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Resolution of the International Working Meeting Prospects of the Extension of the Altai Golden Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Site

Working Meeting Prospects of the Extension of the Altai Golden Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Site on August 5-6 in the Kosh-Agach settlement (the Altai Republic).

10 people took part in the working meeting: representatives of the Altai State Technical University (Institute of Mountain Nature Use and Urbanistics and the UNESCO Chair), the Altai State Agricultural University, Sector for Nature Researches and Ecology of the Center for Social and Economic Scientific Researches of Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Bayan-Ulgiysky Aimak, Mongolia), Administration of SPAs of the Mongolian Region of the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism (Bayan-Ulgiysky Aimak, Mongolia), NGO ECO-ALTAI (Kazakhstan), Katunsky State Nature Reserve, Ukok Quite Zone Nature Park, Natural Heritage Protection Fund, RAS Institute of Geography.

The following reports were presented:

• Experience of the Preparation of the Altai Golden Mountains World Heritage Nomination (by M. Shishin);
• Overview of the Current State of the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Up-to-date Requirements for the Development of Documents for the Extension of the Altai Golden Mountains Serial World Heritage site (by A. Butorin);
• Current State of Works on the Extension of the Altai Golden Mountains Serial World Heritage site (the territories of the Katon-Karagaisky State National Nature Park, Markakolsky State Reserve (Kazakhstan) and Altai Tavan-Bogd Nature Park (Bayan-Ulgiysky Aimak, Mongolia)). Prospects of the Submission of Preliminary Applications by Mongolia and Kazakhstan (by E. Yurchenkov, Beket Ulaagpaan);
• Transboundary SPA - Prospects for Joint Projects (by T. Yanshina, A. Butorin);
• About the Scope of Work and Action Plan of the International Project Group on the Extension of the the Altai Golden Mountains World Heritage site (by M. Shishin, A. Ivanov).

The meeting resulted in the following proposals:

• Apply to appropriate state agencies of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia with a proposal for the establishment, by way of the extension of the existing Altai Golden Mountains World Heritage property, of a serial transboundary World Heritage site.
• Prepare applications for inclusion of the territories of the Katon-Karagaisky State National Nature Park, Markakolsky State Reserve and Altai Tavan-Bogd Nature Park into the Kazakhstan and Mongolia's Tentative Lists before February 1, 2010.
• Ask the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO to apply to the World Heritage Fund for financial assistance to hold an international conference concerning the preparation of a transboundary World Heritage nomination Altai Golden Mountains. Executor: Center ALTAYEVEDENIYE (Mongolia).
• Call UNDP/GEF offices in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia for support in the preparation of the Altai Golden Mountains transboundary World Heritage nomination.
• Establish a working group on the extension of the existing Altai Golden Mountains World Heritage site; the group should include coordinators from each of the sides:
  From Kazakhstan: E. Yurchenkov, Programme Coordinator - WWF for the Live Planet in the Kazakh Altai;
  From Mongolia: Beket Ulaagpaan, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Director - Social Economy Research Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Bayan-Ulgiysky Aimak, Mongolia);
  From Russia (adviser): A. Butorin, Director - Natural Heritage Protection Fund; research fellow - RAS Institute of Geography.
• Entrust Dr. Shishin, an expert of the Our Common Home Altai International Coordinating Council, with the task to present a report on the results of the workshop at the next Council meeting.
• Coordinate activities of the working group with activities of other nature conservation projects and initiatives in the transboundary region of Altai, including those on the establishment of a cultural World Heritage site.
• Schedule another working meeting of the International Project Group for the second quarter of 2010 to coordinate further activities.
• Bring this Resolution to the notice of the Forestry and Hunting Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism of the Republic of Mongolia, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, the Kazakh, Mongolian and Russian Commissions for UNESCO and regional executive authorities of the three countries.

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