ENG / RUS Natural Heritage Protection Fund

Russian Natural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, Tentative List, and potential properties for inscription

Russia (the former Soviet Union) signed the World Heritage Convention in 1988 and is now represented on the World Heritage List by 15 cultural and 8 natural properties. In its number of natural properties inscribed on the List, Russia is on the fifth place among nations, following Canada, China, Australia and the United States. Thirty Russian Specially Protected Nature Areas have World Heritage status, among which eleven are strict nature reserves (zapovedniks) and five are National Parks.

At present, the following sites in Russia have World Natural Heritage status:

• Virgin Komi Forests;
• Lake Baikal;
• Volcanoes of Kamchatka;
• Golden Mountains of Altai;
• Western Caucasus;
• Central Sikhote-Alin;
• Uvs Nuur Basin;
• Wrangel Island.

Curonian Spit National Park was inscribed on the List as a cultural landscape.

Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources proposed that the following natural complexes be included on the Tentative List for the Russian Federation, which presents the properties that Russia may decide to nominate for inscription on the World Heritage List in the future:

• Putorana Plateau;
• Magadansky Reserve;
• Commander Islands;
• Daurian Steppes;
• Lena Pillars;
• Great Vasyugan Mire;
• Krasnoyarsk Pillars;
• Ilmensky Mountains.

The aforementioned sites were selected based on an analysis of their natural significance, which was carried out by scientific and public organizations and approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Documentation necessary for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre was prepared for all territories. In addition, for all territories, executive organs from the corresponding subjects of the Russian Federation sent proposals to Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources about their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Also in 1996 the mixed cultural and natural property Valaam archipelago has been inscribed on the Preliminary (Tentative) List of Russian Federation.

Work is underway to expand Russia's Tentative List of prospective and nominated natural complexes with the addition of sites such as the Volga Delta, Lena Delta, the Green Belt of Fennoscandia, the Kuril Islands, the Great Watershed of Valdai, Bikin River Valley and the Solovki Islands.

Russia is indisputably rich in unique natural complexes, which are, very importantly, undisturbed by human activities. According to the approximate estimates of scientists, Russia has close to twenty territories that are worthy of natural World Heritage status. The most prospective sites were identified as part of a joint project on boreal forests, which was implemented by UNESCO and The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

© Natural Heritage Protection Fund 2000-2009, unless otherwise indicated.