Protect the Arctic
WWF wants new environmental plans for the Russian Arctic to be developed.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) plans to work out 13 projects of establishing new protected zones in the Russian Arctic. These projects will be focused at protection of arctic animals like polar bear, northern reindeer, white crane which survival today is under threat due to growing global warming, reports RIA Novosti.
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The environmentalists are going to build a network of protected territories which area will totally make 200 thousand sq.km. According to expert estimation the cost of establishing of one protected territory will not exceed €30-50 thousand.
Today Russia has 18 specially protected zones of federal significance in the Arctic. During the International Arctic Forum held in Arkhangelsk in September the Russian Minister of natural resources and ecology Yury Trutnev announced that before 2020 Russia will establish two new big specially protected territories (“zakazniks”) - on the North-East of Chukotka peninsula (National Park Beringia) and in the Eastern Siberian Sea (Bear islands). Last year the national Park “Russian Arctic” has been established on the islands of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Jozeph Land which are the part of Arkhangelsk region.
Text: Andrey Shalyov
