countries. Also 18 cultural properties was inscribed on the List.

Thus, according to the results of the 41^st session of the Committee, the total number of the natural World Heritage sites has achieved 206, cultural - 832.

In the course of the session, the Committee’s decisions on four Russian natural sites — Lake Baikal, Wrangel Island, Western Caucasus and Golden Mountains of Altai — have been approved without discussion.

Today, during the evening session of the World Heritage Committee, the transboundary Russian-Mongolian property “Landscapes of Dauria” has been included in the World Heritage List at the Committee’s 41^st session taking place in Krakow. The “Landscapes of Dauria” have become the Russian Federation’s eleventh natural site that has received the high status of UNESCO World Heritage.

Inscription of the “Landscapes of Dauria” on the World Heritage List has to become one of the most brilliant nature-protective events in the Year of Ecology. This event deserves being widely publicized in mass media and attracting attention of Russian citizens.

According to the rules of the procedure, recommendations of the consultative bodies have been published on the Session web-site before opening the 41st Session of the World Heritage Committee. Thus, IUCN recommends the Committee to “Inscribe the Landscapes of Dauria (Mongolia / Russian Federation) on the World Heritage List under criteria (ix) and (x)”. Inscription of the Landscapes of Dauria on the World Heritage List can become one of the most prominent nature-protective events in the Year of Ecology in Russia.

The Bikin River Valley nomination prepared from 2009 to 2016 by the Natural Heritage Protection Fund with the support of the Amur Branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature and transferred to the World Heritage Centre on the 30^th of January, 2017, underwent the technical assessment of completeness.

The information that was requested by the IUCN in addition to the transboundary Russian-Mongolian nomination “Landscapes of Dauria”, which had been referred back by the decision of the 39^th Session of the World Heritage Committee, has been transferred to the World Heritage Centre. The issue of inscribing the Landscapes of Dauria on the List will be reconsidered during the 41^st Session of the Committee in July 2017. 

After the necessary endorsements with the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the package of the documents for representing the Bikin River Valley territory (Primorsky Kray) on the World Heritage List has been transferred to the World Heritage Centre. The territory is nominated within the boundaries of the Bikin National Park created in 2015 in order to extend the Central Sikhote-Alin site.

The World Heritage Committee completing its 40th session which began in Istanbul from 10 to 17 July 2016.

The Committee finished its deliberations, including discussions concerning the budget and revision to the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention. The Committee also elected the members of its Bureau, which coordinates the work of the Committee during its sessions. The new members of the Bureau for the 41st session are Angola, Kuwait, Peru, Portugal and Republic of Korea as Vice-Chairpersons, with Prof. Jacek Purchla (Poland) as Chairperson and Mr Juma Muhammad (United Republic of Tanzania) as Rapporteur.

41st session will be held from 2 to 12 July 2017 in Kraków, Poland.

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Istanbul, Turkey from 10 to 17 July has inscribed 21 sites on the World Heritage List. They include 12 cultural sites, six natural and three mixed sites. The World Heritage List now numbers 1052 sites in 165 countries.