Research & practice seminar on the occasion of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site's 10th anniversary was held on October 16-17 in the Tungur settlement (Belukha Natural Park, Altai Republic).

Among the attendees were representatives of Specially Protected Areas of the Altai Republic (clusters of the World Heritage site), Natural Heritage Protection Fund and the Altai Republic Commission for UNESCO, authorities of the Ust'-Koksa Region and the Katandinsky settlement, delegates of El Kurultai State Assembly and regional Council of Deputies, representatives of NGOs and members of mass media.

The participants,

after learned about international and domestic experience in the implementation of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and being familiarized with recommendations of the 2007 UNESCO/IUCN mission and the decisions of the World Heritage Committee concerning the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site,

and

discussed the current state of conservation of the property, its urgent problems and development prospects,

and, also,

considered the following activities as priority activities for the Golden Mountains of Altai natural World Heritage site:

(1) Providing long-time conservation of outstanding universal value of the property; (2) Elaboration of regulatory and legal framework for the property and (3) Optimization of the site's management; (4) Providing financial stability of the property; (5) broad public awareness of the values and specific character of the site; (6) Strengthening of interregional and international cooperation; (7) Extension of the territory of the site and providing justification for additional criteria of its value,

passed the following

Proposals concerning the Management Strategy and the Development of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site

Purpose 1: Provide long-time conservation of outstanding universal value and integrity of the property
Task 1.1. Develop and implement in the territory of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site general monitoring system to control the state of conservation and man's impact (tourism, space-rocket activity, agricultural activities) to the property
Task 1.2. Reduce the level of forest fire hazard in the territory of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site
Task 1.3. Provide effective protection of the Belukha natural park and the Ukok Quiet Zone
Task 1.4. Develop and implement control system, which provides recreational quotas, for the management of tourism activities in the territories of the Belukha natural park and the Ukok Quiet Zone in order to prevent the misuse of recreational resources
Task 1.5. Increase protection status and strengthen the protection of the Teletskoye Lake
Task 1.6. Promote the development of alternative nature use in the territory of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site

Purpose 2. Elaborate regulatory and legal frameworks for effective functioning of the property under the legislation of the Republic of Altai
Task 2.1. Legislate World Heritage status at regional level
Task 2.2. Elaborate regulatory and legal grounds to regulate land use relations within the territories of the Belukha natural park and the Ukok Quiet Zone
Task 2.3. Elaborate regulatory and legal grounds to give to rangers of the Belukha natural park and the Ukok Quiet Zone Services the appropriate authority for control and protection of the areas

Purpose 3. Optimize the management system of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site
Task 3.1. Establish a Coordination Board to manage the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site
Task 3.2. Develop medium-term management plans for each of 5 clasters of the World Heritage site
Task 3.3. Harmonize the management of adjacent clusters: Altaisky Reserve/Lake Teletskoye and Katunsky Reserve/Belukha natural park

Purpose 4. Provide financial stability of the World Heritage property's clusters
Task 4.1. Develop and implement profitability programs for the SPAs' - clusters of the World Heritage site
Task 4.2. Obtain technical support to the World Heritage site from business structures through the World Heritage Center's Partnership for Conservation Initiative (PACT) program

Purpose 5. Provide broad public awareness of the values and specific character of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site
Task 5.1. Develop and implement within the territories of the SPAs a single environmental educational program meant for different target groups (visitors, local people, etc.)
Task 5.2. Mark the borders of the World Heritage property with information screens and signs
Task 5.3. Create the official Golden Mountains of Altai web site
Task 5.4. Establish closer cooperation with travel and information centers of the Altai Republic in order to inform the visitors of the region about specific character and universal value of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site

Purpose 6. Strengthen interregional and international cooperation
Task 6.1. Promote the establishment of a transboundary (Russia-Kazakhstan-Mongolia) World Heritage site in the Great Altai
Task 6.2. Promote the establishment of the ALTAI transboundary biosphere reserve on the basis of the Katunsky Biosphere Reserve and Katon-Karagaisky National Park with the involvement of the Belukha Natural Park as a territory of cooperation
Task 6.3. Establish transborder cooperation between the Ukok Quiet Zone natural park and Altai Tavin Bogd (Mongolia) and Katon-Karagaysky national parks to preserve habitats, populations and migratory routes of flag animal species
Task 6.4. Strengthen the cooperation between the Altaisky and the Uvs Nuur Hollow reserves to preserve habitats, populations and migratory routes of flag animal species and to maintain a protection regime of the areas
Task 6.5. Work on the inclusion of the Altai State Biosphere Reserve into the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves

Purpose 7. Extend the boundaries of the property and provide justification for additional criteria of value of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage site
Task 7.1. Explore the issue of territorial expansion of the property by adding the area of a proposed Sailugemsky National Park
Task 7.2. Justify the outstanding universal value of the site according to Criterion vii (outstanding aesthetic significance)
Task 7.3. Prepare nomination of the site under World Heritage cultural criteria (cultural landscape, sacral significance, outstanding historical and cultural monument)