HABITAT NUMBER OF SITES

Summary

This publication contains information on the 35 wetland sites designated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No 1050, issued on 13 September 1994, for the List of Wetlands of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971).

The total area of these Ramsar sites is ten million ha. About four million ha are protected in strict nature reserves (‘zapovedniks’), national parks, nature reserves/wildlife refuges (‘zakazniks’) and nature monuments.

These wetlands support rich and globally significant diversity of habitats and species, and form a vital link in an international network of sites for millions of migratory waterbirds, which stretches from the Arctic to Southern Africa, Asia and Australia. These natural complexes serve a variety of hydrological and biochemical functions that are valuable to people throughout the whole of Eurasia. The alteration of these wetlands and their catchments may result in global changes in hydrological regime and climate.

The majority of the sites are large complex habitats and include wetlands of various types. Eight out of 35 sites are primarily presented by marine wetlands, and the rest are inland natural wetland complexes. The following habitats are represented:

HABITAT NUMBER OF SITES

INLAND:

· Permanent freshwater and oxbow lakes 22

· Permanent rivers and streams 17

· Seasonal freshwater marshes/pools 14

· Permanent freshwater marshes 10

· Non-forested peatlands 12

· Permanent inland deltas 8

· Permanent saline/brackish lakes 7

· Seasonal freshwater lakes 6

· Forested peatlands 5

· Seasonal saline and brackish lakes and flats 4

· Tundra wetlands 3

· Shrub-dominated wetlands 3

· Seasonal saline/brackish marshes 1

MARINE/COASTAL:

· Shallow sea waters 6

· Rocky marine shores 5

· Sand and shingle shores 4

· Inter-tidal muds, sands and salt flats 4

· Estuarine waters 3

· Coastal saline and brackish lagoons 2

· Freshwater lagoons 1

· Sub-tidal aquatic beds and intertidal marshes 1

Information on the sites is provided under the following headings: Name and address of compiler; Name of wetland; Geographical coordinates; General location; Area; Altitude; Wetland type; Ramsar criteria; Overview; Physical features; Ecological features; Land tenure/ownership; Current land use; Development projects, changes in land use; Disturbances/threats; Conservation measures taken; Conservation measures proposed but not yet implemented; Social and cultural values; Noteworthy fauna; Noteworthy flora; Current scientific research and facilities; Current conservation education; Current recreation and tourism; Management authority; Jurisdiction; and Bibliography. Maps of each site and an outline map showing the location of listed sites in the country are also provided. Included in Annex 1 is the inventory information sheet with the accompanying explanatory notes, international/Ramsar (1996) and national wetland classifications and the Ramsar criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance.

An introductory chapter by Dr V. G. Krivenko deals with the history and the current problems of wetland conservation in Russia and identifies the priority strategic and practical actions to be taken at national/federal and local levels in the near future, including the improvement of management and protection of designated Ramsar sites; continuation of inventory studies and identification/designation of new Ramsar sites; development of a National Wetland Strategy and Action Plan, development of national wetland legislation; introduction of economic valuation and fiscal incentives to promote sustainable use of wetland resources; establishment of networks of protected areas for nationally and locally important wetlands; and development of training programmes for wetland specialists and managers. In the following years, establishment of a national wetland monitoring system and development of restoration projects for degraded wetlands will be put in the forefront.

This report is the result of considerable cooperation between Russian conservation bodies and international organizations: the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, regional conservation authorities, the Research Institute for Nature Conservation, the Ramsar Bureau and Wetlands International (formerly the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau, IWRB). It includes information collected under the Ecological Security of Russia Programme in 1993-1994, the IWRB Projects on Russian Wetland Inventory (1994-1995) and on the Black Sea Wetland Inventory (1996) and the Support for Wetland Conservation in Russia Project (1997-1999) implemented by the Wetlands International office in Moscow. A substantial part of the data has been compiled from inventory information sheets circulated in 1995 by the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection to regional conservation bodies. Funding for this work was provided by the Government of the Russian Federation, the US State Department via the Ramsar Bureau, the European Commission TACIS fund and the Government of the Netherlands via the Department of Nature Management, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries.