Part 2.3. Protected Areas

The key legal act in Russia that governs relations in the protected area organization, protection and use is the Federal Law "On protected areas" adopted by Gosduma on February 15, 1995.

In compliance with the above law, protected areas are attributed to national wealth objects. To protect them from adverse anthropogenic impacts, protected zones or districts with a controlled regime of economic activities can be set up on adjacent lands and aquatics.

Each protected area must be taken into account in designing local complex development schemes, land management and local planning. In terms of guarding regime specifics and status of environmental agencies located there, the above areas are categorized as follows: - state natural zapovedniks (strict reserves), including biosphere reserves;

- national parks;

- state natural zakazniks (reserves);

-natural monuments;

- dendrological parks and botanical gardens;

- rehabilitation remedial localities and resorts.

At the same time, the Russian Federation Government, relevant executive bodies of Russian Federation subjects and local self-governance bodies may establish other categories for protected areas (e.g. areas where green zones, town woods, gardens and park art monuments, etc. are located). In Russia, the most wide-spread and traditionally protected areas of top-priority for the national heritage and biological diversity conservation are state natural zapovedniks, national parks, state natural zakazniks, and natural monuments.

State natural zapovedniks. Russian state natural zapovedniks are the most strictly protected natural areas. Protected natural complexes and objects (lands, waters, mineral resources, flora and fauna) that are especially significant for environment, science and ecoeducation and located within state zapovedniks are completely withdrawn from any kind of economic use.

In the Russian Federation, by October 1 1997, the number of state zapovedniks has reached 95 with the total area of 310 265 sq km, including the land area (with inner aquatics) of 261 898 sq km. This constitutes 1.53 % of the whole territory of Russia. Zapovedniks are located in 18 republics, 4 krais, 35 oblasts, 6 autonomous areas within the Russian Federation. The majority (88) of state natural zapovedniks are under direct management of the Russian Federation State Committee on Environmental Protection (RF SCEP), 4 - in the system of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 - under the RF Ministry of Education, 1 - under the Forest Service (Annex 5.1.27-5.1.28; 5.2.11).

Withdrawal or any other termination of rights for land plots or other natural resources of state natural zapovedniks is prohibited.

Any activities conflicting with state natural zapovednik objectives and specific guard regime are prohibited on the zapovednik territory, among them are:

-activities involving changes in a land hydrological regime;

- mineral resources development, soil layer disturbance, exposure of minerals and outcrop of rocks;

-timber harvesting, sanitary clearings and leaving cuttings, medicinal plant and technical raw material harvesting, and other types of forest use, for the exception of those envisaged by the Statute on forest use in state natural zapovedniks of the Russian Federation ratified by the Russian Federation Government on December 18, 1991 No 48;

- haying, cattle grazing, setup of beehives and apiaries, harvesting of wild fruit, berries, mushrooms, seeds, flowers and other flora uses; building and placing of industrial and agricultural facilities and their individual sites, building of houses and constructions, roads and overpasses, power supply lines and other communications, except those required for maintaining zapovednik's viability;

- commercial, sport and non-professional hunting, other fauna uses, excluding those listed in the above Statute;

- introduction of life organisms for the purpose of their acclimatization;

- employment of mineral fertilizers and chemical flora protective means;

- transit of cattle;

- presence, passing and driving through of aliens and any motor vehicles out of prescribed roads;

- collecting zoological, botanical and mineralogical collections, except those specified by scientific research topics and plans of a zapovednik;

- helicopters and airplanes flying over below 2 000 m above the zapovednik's area without concurrence with its administration or the State Committee for Environment Protection; breaking-through of the sound barrier above a zapovednik;

- other activities that disturb natural evolution of wildlife processes and threaten a state of natural complexes and objects as well as those with no relation to zapovednik's objectives.

The presence of people who are not zapovednik's employees or officials who are not employees of the SCEP or its local agencies on the territory of an RF SCEP zapovednik is permitted only in case RF SCEP or zapovednik administration's permits are available. Similar rules operate in other zapovedniks.

Areas of state biosphere zapovedniks may be added up with areas of biosphere test sites, including those with specific protection and operation regimes, to carry out scientific research, ecological monitoring and testing and implementation of rational nature-use methods that do not destroy environment and deplete biological resources.

The protection of natural complexes and objects within state natural zapovedniks is accomplished by a special state inspection on the guard of state natural zapovedniks. Inspection personnel are on zapovedniks' staff.

In 1996, guard service units functioned in 88 state natural zapovedniks (in three more, Tungus, Rostov and Koryak zapovedniks, their organization was underway).

In 10 zapovedniks (Chernie Zemli (Black Lands), Dzhugdzhurski, Rdeiski, Pasvik, Yuganski, Bureinski, Timirski, Putorangki, Olekminski, and Ostrova Vrangelya (Vrangel Islands)) guard service has not recorded any strict protected area regime violations for this period.

In other 75 zapovedniks, guard service recorded 2,596 cases (in 1995 - 2,941) of various regime violations, including: unauthorized cutting - 171 (the same in 1995), illegal haying and cattle grazing - 80 (61), illegal hunting - 439 (381), illegal fishing - 712 (839), illegal wild flora collecting - 219 (348), non-sanctioned land occupation and illegal building - 38 (8), illegal presence (driving, walking, transport parking) - 710 (906), pollution - 58 (66), violations of Forest Fire Management Rules - 41 (51). There were officially registered cases of preying of 94 ungulate animals (versus 85 in 1995) and 5 big predators, 2 polar bears among them (Big Arctic zapovednik). In Darvinski and Kerzhenski zapovedniks a fact of illegal wolf hunting was revealed. In 67 cases (versus 44 in 1995) criminal suits were filed and against 20 violators (like in 1995) criminal proceedings were instituted. In 29 zapovedniks (like in 1995) violators' detention was accompanied by confiscation of 260 weapon units.

In addition, for the reported period, 2,331 illegal fishing gear items (nets, traps, etc.) and about 3 tons of illegally caught fish (1995 - 7,437 kg) were confiscated.

Annual forest fires are a challenge for state natural zapovedniks. Starting with a current year fire- hazard period, fires occurred in 13 RF SCEP state natural zapovedniks with the total area of about 3.500 ha (~0.02 % of the whole area of zapovedniks). The overall number of fires - 30. Forests of Altai (Republic of Altai), Komsomolsk (Khabarovsk krai) and Sikhote-Alin (Primorski krai) zapovedniks suffered from fires more than the others. Almost all the fires were of natural thunderstorm origin.

National parks. A state system of Russian Federation national parks has been establishing since the recent past. The first Russian Federation national park (Sochinski) was founded in 1983. By October 1 1997, 32 national parks with the total area of 66,45 thou sq km (Annex 5.2.9), corresponding to 0.39 % of the territory of Russia, has been set up in the Russian Federation. National parks are located in 9 republics of the Russian Federation, 2 krais and 21 oblasts. Most (30) of the national parks are in the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation Forest Service, one - in the jurisdiction of Moscow Government (Losiny Ostrov (Elks Woods)) and one - under the Yaroslavl oblast administration (Pereslavski).

National parks are nature protection, ecological education and scientific research establishments, territories (or aquatic areas) of which incorporate natural complexes and objects of particular environmental, historical and aesthetic value and are designated for nature protection, educational , scientific and cultural purposes and controlled tourism.

In specific cases, land plots of other users and proprietors may be located within the limits of a national park. Currently there are land plots of other proprietors, owners and users in 19 national parks from among 32. A share of such lands is extremely high in a number of parks (75 % in Pereslavski, 58 % in Orlovskoe Polesie, 54 % - Meshcherski and Russki Sever (Russian North), 48 % - Samara Luka, and 41 % in Sebezhski). National parks establish a differentiated regime in terms of their natural, historical, cultural and other specific features. Initiating from the above specifics, various - functional zones can be singled out in national parks, including:

- reserved zone, within the limits of which any economic activities or recreation use are prohibited;

- protected zone, within the limits of which conditions for natural complexes and objects conservation are provided and only strictly regulated visits are allowed;

- ecotourism zone designed for ecological education and sightseeing;

- recreational zone designated for recreation, including non-professional hunting and fishing;

- zone of historical and cultural monuments protection, within the limits of which conditions for their conservation are provided;

- visitors' service zone for accommodation sites, camping or other tourist, cultural, informational and general service facilities;

- maintenance zone, within the limits of which economic activities necessary for sustainable functioning of a national park are accomplished.

Any performance, which is likely to impose damage on natural complexes or objects, flora and fauna, historical and cultural monuments and which does not comply with goals and objectives of a national park, is prohibited, including:

- mineral resources prospecting and development;

- activities leading to soil cover disturbance and geological outcrops;

- activities resulting in hydrological regime changes;

- allotment of land parcels for orchard-and-garden management communities and country homes (dachas);

- building of highways, pipelines, power supply lines and other communications as well as building and exploitation of economic or residential sites which do not pertain to the functioning of national parks;

- timber harvesting, cuttings and clearings, galipot harvesting, commercial hunting and fishing (except the cases under this statute), commercial wild flora collecting, activities resulting in the disturbance of flora and fauna habitats, collecting of biological collections, and introduction of life organisms for the purpose of their acclimatization;

- traffic and parking of mechanized transport vehicles with no relation to national park functioning, passing-through of cattle out of general-use roads or waterways and outside specifically designated places, and timber floating;

- organization of mass sport and entertainment actions, arrangement of camping sites and setting bonfires outside prescribed places;

- taking-out of subjects of historical and cultural value.

In national parks situated in areas of aboriginal communities, the allocation of customary extensive nature-use zones is acceptable. Traditional activities, such as commercial hunting and fishing, handicrafts and customary nature uses and other similar activities can be permitted on specific land parcels if approved by the national park top management.

On lands included into the national park limits without their withdrawal from economic operation, expansion or construction of new economic sites are prohibited. A regime of these land use is defined by a statute approved by a Russian Federation state body to which this national park pertains upon agreement with executive power bodies of relevant Russian Federation subjects. Land lots within the national park limits and buildings, constructions and premises located on them are not subject to privatization.

National parks may carry out self-management of hunting and fishing on their territory or lease hunting lands and fishery water basins to other users.

National parks may carry out self-management of controlled tourism and recreation on their territories in line with approved projects or transfer this right to other concerned parties on the basis of controlled tourism and recreation management licenses. The licenses are issued by the national park top management provided the proposed services do not contradict with the objectives of national parks and inflict no damage on natural complexes and historical and cultural objects.

State natural zakazniks. State natural zakazniks are areas having a particular value for conservation or recovery of natural complexes or their components and sustainable ecological balance. An area can be declared a state natural zakaznik both with or without withdrawal of land parcels from users', owners' and proprietors' possession. They can have federal or regional significance.

For October 1 1997, there were over 1 600 state natural zakazniks with the total area of above 60 000 thou sq km in the Russian Federation, including 66 federal-level zakazniks, their total area being about 17 000 tho sq km. Most of federal zakazniks are in the jurisdiction of the Department on protection and rational use of hunting resources under the RF Ministry of Agriculture and 10 - in the authority of the RF SCEP. Among the latter is the largest state natural zakaznik "Zemlia Frantsa Iosifa" (Franz Joseph Land) within the same archipelago, total area 42 000 sq km, founded in 1994. 19 state natural zakazniks (both federal and regional) fall under the jurisdiction of the Ramsar Convention.

Dictated by specific objectives in the environment and natural resources protection, state natural zakazniks can have different profiles, according to which they are classified as follows:

- complex (landscape) reserves designated for natural complexes (nature landscapes) conservation and regeneration;

- biological (botanical and zoological) reserves established with the purpose of conservation and regeneration of rare and endangered flora and fauna species (subspecies, populations) as well as of those having economic, scientific and culturalvalue;

- paleontological reserves designed for conservation of sites where scientifically valuable remnants of fossil animals and vegetation or their petrified samples were found or accumulated; hydrological reserves (wetlands, lakes, rivers, seas) for preservation and recovery of valuable water objects and ecosystems; - geological reserves intended for conservation of valuable objects and dead nature complexes (peat bogs, mineral and other useable resources deposits, notable relief forms and landscape elements related to them).

On areas of state natural zakazniks or their individual parts there are prohibited, on a regular or timely basis, any activities being at variance with the purpose of state natural zakazniks or inflicting damage on natural complexes or their components, including the following:

- land plowing;

- timber harvesting and all kinds of cuttings, galipot harvesting, haying, cattle grazing, harvesting of mushrooms, berries, nuts, fruit, seeds, medicinal and other plants, and other types of flora use;

- commercial, sport and non-professional hunting, fishing, preying of animals that do not rank among hunting and fishing objects, and other fauna uses;

- collecting zoological, botanical and mineralogical collections, and paleontological objects;

- allotment of land parcels for housing and garden-and-orchard management communities; hydromelioration and irrigation works, geological prospecting and mineral resources development;

- erection of buildings and constructions, building of roads, pipelines, power supply lines, and other communications;

- employment of toxic chemicals, mineral fertilizers, chemical flora protective means and growth stimulants;

- any other economic activities, recreation and other types of nature use that hamper conservation, regeneration and reproduction of natural complexes and their elements.

On the areas of state natural zakazniks inhabited by multiple ethnic communities, natural resources use is admissible in the forms that provide protection for the above ethnic communities' habitats and conservation of their traditional way of life.Proprietors, owners and users of land parcels located within the limits of state natural zakazniks as well as all other physical or juridical persons are obliged to observe a special guard regime established in state natural zakazniks and may be brought to administrative, criminal or other legal responsibility for its violation. Boundaries of state natural zakazniks are marked physically on the ground by warning or information-bearing signs.

Natural monuments. Natural monuments are nature complexes and objects of natural or artificial origin that are unique, unrenewable and valuable in ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic aspects.

The main purpose for which natural complexes and objects are declared natural monuments is their conservation in the natural state.

Giving natural complexes and objects a status of natural monuments and the areas occupied by them that of protected areas can be accompanied by withdrawal of land plots, on which they are located, from possession, rent or use of other proprietors, owners or users. The order of withdrawal and transfer of rights on such land plots is regulated by the land legislation of the Russian Federation and its subjects.

In order to protect natural monuments from adverse anthropogenic impacts of adjacent lands and waters, protected zones with a controlled regime of economic activities may be established.

Natural monuments can have federal or regional significance resulting from a degree of the environmental, aesthetic and other value of protected natural complexes and objects.

For October 1 1997, in the Russian Federation there were about 8 000 natural monuments, including 29 ones of federal level. Among the latter there are 16 natural monuments (total area - about 107 sq km) created for the protection of a small unique forest section in European Russia (Kologrivski Les (Kologriv Forest) in Kostroma oblast, upland oak woods Shipov Les in Voronezh oblast, Racheiskaya Taiga in Samara oblast, and others).

Land and water areas as well as single natural objects can be declared natural monuments, among them may be:

- parts of picturesque localities;

- reference samples of intact nature;

- local sites with predominating cultural landscape (old parks, alleys, canals, ancient pits, etc.);

- growing places and habitats of valuable, relict, scanty, rare and treatened flora and fauna species;

- large forests and forest sections especially valuable in their characteristics and exemplary samples of outstanding forest science and practice achievements;

- natural objects playing a key role in a sustainable hydrological regime;

- unique topographic forms and adjacent natural landscapes (mountains,

rock complexes, ravines, canyons, cave systems, glacier circuses and moraine-boulder ridges, dunes, barhans, giant icings, etc.);

- geological outcrops of a specific scientific value (open-cut mines,

rare minerals, rocks and usable resources exposures);

- other unique objects of dead and alive nature.

A passport for each monument is issued by the Russian Federation environmental bodies specifically authorized for this purpose with the approval of a relevant executive power body.

The President's Decree of October 2, 1992 No 1155 "On the Russian Federation protected areas" entrusted the Russian Federation Government in cooperation with executive power bodies of republics within the Russian Federation, krais, oblasts andautonomous areas with specifying the Project on a rational network of state zapovedniks and national parks by making provision for the expansion of these areas to three per cent of the Russian Federation area.

This effort resulted in the List of state zapovedniks and national parks recommended for establishing on the Russian Federation territory in 1994 - 2000 approved by the RF Government resolution of April 1994 No 572-r. This List recommended to set up 72 new state zapovedniks and 42 new national parks with the total area of 1 035,5 thou sq km in 8 republics, 6 krais, 28 oblasts and autonomous districts and areas by the end of 2005.

Due to certain socio-economic challenges, the implementation of this document in its full size seems rather unfeasible. Yet, starting with 1992, the state zapovedniks network has been developing quite intensively: 20 new zapovedniks were set up and areas of another 11 were expanded, thus the area of Russian zapovedniks has increased by 30 %. The same period was marked with the creation of 15 new national parks, their total area being 301 th.sq km, i.e. the total area of Russian national parks has grown by 45 % (Table 16).

Table 16 Dynamics of the Russian zapovednik and national park system development

A network of federal-level state natural zakazniks has been developing less intensively for the recent years. Anyhow, since 1992 4 federal zakazniks has been established with the total area of over 48 000 sq km, including the largest natural reserve of Russia - state natural zakaznik Zemlia Frantsa Iosifa with 42 000 sq km area.

On the basis of proposals received from RF SCEP local bodies, on December 18, 1996 the RF SCEP approved the List of federal-level state natural zakazniks recommended for establishing on the Russian Federation territory for the period to 2005. This list provides for the creation of 40 federal zakazniks with the total area of over 24 000 sq km on the territory of 25 Russian Federation subjects.

In a number of Russian regions, state authorities have ratified regional schemes for perspective development of protected areas. For example, the decision of the Nizhni Novgorod oblast executive body of March 22 1994 No 57 approved the List of newly revealed and being designed unique natural objects and areas potentially belonging to the nature conservation fund. According to this decision, privatization, land lease, land allotment, building, melioration, road-breaking and mining were suspended (if there is no positive conclusion of the state ecological expertise) within the limits of these areas and objects until passports (statutes) for these areas and objects are issued and approved.

Mammals. 251 land mammal species, 215 of which are preserved in zapovedniks (86% of mammal fauna), are represented on the territory of Russia. From among 41 land mammal species and subspecies listed in the Russian Red Data Book, 36 (89 %) have their habitats in reserved areas. As for 22 endemic mammal species of Russia, only 15 (68 %) can be found in zapovedniks. Zapovedniks are lacking the following Red Data Book species: Rangifer tarandus peatsoni (its habitat is located on the Novaja Zemlia archipelago where there are no zapovedniks); Rhinolophus mehelyi (there is one colony in Dagestan, RF, having no protected area status; the species dwells on the Northern areal boundary); Myotis emarginatus (this species is highly probable to be found in Northern Caucasus zapovedniks as its population density is very low everywhere); Cardiocranius paradoxus (a very small part of the areal is located in Russia and this area has no zapovedniks); Spalax giganteus (this Russian endemic species dwells in the North-East Cis-Caucasus and there is a single Dagestan zapovednik on this territory).

An indicator of the endemic mammals representativeness of Russia in zapovedniks is lower than that of a general mammals range. Four endemic species were singled out not far ago and there is a high probability of encountering them in zapovedniks since there are located habitats of the species to which they had been attributed previously: Lemmus trimicronatus (differentiated from L. sibiricus), two species of field mice from the "maximowichi" pool: Microtus mujanensis and M. evoronensis, and Alticola lemminus which is united with A. macrotis by certain authors. These four species taken into account, endemics occurring on the territory of zapovedniks achieve 86%.

Out of 36 mammal species not noted in zapovedniks, 2 species are introducents from America: Castor canadensis and Procyon lotor. A Felis libyca areal boundary lies near the Russia\Kazakhstan border and this species may be rather conventionally assigned to Russian fauna. The same problem arises with Japanese Sorex shinto (a lot of authors attribute it to S. caecutiens or reduce its areal to Japan only) and Cricetulus pseudogriseus described in 1975 (a lot of researchers group it with C. Barabensis). Two other species Alticola tuvinicus and A. semicanus that were identified comparatively recently and are missing in classification guides might also be found in zapovedniks. Spermophilus erythrogenys is a common species for the territory of Barabinski zapovednik being currently designed. If consider all the above, the land mammal fauna representativeness in zapovedniks may reach 90 % in the nearest future.

Amphibian. Currently 26 amphibian species are known to have habitats in ussia. From among them, 24 species are registered in zapovedniks, i.e. 92 %. Russian fauna lacks endemic amphibian species. Out of 4 amphibian species listed in the Russian Red Data Book, 3 (75 %) are preserved in zapovedniks. A single Red Data Book species lacking in zapovedniks is Bufo calamita which is encountered only on the Territory of Kaliningrad oblast.

Reptilian. Russian reptilian fauna comprises 77 species with 59 (77 %) of them dwelling on the territory of zapovedniks. Russian Red Data Book lists 11 species and there are only 6 (55 %) being conserved in zapovedniks. The five Red Data Book species missing in zapovedniks inhabit the Russian Northern extremity. Four species: Eumeces schneideri, Eirenis modestus, Eirenic collaris, and Telescopus fallax, are encountered only in Dagestan and Ophisops elegans forms an isolated population on the territory of Chechnia Republic. These species are not conserved in existing zapovedniks and new protected areas are needed to guard them. There are no endemic reptilian species in Russian fauna. Out of 18 species lacking in zapovedniks, 13 occur only in the Caucasus and Cis-Caucasus, the only place of the Alsophylax pipiens habitat in Russia is Astrakhan oblast and 4 species, Phrynocephalus helioscopus, Phrynocephalus versicolor, Eremias multiocellata, and Eremias przewalskii, are found solely in the South of Tuva. These species can be encountered in the fauna inventory of a new zapovednik "Ubsunurskaya kotlovina".

The expansion of the Russian reserved areas network gives grounds to a presumption that the representativeness of vertebrates in zapovedniks would not undergo radical changes. Taking comprehensive inventory and involvement of specialists-system makers in the identification of biota samples from protected areas will bring considerable improvement to the presented overview

Currently, the following international treaties on protected areas of Russia fall among the key ones:

- Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially on Waterfowl Habitat;

- bilateral (trilateral) agreements on the creation and functioning of protected areas adjacent to the state border.

For October 1 1997, the jurisdiction of the Ramsar Convention spread over 35 Russian Federation wetlands within which areas of 9 state zapovedniks, 1 national park, 10 federal state zakazniks and 8 regional state zakazniks were located.

The World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972 in Paris. The USSR joined the Convention in 1988, and in 1990 first cultural heritage objects were nominated, namely, Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, historical center of St. Petersburg with palace-and-park ensembles of its vicinity, Pogost Kizhi and later - Solovki monastery, ancient town Suzdal and cultural monuments of Vladimir oblast, and Troitsko-Sergiev lavra in Sergiev-Posad (Moscow oblast).

In 1995, the UNESCO introduced 32 thousand km2 of the Komi Republic virgin taiga, including the Pechoro-Ilychsky zapovednik and national park Yugyd Va, into the World Heritage List. It was the first natural heritage nomination in Russia and Convention's pioneering in the field of wild nature conservation. This action rescued the old-age forest from cutting out and stopped a gold-extraction project in the national park Yugyd Va. Swiss Government allocated several millions of Swiss francs for this area protection and tourism advance.

For October 1 1997, the World Heritage List provided for by this Convention listed 5 Russian Federation territorial sites classified as natural heritage objects: Komi Virgin Forests (including the areas of Pechero-Ilych state zapovednik and national park Yugyd va), Volcanoes of Kamchatka (including the areas of Kronotski state zapovednik, federal state zakaznik Yuzhno-Kamchatski (Southern Kamchatka) and national parks Yuzhno-Kamchatski, Nalychevo and Bystrinski), lake Baikal (including the areas of 3 state zapovedniks - Barguzinski, Baikalski, and Baikalo-Lenski, national parks Pribaikalski, Zabaikalski, Tunkinski and federal state zakaznik Kabanski).

The World Heritage List may be further extended by including two more Russian territories: Altai mountains and Karelian forests and lakes.

The Agreement between the USSR Government and Government of the Republic of Finland of 26.10.1989 made provision for the creation of the international reserve Druzhba (Friendship) on their state border. To extend this agreement, the state zapovednikKostomukshski(Republic of Karelia) was enlisted into this international protected area by the RSFSR Council of Ministers Resolution of 18.09.1991.

The Agreement between the Russian Federation Ministry on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Mongolia Ministry of Nature and Environment and Chinese Peoples Republic Environmental Protection Agency of 29.03.1994 stated the creation of an international nature reserve. In compliance with the Agreement, this reserve comprises state zapovednik Daurski (Chita oblast), nature reserve Mongol Daguur (aimak Dornod, Mongolia) and reserve Dalainor (Inner Mongolia Province, China).

The Agreement between the Russian Federation and People's Republic of China Governments of 26.04.1996 stated the creation of an international nature reserve on the Khanka Lake. Article 1 of this Agreement defines the composition of this reserve. It incorporates state zapovednik Khankaiski (Primorski krai) and reserve Khanka Lake (China).

A well-known international program in this field is the UNESCO Program Man and Biosphere (MAB) that coordinates the creation of an international network of cross-sectional landscape reserves with the purpose of their conservation, investigation and monitoring. A document to confirm a status of a specific protected area as an international biosphere reserve is a special certificate signed by the UNESCO General Secretary. The international network of biosphere reserves has been establishing since 1976. Such biosphere reserves are located in more than 80 countries and amount to about 340. For October 1 1997, from among 95 state natural zapovedniks of Russia, 18 had the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

PREFACE
PART 1
PART 2.1
PART 2.2
PART 2.3
PART 2.4
PART 2.5
PART 2.6
PART 2.7
PART 3
PART 4
ANNEXES
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