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Natural property "Bikin River Valley" as extension of "Central Sikhote-Alin" World Heritage property was inscribed to the Russian Tentative List

The Russian Tentative List was enlarged with the "Bikin River Valley" natural property on the 19 of November. Natural complex "Bikin River Valley", more than 1 million hectares in total, includes a landscape reserve "Verhnebikinsky" and the territory of traditional land use of the indigenous people of the north of the Primorsky Kray.

Due to the two protected areas located in the upper and middle stream of the Bikin River, it is in plan to extend already existing "Central Sikhote-Alin" World Heritage property.

One of the principal reasons of the "Central Sikhote-Alin" serial nomination preparation is the requirement for protection of endangered population of Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). Moreover, cedar-broadleaf complex of the Bikin river valley is actually globally unique and exclusive preserved entire massif of formerly wide-spread Ussuri taiga.

The "Central Sikhote-Alin" property extension at the expense of the "Bikin River Valley" - an initiative of public organizations (WWF, Greenpeace Russia, Bureau for regional outreach campaigns (BROC), the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, the Natural Heritage Protection Fund) supported by the RF Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation and Ministry of Regional Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

The "Bikin River Valley" nomination is being under finalization at the moment by force of the Natural Heritage Protection Fund jointly with Institute of Geography of RAS and Heritage Institute named after D. S. Likhachev and under the auspices of WWF Amur Branch with a view of its further submission to the World Heritage Centre.