IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

The WCPA Regional Steering Committee for North Eurasia has developed of a Regional Action Plan for Protected Areas in the region. In 1999, the steering committee developed a portfolio of project proposals to implement this Action Plan. These projects aim to ensure that protected areas are included as an integral element of sustainable social economic development in the North Eurasia region, with emphasis on raising their role in conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological balance in Northern Eurasia.

The project takes into account the multiple character of the problem, and its diverse components aim to establish an ecological representative network of protected areas to ensure the maintenance of major natural ecosystems. It is envisaged that protected areas should become an inseparable part of life security and consequently fully integrated in the decision-making processes at all levels: from local, national and regional.

The WCPA Steering Committee for the Northern Eurasia has established cooperation with GEF, the IUCN Moscow Office, Worldwide Fund for Nature (Russian Programme Office), and the Russian Committee of MAB UNESCO

Objectives of WCPA Programme:

• Participation by protected area managers in decision-making at local, regional, national and global levels.
• Growth of the region's (country's etc) residents' participation in the work of protected areas.
• Creation of a favorable image of protected areas and ensuring their support by people.
• Wide range of cooperation and experience exchange between the in Northern Eurasia and elsewhere.
• Strengthening the role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity and maintaining the region's ecological stability. Establishing an ecological representative network of Pas for the North Eurasia Region.
• Enhance the role of protected areas in environmental education and awareness
• Improvement of the economic basis of protected areas activities.
  Improvement of the institutional and legal framework for protected areas activities

Strategies

• Improve of legislation
• Cooperate with governing bodies
• Cooperate with international organizations
• Prepare of research and methodological materials on Pas issues
• Cooperate with NGOs
• Build community support
• Promote environmental education and outreach
• Develop ecotourism
• Cooperate with the private sector
• Cooperate with mass media
• Draw in cultural workers and representatives of religious groups
• Create of Trust Funds for Protected Areas
• Cooperate with political parties, movements, associations etc
• Develop the economic, ecological and ethical case in support of protected areas

Ways of Achieving the Main Goal

• Increase the number and extension of PAs (% of national territory, embracing geographical zones and biogeographical subdivisions, important species and communities, places of special interest from cultural, recreational and aesthetic points of view.
• Promote greater understanding on the role and functions of PAs.
  

Desired Results

• Increased involvement of PAs managers in the processes taking place in the region,(country etc.).
• Increasee involvement of residents of the region (country etc.) in the work of PAs
• Strengthened cooperation and support for PAs within and beyond the region
• Strengthened the role of PAs in biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of ecological stability in the region

The WCPA Northern Eurasia region, is one of the largest WCPA regions. It is located between 20 and 190 degrees eastern longitude and 48 and 90 degrees northern latitude. It extends from the Barent, Baltic and Black Seas in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Caucasus and the Pamirs in the south The total area of the 12 countries of Northern Eurasia Region (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine) is 2,210,090 thousand hectares.

The region embraces all landscape-climatic zones of the temperate and arctic part of the northern hemisphere: arctic tundras, coniferous forests, mixed leaf-bearing forests, steppes, semi-deserts, deserts, and subtropics. Some of these ecosystems, such as tundras and boreal forests, are among the largest and best preserved on Earth.

The extreme variety of relief is connected with an availability of vast plains and high mountain systems. The height ranges from 132 m below sea level to 7,495 m above sea level. The entire range of height belts is present: glacial-nival, alpine, alpestrine, mountain-forest, mountain-meadow, mountain-steppe, and mountain-desert in the high mountains located at the southern borders of the region.

There is a great variety of water bodies. The seas are part of the system of three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and Arctic. The system of interior water bodies includes a large number of rivers and lakes, some of them are the world's largest in length and water volume, and also vast areas of marshes, many of them exceeding similar large marshes in other parts of the world. The region has exceptional biodiversity value and plays a significant role in global ecological processes.

The population of the region is about 270 million people. The average density is 12 per sqkm, but the distribution varies greatly, with vast areas of tundras, taiga forests, wetlands, and deserts are very scarcely populated. The social and economic development is different for each of the countries, but most of them are experiencing dramatic changes.

In the countries of the region there is a state system of environmental protection, that includes provisions for protected areas. Zapovedniks usually ensure the highest degree of nature protection, while national and nature parks are more flexible in their management. Most protected areas currently experience an acute shortage of funding and staff for all activities. In many cases, they either do not have any staff or are not able to control the area. Though the distribution of protected areas is heterogeneous, they can be found in all nature climatic zones.

The region has 173 zapovedniks. Their total area is 36,292 thousand ha or 1.6% of the region. There are 53 national parks. Their total area is 11,177 thousand ha or 0.05% of the region. The total area of all categories of protected areas comprises 148,944 thousand ha or 6.7% of the region.

One of the most significant results of the 20th century related to our region is the creation of a unique system of zapovedniks. They conserve many wild areas and unique communities of animals and plants with their strong emphasis on research. They also serve to promote better understanding of the functioning of nature ecosystems and their importance in ensuring the vital conditions of human life: unpolluted water, air, soil, the diversity and beauty of the natural and cultural environment.

The economic difficulties faced by the countries of the region in recent years have also had a negative impact on the condition of protected areas. Nevertheless, in most cases, they have managed to preserve their values, due to support for the concept of conservation, and for many people the efforts of protected areas managers.

It is vitally important to build support for protected areas at all levels in North Eurasia. It is particularly important to positively shape the next generation's attitude to nature.

The network of PAs serves as a support for the fragile web of living nature. That network bears on the specialists of nature conservation, who in the performance of their duties and, at the call of their heart, have given up their lives to nature protection