What is World Heritage? Natural heritage of Russia, noted by UNESCO. Komi forest

There are many beautiful buildings, natural phenomena and other unique objects in the world that delight people. And the task of each generation is to preserve this wealth and pass it on to descendants. The most valuable attractions are included in a special list.

About World Heritage Sites

It’s scary to think that descendants won’t see, for example, the Acropolis or Meanwhile, this could happen, if not in the near future, then in a few generations. That is why one of the primary tasks of humanity is to preserve and increase the cultural and natural wealth of the planet.

For this purpose, a special list was created, which includes World Heritage sites located in various countries and regions. There are many of them, they are diverse, and each is unique in its own way.

General information about the list

The idea of ​​a list of the world's most valuable sites was first implemented in 1978, after the UN Convention was adopted six years earlier, declaring a shared responsibility for the conservation of the most significant cultural and natural monuments.

At the end of 2014, the list contained 1007 items. The top ten countries for the number of World Heritage sites are Italy, China, Spain, France, Germany, Mexico, India, Great Britain, Russia and the USA. In total, there are 359 items included in the list on their territory.

There are a number of criteria according to which the list is expanded. They include the uniqueness or exclusivity of a particular place or building from different points of view: its inhabitants, construction, evidence of an important stage in the development of civilizations, etc. Therefore, sometimes you can find objects on the list that are quite unexpected for someone.

Categories and examples

The entire diversity of the World Heritage is divided into three conditional groups: cultural, natural and cultural-natural. The first category is the most numerous, it includes 779 items, for example, the building of the Opera House in Sydney. The second group contains 197 objects, including Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Grand Canyon. The last category is the smallest - only 31 monuments, but they combine both natural beauty and human intervention: Machu Picchu, Meteora monasteries, etc.

For some reason, people are accustomed to primarily admiring buildings and creations of their own efforts, forgetting about natural beauties. But in vain, because in fact this is also a World Cultural Heritage.

In Russia

On the territory of the Russian Federation there are 26 monuments included in the UNESCO list. Of these, 15 are classified as cultural, and the remaining 11 are natural. They are located throughout the country and include truly unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Russia.

For the first time, the Russian Federation added to the list of countries on whose territory there are monuments to human and natural genius in 1990, when the list was also replenished with the Kizhi Pogost and the historical center of St. Petersburg. Subsequently, the World Heritage of Russia was regularly replenished and continues to expand. The list includes nature reserves, monasteries, geological monuments and many other objects. Thus, in 2014, the historical and archaeological complex “Bulgar”, which is located in Tatarstan, was included in the Russian World Heritage List.

Full list

Russia's World Heritage sites are mostly known to many citizens. But someone will also find unfamiliar points that they might want to visit, so it’s better to give a complete list:

  • historical center and monuments of St. Petersburg;
  • Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow;
  • Kizhi Pogost;
  • Veliky Novgorod and its surroundings;
  • white monuments of Suzdal and Vladimir;
  • Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye;
  • Trinity-Sergius Lavra;
  • Komi forests;
  • Lake Baikal;
  • Kamchatka volcanoes;
  • Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve;
  • golden Altai Mountains;
  • basin of Lake Uvs-Nur;
  • Western Caucasus;
  • Kazan Kremlin;
  • Ferapontov Monastery;
  • Curonian Spit;
  • old city of Derbent;
  • Wrangel Island;
  • Novodevichy Convent;
  • historical center of Yaroslavl;
  • Struve arc;
  • Putorana plateau;
  • Lena Pillars;
  • complex "Bulgar".

Another point is related to the political events of 2014 - the ancient city of Chersonesus is located on the Crimean Peninsula, which is also included in the World Cultural Heritage. Russia actually has something to strive for, because there are many more unique objects located on the territory of the country, and each of them may eventually be included in the UNESCO list. In the meantime, it’s still worth learning more about those monuments that are already on this list. It’s not for nothing that they were included there, is it?

Natural

Russia is a huge country, the largest on the planet in terms of territory. 9 time zones, 4 climates and a huge number of different zones. It is not surprising that the World Natural Heritage of Russia is quite numerous and diverse - 11 objects. There are huge forests, clean and deep lakes, and natural phenomena of amazing beauty here.

  • Virgin forests of Komi. Considered to be the largest intact forests in Europe. Included in the World Heritage of Russia in 1995. Many species of rare representatives of flora and fauna grow and live on their territory.
  • Lake Baikal. Is the deepest on the planet. Entered the list in 1996. Many species living in the lake are endemic.
  • Volcanoes of the Kamchatka Peninsula. They are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Included in the Russian World Heritage Sites in 1996.
  • Altai. On the list since 1998. Include habitats of rare representatives of flora and fauna.
  • Caucasian Nature Reserve. Located in three constituent entities of the Russian Federation: Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea. On the list since 1999.
  • Central Sikhote-Alin. A nature reserve located in the Primorsky Territory. Many rare species of animals live on its territory. Entered the UNESCO list in 2001.
  • Curonian Spit. This unique object is a sand body stretching across the Baltic Sea for almost 100 kilometers. On the territory of the spit there are a large number of interesting places, for example the famous “Dancing Forest”; the seasonal migration route of many birds also lies through it. Included in the list in 2000.
  • Uvsu-Nur basin. Located on the border of the Russian Federation and Mongolia. The basin was listed in 2003 according to the criteria of international scientific significance and conservation of biological and landscape diversity.
  • Wrangel Island. Divided almost equally between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Most of its territory is occupied by mountains. Rare plants grow here, which was also the reason why the site was included in the UNESCO list in 2004 under number 1023.
  • It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2010. It is home to the migratory routes of large populations of reindeer and hosts a unique combination of ecosystems.
  • Lena pillars. At the moment, it is the last World Natural Heritage site in Russia. Was included in the list in 2012. In addition to its aesthetic importance, this object is valuable for the uniqueness of the geological processes occurring here.

Man-made

Objects of the World Cultural Heritage of Russia, of course, include not only natural monuments, but the results of human labor.

  • Historical center of St. Petersburg. Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow. The hearts of both capitals were included in the list at the same time - in 1990 - and according to four criteria at once.
  • Kizhi. This unique ensemble of wooden buildings was included in the UNESCO list in 1990. This true wonder of the world not only demonstrates the genius of humanity, but also is in amazing harmony with the surrounding nature.
  • In 1992, UNESCO added 3 more attractions to its list: monuments of Novgorod, Suzdal and Vladimir, as well as
  • The Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, included in the list respectively in 1993 and 1994, are known to everyone for their beauty - many residents of Moscow and the Moscow region regularly visit there.
  • entered the list in 2000, as did
  • Monuments of the city of Derbent in Dagestan - 2003.
  • in Moscow - 2004.
  • Historical center of Yaroslavl - 2005.
  • (2 points), which helped establish the shape, size and some other parameters of the planet - 2005.
  • Architectural and historical complex Bulgar - 2014.

As you can see, the World Cultural Heritage sites of Russia are mostly concentrated in the European part, which is determined by the peculiarities of the development of the territory.

Contenders

The list of Russia's World Heritage Sites may expand significantly in the coming years. The Government of the Russian Federation regularly offers the UN new applicants, unique and beautiful in their own way. There are now 24 more sites that can be included in the main UNESCO list.

Threat of extinction

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to preserve World Heritage. Russia, fortunately, is not yet in danger of this; all of its monuments included in the list are in relative safety. UNESCO regularly edits and publishes a special list that includes unique sites that are in danger. Now it consists of 38 points. Natural and cultural monuments fall into this “alarming” list for various reasons: poaching, deforestation, construction and reconstruction projects that violate the historical appearance, climate change, etc. Moreover, the worst enemy of World Heritage is time, which is impossible win. And yet, from time to time, monuments are removed from this list, most often due to improvements in the situation. But there are also sad examples when the situation deteriorated so much that objects simply ceased to be included in the World Heritage Site. Russia has nothing to fear yet, although the environmental situation in some parts of the country may affect many natural monuments. And then, perhaps, the “alarming” list will become relevant for the Russian Federation as well.

UNESCO activities

Inclusion in the list is not only and not so much prestige, but also, first of all, increased attention to the safety and condition of certain objects on the part of a larger number of organizations. UNESCO also stimulates the development of eco-tourism and increases people's awareness of the uniqueness of monuments. Among other things, there is a special fund that finances the support of facilities.

Surely you have at least once seen majestic mountains and peaceful valleys, winding rivers and endless forests that will take your breath away? There are many such places on Earth. Unique territories that are important to preserve in their original form are included in the World Natural Heritage List. Now it has 203 objects, 11 of which are in Russia. It just seems that this is quite a bit: among all countries, Russia ranks fourth in the number of objects after China, America and Australia.

World Heritage areas include state nature reserves and national parks. Landscapes change from high-mountain lakes, glaciers, arctic tundras to alpine meadows, taiga, endless steppes and even volcanoes.

These are not only incredibly beautiful places, but also home to many species of animals and plants, rare and even endemic - those that are not found anywhere else in the world. One example is the Amur tiger and the Daurian crane. Some plants on the territory of natural monuments are hundreds of years old. The age of cedar in the Pritelets taiga is more than six centuries.

An object is included in the list if it meets at least one of the criteria:

    (VII) represents a natural phenomenon or area of ​​exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.

    (VIII) reflects the main stages of the history of the Earth, symbolizes geological processes in the development of relief or its features

    (IX) reflects ecological or biological processes in the evolution of animals, plants and other organisms

    (X) includes significant natural habitat for the conservation of biological diversity and endangered species of exceptional global value

4 out of 11 sites in Russia were selected according to criterion VII: Komi forests, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka volcanoes and the Putorana plateau. Therefore, travelers all over the world strive to see them.

Read the mini-guide to all UNESCO natural heritage sites in Russia to see them in person someday.

1. Virgin Komi forests

The largest intact forests in Europe cover an area of ​​32,600 km². This is approximately 3 km² larger than the area of ​​Belgium. The Komi Forests are the first Russian site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is home to brown bear, sable, elk, more than 200 species of birds, including those listed in the Red Book, and valuable fish species - palia char and Siberian grayling.

In the thicket of virgin forests and on the banks of rivers you can see stone sculptures of bizarre shapes, unusual remains and other forms of weathering, reminiscent of either the ruins of castles or mythical creatures.

Lush taiga stretches to the Ural Mountains, flowing into the tundra, where there are almost no plants, and crystal rivers descend from the ridges and merge into Pechora, giving birth to amazing landscapes.

2. Lake Baikal

A slightly smaller area, 31,722 km², is occupied by the deepest lake on the planet. All of Malta, even enlarged 100 times, would fit on its surface. This is one of the largest World Heritage sites. The maximum depth of the lake is 1642 meters. This means that if the Eiffel Tower was installed at the bottom, and four more were placed on top, the last one would still not appear from the water.

The reservoir of Russia's largest lake contains almost 19% of the world's fresh water reserves. The water in Baikal is so clean that some stones at the bottom are visible even at a depth of 40 meters. In many ways, cleanliness is ensured by epishura, a unique crustacean that consumes organic matter. In general, about 2,600 animals live in Baikal, more than half of which are endemic. On the banks of the reservoir there are forests and swamps, glacial lakes, cirques and canyons. There are more than 800 species of higher plants here.

A special phenomenon and a real attraction of Lake Baikal is ice. At the end of winter in the bays its thickness reaches two meters. On different parts of the surface it freezes in different ways: sometimes it is covered with a web of cracks, sometimes it is dotted with bubbles, sometimes it looks like a mirror, sometimes like frosted glass. Ice splashes formed by frozen waves several meters high and grottoes that are not accessible in summer are striking. You can skate on a huge lake, raft on an ice floe and fill your camera’s memory with cool shots.

In summer, Lake Baikal is also interesting: you can go around this natural monument or arrange it with rafting, jeeping and trekking.

3. Volcanoes of Kamchatka

Kamchatka resembles a cake with candles: there is so much here, and 28 out of 29 are in the eastern part. Klyuchevskoy is the highest volcano not only in Russia, but throughout Eurasia (4750 m), Mutnovsky is famous for its smoking fumarole fields, and in the crater of Maly Semyachik there is a piercing lake, like a blue eye wide open into the sky. That is why six separate areas of Kamchatka were included in the UNESCO list.

Another unique place is the Uzon caldera. 40,000 years ago, due to several eruptions in a row, a huge volcano collapsed, and in its place a caldera with a diameter of 10 km was formed. It is located on the territory of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve and combines rivers, hot springs, tundra, forests and lakes in one landscape.

4. Golden Mountains of Altai

World Heritage Sites include the Altai Nature Reserve and the buffer zone of Lake Teletskoye, the Katunsky Nature Reserve and the buffer zone of Mount Belukha, as well as the Ukok Plateau. Their territory includes taiga, steppe, mountain tundra and glaciers, meadows and plateaus. If you want to see all the most picturesque places in one trip to Altai, then choose. Especially suitable for those who love comfort, because you will spend the night in hotels.

Altai is no less interesting in winter. Going to, you will see mountain lakes, snow-covered passes, tracts and cedar forests. After spending time here, recharge your batteries for many months to come. And having walked around this UNESCO natural site, you will photograph panoramas of the North Chuya Range and see a unique turquoise lake that does not freeze even at very low temperatures.

5. Western Caucasus

The Western Caucasus was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. This definition includes the Krasnodar Territory, Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia and part of the Main Caucasus Range from Mount Fisht to Elbrus. On the territory of the object there are “three-thousander” mountains, bizarre rocks, deep gorges, caves, glaciers and alpine lakes.

Adygea probably has the largest number of natural beauties per square meter. There are only two cities in the republic, and the rest of the territory is mountains and waterfalls, alpine meadows and untouched forests, deep canyons and raging rivers. This makes it possible to engage in different types of outdoor activities, and even. Rock climbing and hiking, horseback riding - why not do it this way, for example?

6. Central Sikhote-Alin

Sikhote-Alin in eastern Russia is a mix of coniferous and broad-leaved trees, taiga and subtropics, southern and northern animal species. Here, for example, you can meet both Himalayan and brown bears. Primorye is a whole world of relics and endemics, where groves of relict yews grow, carpets of Red Book lotuses bloom and rhododendrons—the local sakura—bloom. Protected bays with white beaches hide starfish and schools of colorful fish. At high altitudes the tundra extends, while in the lowlands the grass grows up to 3.5 meters.

Sikhote-Alin is the homeland of Amur tigers. Over the past 100 years, their number in the world has decreased by 25 times. Moreover, 95% of the entire population lives in the Far East, and 5% in China. There, killing a tiger is a crime punishable by death. And the Far Eastern leopard remained only in Primorye.

V.K. traveled through the local taiga. Arsenyev is a researcher of the Far East. On the expedition he was with his friend and guide Dersu Uzala, a local hunter. Today you can follow in their footsteps during

7. Ubsunur Basin

This object includes Lake Uvsu-Nur, which belongs simultaneously to Mongolia and Russia (Republic of Tuva). On the territory of Mongolia, this lake is the largest, and its Russian part is only 0.3% of the total area. There are contrasting landscapes here - highlands, mountain taiga massifs, forest-steppe, steppe and semi-desert areas. There is even a real sandy desert. The surrounding area of ​​the lake was inhabited several thousand years ago. This is evidenced by petroglyphs on the rocks, stones and mounds, of which there are about 40,000.

8. Wrangel and Herald Islands

In the very north of Russia, where the Chukchi Sea meets the Arctic Ocean, are the gloomy and mountainous Wrangel Islands (7.6 thousand km²) and Herald Islands (11 km²). In a harsh environment where thriving life seems impossible, there are hundreds of plant species - more than on any other Arctic island. Among the blackening rocks, walruses settled in the largest rookery in the Arctic, and thousands of birds set up nesting grounds. Gray whales swim through these waters during their migrations. Wragnel Island is called the “maternity hospital of polar bears” - there are so many of his ancestral dens here. And in Chukchi it’s called Umkilir, “the island of polar bears.”

It’s worth visiting here at least once to see truly rare animals. For example, musk oxen, which, like reindeer, survived the Late Pleistocene extinction. Their wool is eight times warmer than sheep's wool! , you can also try whale meat, learn an Eskimo dance and walk along the alley of whale bones.

Russia is a unique country. It ranks first in the world in terms of territorial area and ninth in terms of population. As of 2012, there are 25 specially protected sites in Russia. Fifteen of them have the status of a cultural attraction, the remaining ten are of a natural nature. Six of the fifteen UNESCO cultural sites in Russia are marked “i”, that is, they belong to the masterpieces of human civilization. Four out of ten natural objects have the highest aesthetic criterion “vii”.

The nature of the country is distinguished by a variety of plant and animal forms: northern mosses and lichens coexist with southern palm trees and magnolias, coniferous forests of the taiga form a striking contrast with the steppe crops of wheat and sunflowers.

Climatic, natural and cultural diversity has led to interest in it from both domestic and foreign citizens. Natural and man-made attractions, river cruises and rail travel, beach and health, sports and extreme tourism make the country attractive to all categories of vacationers.

The main attractions of Russia are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Anyone who wants to discover a great country can start by getting acquainted with twenty-five natural and man-made sites that have a cultural, historical or environmental degree of global significance. and is compiled in order to preserve and show modern people the full depth of our common civilizational heritage.

UNESCO sites in Russia - PHOTO

The northern capital of Russia was included in the UNESCO List of 36 monuments located not only in St. Petersburg itself, but also in its neighbors - Pushkin and Shlisselburg. The palace and park ensembles of the villages of Gatchina and Strelna, the Koltuvskaya and Yukkovskaya uplands, the Lindulovskaya Grove and the Komarovskoye village cemetery - all this makes up one huge cultural and natural formation, territorially and historically connected with the northern capital of Russia. It is itself represented on the UNESCO List by the historical center and old part of the city, the Pulkovo Observatory and the palace and park ensembles of Peterhof, Shuvalovsky Park and the Vyazemsky estate, local fairways and numerous city highways.

Two wooden churches and a bell tower, built in the 18th-19th centuries in Kizhi, were included in the UNESCO List in 1990. The cultural heritage of Karelia is known throughout the world for the Church of the Transfiguration, built, according to legend, without a single nail. Since the mid-20th century, the Kizhi State Historical and Architectural Museum has been operating on the basis of the Kizhi Pogost. Along with the ancient original buildings, it includes objects of wooden religious architecture that were brought and erected in the immediate vicinity - for example, an eight-wing windmill built in 1928. The wooden fence of the Kizhi churchyard ensemble was reconstructed in 1959 in accordance with the principles of organizing traditional churchyard fences.

Symbols of an entire country and era - the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square - are among the most significant cultural attractions of Russia and the whole world. It seems that there is not a person on Earth who does not know what they look like. When visiting Russia, most foreigners first go to Red Square. The Moscow Kremlin is one of the oldest architectural monuments in Russia. Its majestic walls and numerous towers, its Orthodox cathedrals and palace buildings, its squares and gardens, the Armory Chamber and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses reflect the centuries-old history of the country. Adjacent to the north-eastern wall of the Kremlin, Red Square is famous not only for the Mausoleum and the Eternal Flame, but also for the numerous events organized there recently. Victory parades, concerts dedicated to Russian Independence Day, New Year's skating rinks - all this can be afforded by one of the largest pedestrian areas in Moscow.

Veliky Novgorod and its surrounding areas are included in the UNESCO list with more than ten cultural sites that are predominantly of a religious nature. Znamensky, Zverin, Antoniev and, the Church of the Nativity on the Red Field, the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, St. John the Merciful and the Annunciation on Myachina and many other Orthodox buildings belong to ancient periods of Russian history and represent unique architectural complexes. The Novgorod Detinets (that is, the Kremlin) and the part of the city related to it are interesting from the point of view of historical and architectural heritage.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery was built in the 20-30s of the 15th century. It is spread over four islands of the Solovetsky archipelago. The cultural and historical ensemble "Solovetsky Islands" includes the main monastery, the Ascension and Savvatievsky skete, St. Isaac's, Makarievskaya and Filippovskaya hermitages on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, Sergievsky monastery on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, Trinity and Golgotha-Ruspyatsky monastery and Eleazar's hermitage on Anzer and St. Andrew's deserts and stone labyrinths on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. During Soviet times, the largest special-purpose forced labor camp in the USSR, the Solovetsky special-purpose camp, operated on the monastery territory. Monastic life became possible here only at the end of 1990.

Eight architectural monuments of ancient Russian architecture, mostly of a white stone nature, were included in the UNESCO list in 1992. All of them are located on the territory of the Vladimir region and belong to the Orthodox culture of Russia. In Vladimir there are three UNESCO-protected sites: the Dmitrievsky Cathedral, built in the 12th century, as well as the Golden Gate. In Suzdal there is a 12th-century Kremlin with the Nativity Cathedral and the Spaso-Efimievsky Monastery, built in the 16th-17th centuries. The village of Bogolyubovo is known to Orthodox pilgrims for the Palace of Andrei Bogolyubsky and the magnificent. The Church of Boris and Gleb in the village of Kideksha is the first white stone building in northeastern Rus'.

Built in the 16th century, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord is the first stone Orthodox church to use a tent instead of a classic dome. According to legend, it was erected on the occasion of the birth of Ivan the Terrible. The place for the temple was chosen on the right bank of the Moscow River, famous for its miraculous spring. The Church of the Ascension of the Lord has the appearance of a centric temple-tower, rising above the ground to a height of 62 meters. The architectural design of the church shows features of the early Renaissance. The temple is surrounded in a circle by a two-tiered gallery-promenade.

The Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius was founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1337. Currently it is the largest Orthodox monastery in Russia. The Trinity-Sergius Lavra is located in the center of Sergiev Posad, a city in the Moscow region. The designation “Laurel” indicates the crowded, large population of the monastery. The architectural ensemble of the monastery consists of fifty buildings of various functional purposes. Among them there are Orthodox cathedrals, numerous bell towers, and royal palaces. Boris Godunov and members of his family found their final refuge in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The virgin forests of Komi are known as the largest intact forests growing in Europe. They occupy an area of ​​32,600 square kilometers in the north of the Ural Mountains, within the Pechero-Ilychsky Nature Reserve and the Yugyd Va National Park. In terms of their composition, Komi forests belong to the taiga ecosystem. They are dominated by coniferous trees. The western part of the forests is in the foothills area, the eastern part is in the mountains themselves. The Komi forest is distinguished by the diversity of not only flora, but also fauna. More than two hundred species of birds live here, and rare species of fish are found. Many forest plants are protected.

For the whole world, Baikal is a lake, for residents of Russia, who are in love with a unique natural object, Baikal is a sea! Located in Eastern Siberia, it is the deepest lake on the planet and, at the same time, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water by volume. The shape of Baikal looks like a crescent. The maximum depth of the lake is 1642 meters with an average depth of 744. Baikal contains 19 percent of all fresh water on the planet. The lake is fed by more than three hundred rivers and streams. Baikal water has a high oxygen content. Its temperature rarely exceeds plus 8-9 degrees Celsius even in summer in the surface area. The water of the lake is so clean and transparent that it allows you to see at a depth of up to forty meters.

The volcanoes of Kamchatka are part of the Pacific volcanic ring of fire - a large chain of the main active volcanoes of the planet. Unique natural sites were included in the UNESCO List in 1996, along with adjacent areas characterized by picturesque views and biological diversity. The exact number of volcanoes on the peninsula is unknown. Scientists talk about several hundred and even thousands of objects. About thirty of them are classified as active. The most famous Kamchatka volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka - the highest volcano in Eurasia and the most active on the peninsula. The volcanoes of Kamchatka have different volcanic origins and are divided into two belts superimposed on each other - the Middle and East Kamchatka.

A large biosphere reserve in the Primorsky Territory was originally created to preserve the sable population. Currently, it represents the most convenient place for observing the life of the Amur tiger. A huge number of plants grow on the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. More than a thousand higher species, more than a hundred mosses, about four hundred lichens, more than six hundred species of algae and more than five hundred fungi. The local fauna is represented by a large number of birds, marine invertebrates and insects. Many plants, birds, animals and insects are protected species. Schisandra chinensis and edelweiss Palibina, spotted deer and Himalayan bear, black kite and Japanese starling, Sakhalin sturgeon and swallowtail butterfly - they all found shelter in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve.

The three most significant areas of the Altai Mountains - the Altai and Katunsky reserves and the Ukok plateau - were included in the UNESCO list in 1998 under the name “Golden Mountains of Altai”. Mount Belukha and Lake Teletskoye were also included in the list of protected geographical sites. The Altai Mountains received the natural criterion “x” for the most fully presented picture of alpine vegetation. In this area, five belts follow one after another: steppe, forest-steppe, mixed, subalpine and alpine. The territory of the golden mountains of Altai is home to rare species of animals - snow leopard, Siberian mountain goat and others.

The basin of Lake Uvs-Nur, located in the Republic of Tyva, belongs to both Russia and Mongolia. On the part of the Russian Federation, it is represented by the Ubsunur Basin biosphere nature reserve, which includes both the waters of the lake itself and the adjacent land areas. The latter is home to a unique and, in many ways, diverse ecosystem of the region - here you can find both glaciers and the northernmost deserts in Eurasia. On the territory of the Ubsunur depression there are taiga zones, forest and classical steppes, alpine tundra and meadows. The area of ​​the reserve is replete with several tens of thousands of unexcavated burial mounds of ancient nomadic tribes.

Located in the Western Caucasus, the natural biosphere reserve belongs to the category of state ones. It is a large natural formation belonging to two climatic zones - temperate and subtropical. More than 900 species of vascular plants and 700 species of fungi grow on the territory of the reserve. Initially, the Caucasian Reserve was called the bison reserve. Nowadays, it was decided to abandon this definition, since, in addition to bison, there are a large number of other mammals in the Western Caucasus, each of which needs state protection. Today, on the territory of the reserve you can find wild boars and roe deer, Western Caucasian tur and brown bear, Caucasian mink and bison.

Not only the Moscow and Novgorod Kremlin are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Kazan Kremlin is also among the culturally significant objects of world significance. Its historical and architectural complex, consisting of a white-stone Kremlin, temples and other buildings, is a monument of three historical periods: XII-XIII, XIV-XV and XV-XVI centuries. The Kremlin territory of Kazan has the shape of an irregular polygon, coinciding in outline with the hill on which the ancient settlement is located. Initially, the Kazan Kremlin was a Bulgarian fortress. Then it came under the rule of the Kazan Khanate. After the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, the first Orthodox churches appeared on Kremlin territory. In 2005, in honor of the millennium of Kazan, the main mosque of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kul Sharif, was built within the Kazan Kremlin.

Currently, the Ferapontov Monastery is one of the inactive monasteries. The Ferapontovsky branch of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve and the unique Museum of Dionysian Frescoes located there became a stumbling block between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2000, the Ferapontov Monastery was included in the UNESCO List, which finally gave it the status of not so much a religious, but a cultural heritage of humanity. The architectural ensemble of the monastery is represented by the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, painted by the famous Moscow icon painter of the 15th-16th centuries - Dionysius, the monumental Church of the Annunciation, the treasury chamber and service buildings.

The Curonian Spit is a long, narrow strip of sandy land that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. According to its geographical status, this natural object is sometimes classified as a peninsula. The length of the Curonian Spit is 98 kilometers, the width is from 400 to 4 kilometers. The saber-shaped strip of land belongs half to Russia, half to Lithuania. On Russian territory, the Curonian Spit contains the national park of the same name. The original peninsula was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its biological diversity. Numerous landscapes, from deserts to tundra, a large amount of flora and fauna, as well as the ancient migration route of birds make the Curonian Spit a unique natural complex that needs protection.

The southernmost city of Russia, located in the Republic of Dagestan, Derbent, is one of the oldest cities in the world. The first settlements on its territory arose at the end of the 4th millennium BC. The city acquired its modern appearance in 438. In those distant times, Derbent was a Persian fortress, consisting of the Naryn-Kala citadel and double walls descending to the Caspian Sea. The ancient fortress, old town and fortifications of Derbent were included in the UNESCO List in 2003. Naryn-Kala has survived to this day in the form of ruins, an ancient fire-worshipping temple, a mosque, bathhouses and water reservoirs located on its territory.

Wrangel Island, located in the Arctic Ocean, was discovered in 1849. In 1926, the first polar station was created on it, in 1948 the island was inhabited by domesticated reindeer, and in 1975 by musk oxen. The latest event led to the fact that the authorities of the Magadan region decided to establish a nature reserve on Wrangel Island, which also included the neighboring Herald Island. At the end of the 20th century, the adjacent water areas also became part of the Wrangel Island nature reserve. The island's flora consists mainly of ancient plant species. The fauna of the area is poorly developed: most often, birds and walruses are found here, which have established their main Russian rookery on Wrangel Island.

The Novodevichy Mother of God-Smolensk Monastery was founded in 1524 in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”. The location of the Orthodox women's monastery is the Maiden's Field in Moscow. In the center of the monastery is the five-domed Smolensk Cathedral, from which the creation of the entire architectural ensemble of the religious monument of the Russian capital began. In the 17th century, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of the Transfiguration, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a bell tower, a refectory, the Lopukhinsky, Mariinsky and Funeral Chambers were built around it.

The historical center of Yaroslavl, consisting of Rubleny Gorod (the local Kremlin) and Zemlyanoy Gorod, was noted by UNESCO in 2005 as an outstanding architectural example of urban planning reform carried out under Catherine II. Construction from the time of classicism took place near the parish church of Elijah the Prophet, in front of which there was a semicircular square. Streets were drawn to it, each of which ended with an architectural monument that was earlier in construction - the Assumption Cathedral on Strelka, the Znamenskaya and Uglichskaya towers, the Church of Simeon the Stylite.

A network of 265 geodetic reference points, created in the first half of the 19th century to study earth parameters, is currently found in many European cities. On Russian territory it is represented by two points - “Point Mäkipällus” and “Point Z”, located on the island of Gogland. Of more than two hundred objects of the Struve arc, only 34 points have survived to this day, which served as the basis for including a unique scientific monument of humanity in the List of especially valuable cultural objects of our time.

Like many natural sites in Russia included in the UNESCO List, the Putarana Plateau was included in it due to the unique combination of different ecological systems. Located within an isolated mountain range, the Putorana State Nature Reserve combines the subarctic and arctic zones, taiga, forest-tundra and arctic desert within its territory. The Putorana subspecies of the snow leopard, listed in the Red Book of Russia, lives on the territory of the reserve. The world's largest population of wild reindeer also winters on the plateau.

Located on the territory of the Sakha Republic, the Lena Pillars are the most recent Russian site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. The geological formation, located on the banks of the Lena, is a multi-kilometer complex of vertically elongated rocks. The basis of this unique natural monument is Cambrian limestone. Scientists attribute the beginning of the formation of the Lena Pillars to the Early Cambrian, a time 560 million years distant from ours. The relief form of the Lena Pillars was formed much later - only 400 thousand years ago. Near the Lena Pillars there is a natural park of the same name. On its territory there are blowing sands and the site of an ancient man. Fossilized remains of mammoths are also found here.

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Books

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Currently, the human environment is changing rapidly and at an increasing speed. The task of humanity is to maintain nature on the globe in the state necessary for life, health and well-being. It is also necessary to preserve, as far as possible, at least the most unique places in nature that are of particular value from a scientific point of view, areas that make up the habitats of valuable or endangered species of plants and animals. There are many unique places in nature, the disappearance of which would be an irreparable loss not only for the country in which they are located, but also for all of humanity as a whole.In most countries of the world, networks of so-called “specially protected natural areas” (SPNA) have been created for these purposes. These include the following natural objects:

Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve, Leningrad Region

Wildlife sanctuaries are created to preserve or restore some or all of nature's components and to maintain the overall ecological balance. Some types of economic activity are limited in these territories.


Gladyshevsky reserve, Leningrad region

Natural monuments are small areas that include naturally valuable objects: caves, rocks, waterfalls, groves of rare tree species, river valleys, lakes, etc.


Natural monument “Yastrebinoye Lake”, Leningrad region

Natural parks serve to protect natural complexes that have environmental, historical and aesthetic value. They are staffed with special staff.


Veppsky Forest Nature Park, Leningrad Region

B Have you ever been to one of the protected areas? What do you remember about this place?

In these territories, people preserve both rare, unique and typical areas of forests, swamps, meadows, reservoirs and other natural ecosystems, rare and common species of plants and animals in their natural habitat, bird flight routes, fish spawning routes and others natural objects and processes.

The entire nature of our planet is priceless and unique. Of course, from the natural areas subject to special protection, it is difficult to single out some of the most outstanding and valuable corners of nature of “exceptional significance” that are vitally important to preserve for the present and future generations. A special UNESCO program is dedicated to this, constituting the so-called World Heritage List.

The UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage came into force in 1975. Its main goal is to attract the forces of the world community to preserve unique cultural and natural objects. By mid-2012, the total number of countries participating in the Convention had already reached 189. Among UNESCO's international programs, this program is the most representative. To improve the effectiveness of the Convention, the World Heritage Committee and the World Heritage Fund were established in 1976.

The World Natural Heritage consists of mountains, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, islands, forests, caves, reefs, national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Of course, being on a par with the generally recognized world pearls of nature and culture is honorable and prestigious, but at the same time, it is also a great responsibility. To receive World Heritage status, a property must be of Outstanding Human Value and undergo a thorough peer review. In this case, the nominated natural object must meet at least one of the following four criteria:

    Include unique natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic value;

    Present outstanding examples of the major stages of Earth's history, including traces of ancient life, significant geological processes that continue to occur in the development of the forms of the earth's surface, significant geomorphological or physiographic features of the relief;

    Present outstanding examples of important ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and plant and animal communities;

    Include natural habitats of great importance for the conservation of biological diversity, including habitats of endangered species that represent an outstanding global asset from a scientific or conservation perspective.

The status of a World Natural Heritage site provides additional guarantees of the safety and integrity of unique natural complexes, increases the prestige of the territories, promotes the popularization of objects and the development of alternative types of environmental management, and ensures priority in attracting financial resources.

The first cultural and natural sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List two years after the creation of the program. Among natural areas, the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Yellowstone (USA), Nahanni (Canada) and Simen (Ethiopia) national parks received heritage status. Over the past years, the List has become very representative both in terms of the regions of the planet represented and in the number of objects: by mid-2012 it already included 188 natural objects. Most of them are located in the USA and Australia (more than 10 objects in each country). Under the protection of the Convention are such world-famous natural monuments as the Great Barrier Reef, the Hawaiian Islands, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Kilimanjaro. Video 62.

In Russia, the initiator of adding natural sites to the World Heritage List is primarily Greenpeace. By joining this UNESCO program, a new page was opened in the matter of nature conservation in Russia.


World Natural Heritage Sites of Russia

There are inaccuracies on the map, since currently 11 objects are already included in the list, including the Putorana Plateau and the Lena Pillars Natural Park. The first in our country to receive the status of a World Natural Heritage Site in 1995 was a natural complex called “Virgin Forests of Komi”.

The territory of this site is the largest of the remaining tracts of primary forests in Europe, the appearance of which is almost unchanged by human impact. Video 63.

The virgin forests of Komi are a real taiga treasury. There are more than 40 species of mammals (including brown bear, sable, elk), 204 species of birds (including the white-tailed eagle and osprey listed in the Red Book of Russia), 16 species of fish, the most valuable of which are considered glacial relics - char palia and Siberian grayling.

This territory stretches along the western slope of the Subpolar and Northern Urals for more than 300 km. The Ural mountain system has a significant influence on the climate. Natural complexes in some places form a complex mosaic: along narrow river valleys, taiga vegetation rises high into the mountains.

The main tree species - spruce and fir - are accompanied by Siberian cedar. Here the crystal clear tributaries of the Pechora originate and receive. Currently, the territory of the World Heritage Site “Virgin Komi Forests” is in danger due to illegal gold mining taking place here (1).Greenpeace Russia and other non-governmental organizations will fight to stop any environmental destruction activities on its territory.

Lake Baikal

Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a lake of “superlatives”: the deepest (1637 meters), the oldest (about 25 million years), with the most diverse flora and fauna among fresh water bodies. Video 64.

The lake has a unique supply of fresh water in terms of volume and quality - more than 20% of the world's reserves). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, one of the largest ancient fault systems on Earth. The lake, together with its entire basin, is a unique and very fragile natural ecosystem, which ensures the natural process of formation of the purest waters. For Siberia, the climate of the Baikal coasts is relatively mild. For example, the number of sunny days per year here is higher than in many Black Sea resorts.In the anciently isolated Baikal depression, one of the richest and most unusual freshwater fauna in the world was formed, which is of exceptional value for the study of evolutionary processes.

Of the more than 2,630 species and subspecies of animals and plants found in the lake to date, more than 80% are found nowhere else in the world. Who hasn't heard of the famous Baikal omul or Baikal sturgeon? Two unique species of viviparous fish, representatives of a family endemic (2) to Lake Baikal - large and small golomyanka - are known to ichthyologists all over the world. The pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typically marine mammal of origin - the seal, or Baikal seal.

Unfortunately, the unique nature of Lake Baikal is under threat (3).

WITH Have you heard about the actions that the public is taking to protect Baikal from pollution from the pulp and paper mill?

Another danger for Lake Baikal is posed by planned mining, illegal logging, forest fires, poaching, and oil spills.

Volcanoes of Kamchatka

The Kamchatka Peninsula is located at the junction of tectonic plates in a zone of active volcanism, where modern natural processes and the history of our planet are inseparable. Video 65.

Here, 30 active and about 300 extinct volcanoes, as well as more than 150 groups of thermal and mineral springs, are concentrated in a limited area. Dozens of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles (4), cascades of waterfalls, sharp peaks of ridges, mud pots and turquoise lakes, carpets of colorful algae give the fabulous appearance of the famous Valley of Geysers

The richest life is represented in the seas washing the coast of Kamchatka. Here are the growth zones for the larvae of the Kamchatka crab, the places where salmon fish come to spawn and where their juveniles roll into the sea. From summer to early winter, an amazing natural phenomenon can be observed on the rivers of the peninsula: millions of salmon in a continuous mass move along the rivers against the current to their spawning grounds.

Golden Mountains of Altai

The nature of this mountainous territory, located at the junction of Central Asia and Siberia, is distinguished by its striking originality. There are few places in the world with such a contrasting combination of different landscapes in such a small space. Video 66.

The flora and fauna of the region are diverse and in many ways unique. Here are the most significant subalpine and alpine meadows in the Siberian mountains. The color of the vegetation of the Southern Altai, where semi-deserts, steppes and tundra coexist, is also unique. The diversity of landscapes contributed to the emergence and preservation of endemic species in Altai, often occupying very small areas. Among the rare species of mammals, the snow leopard should be highlighted; it is one of the most beautiful cats of the world fauna. Very few of these animals have survived in Altai.

The geological history of the region is unique, “recorded” in the rocks of different ages composing it and imprinted in unusual relief forms. Such, for example, are the high terraces of the Katun River, striking in their grandeur. The grandiose Mount Belukha is the highest peak in Siberia (4506 meters). Altai river valleys are narrow, deep canyons.

The diversity of nature left its mark on the culture and religion of the indigenous population of this territory - the Altai. The achievements of Altai folk medicine are highly valued. As the outstanding philosopher, writer, traveler H.K. wrote. Roerich, “many peoples passed through Altai and left traces: Scythians, Huns, Turks.” Gorny Altai is called an open-air museum.

Western Caucasus

The western part of the Greater Caucasus in terms of the diversity of flora and fauna and their preservation has no equal not only in the Caucasus region, but also among other mountainous regions of Europe and Western Asia. Video 67.

This is an area where a large number of endangered rare, endemic and relict species of plants and animals are concentrated. It is especially important that the little-changed habitat of the most vulnerable large mammals has been preserved here: bison, Caucasian red deer, Western Caucasian aurochs, chamois, Caucasian subspecies of brown bear, wolf and others.

The Caucasus Nature Reserve is practically the only habitat in the world for the mountain bison; outside this territory it is almost completely exterminated by poachers.

The territory is rich in picturesque objects: powerful waterfalls, pointed mountain peaks (up to 3360 meters), stormy mountain rivers with clear water, clear mountain lakes, huge trees (majestic fir trees up to 85 meters high and more than 2 meters in diameter), rare plants (orchids, etc. .) and many others. An invaluable, unique natural complex has been preserved in the Western Caucasus.

Curonian Spit

The relief of this territory, located in the Kaliningrad region, is unique. A continuous strip of sand dunes 0.3 - 1 km wide, some of which are close to the highest in the world (up to 68 m), stretches along the peninsula for 70 km. Video 68.

Due to its geographical location and orientation from northeast to southwest, the spit serves as a “guide line” for birds of many species migrating from the northwestern regions of Russia, Finland and the Baltic countries to the countries of Central and Southern Europe. Every year in spring and autumn, 10 - 20 million birds fly over the spit, a significant part of which stop here to rest and feed. Among the birds flying here there are many rare and endangered species listed in the Red Books of Russia, Europe and the world.

It is especially interesting that the spit is rich in cultural heritage sites. These are unique in their scale protective structures, extremely valuable from the point of view of history, science and art; fishermen's settlements harmoniously integrated into the landscape; archaeological sites and monuments of religious architecture. The multifaceted dune relief of the Curonian Spit, combined with the greenery of the forests, the whiteness of the sandy beaches and the vast blue of the Baltic Sea, has a high aesthetic value.

Central Sikhote-Alin

This territory, located in the south of the Far East within Russia, is one of the largest and least modified by humans centers of conservation of communities of ancient coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests. Video 69.

It presents a lot of rare and endangered species of animals, a significant part of which is preserved only within its borders. The mountainous country of Sikhote-Alin is the last large integral territory in the world inhabited by the Amur tiger. Many other rare and endangered plant and animal species endemic to the region also need protection.

Picturesque relief forms, deep rivers, combined with an exceptional diversity of flora and fauna, the presence of plants and animals of exotic appearance, reminiscent of the tropics, give the nature of Sikhote-Alin completely unique features. There are many objects of aesthetic and recreational value located here: rock massifs that stand out picturesquely among the taiga, waterfalls, lakes and rapids, reefs, sandy bays of the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan.

Ubsunur basin

The Ubsunur Basin, located on the territory of Mongolia and Russia, is one of the most original and unusual places in Central Asia. Video 70.

This region has preserved a unique complex of neighboring, closely interacting, extremely contrasting ecosystems - from taiga to desert. Glaciers, snowfields, mountain tundra of the alpine zone and subalpine meadows transform into a vast mountain-taiga belt, which gives way to forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert and even loose sand ridges, creating a natural phenomenon of exceptional beauty and diversity. It is impossible to see such diverse landscapes in such close proximity anywhere else in Eurasia. This territory has an unusually high species richness for temperate latitudes.

The relative sparse population of the territory and the absence of industrial facilities make it possible to preserve the basin as a natural laboratory for the study of biosphere processes

However, the value of the territory lies not only in the unique nature of the Ubsunur basin. The cultural heritage sites located here are of great importance - archaeological monuments, many of which have not yet been studied. Nowhere else in Central Asia are mounds found in such concentration as here (according to a rough estimate, there are up to 20 thousand of them); most of them are older than the Egyptian pyramids. Thousands of rock paintings and stone sculptures, the remains of medieval settlements and Buddhist chapels form a unique natural and cultural landscape.

Natural system of the Wrangel Island reserve»

The Wrangel Island Nature Reserve is located on the border of the East Siberian and Chukchi seas on the Wrangel and Herald islands with an adjacent 12-mile sea area. Video 71.

The 180th meridian passes through Wrangel Island, so the island lies in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. The relief is predominantly mountainous, highly dissected, with coastal lowlands in the north and south. There are 1,400 rivers and streams on the island, about 900 small lakes. The unique combination of natural-historical and landscape-climatic conditions, as well as inaccessibility, have led to a large number of endemic, rare and relict plant species on the islands. On the islands, as part of the ancient landmass that once united the Eurasian and North American continents, both Euro-Asian and American species of flora and fauna are widely represented.

Putorana Plateau

The plateau is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It is a large basalt plateau located at the northern limit of the taiga and almost completely untouched by human economic activity. Video 72. Trap landforms (5) intersected by huge canyons are unusual and extremely interesting. The scale and number of waterfalls are impressive (the largest concentration is in Russia). There is a 108 m high waterfall here - one of the highest in our country. There are many lakes on the plateau, with depths of up to 400 m; the lake fjords are very picturesque.More than 1,300 plant species have been recorded on the Putorana Plateau. Here is the northern limit of distribution of the flying squirrel, lynx, sable, and capercaillie. The migration route of the world's largest population of wild reindeer, the Taimyr, runs through the plateau. It is also home to a little-studied, extremely interesting native form of bighorn sheep.

Lena Pillars

The Lena Pillars Natural Park is located in Central Yakutia, in the middle reaches of the Lena River. Video 73.

The park got its name because of the unique ridge of rocks - fabulous stone sculptures in the form of pillars and towers stretch along the banks of the Lena for tens of kilometers. The height of some reaches 100 meters. This natural monument is made of Cambrian limestone - a rock formed more than 500 million years ago.

In addition, in the park there are small areas of the desert landscape - unique permafrost ecosystems, as well as blowing sand-tuculans - isolated and independently developing sand ridges with slopes practically unfixed by vegetation. In the area of ​​the Lena Pillars, scientists discovered burials of bone remains of ancient fauna: mammoth, bison, Lena horse, woolly rhinoceros.

The park is home to 21 species of rare and endangered plants listed in the Red Book. In the basin of the middle reaches of the Lena River, the fish fauna includes 31 species. Nesting sites for 101 species of birds have been established in the park. Animals common here are sable, brown bear, squirrel, elk, wapiti, chipmunk, musk deer, and the mountain-forest form of wild reindeer.

Work to continue to include new areas on the World Heritage List continues. According to the rules, nominations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee must first be included in the national Tentative List. They are presented on the map of the World Natural Heritage of Russia (see above).

It is obvious that effective protection of such territories is impossible without the active involvement of public organizations and as many citizens of the country as possible. Let us remember that we have individual and collective responsibility for the preservation of natural complexes.

Read the resolution of the International Non-Governmental Organizations Forum on World Heritage Sites (6).

What can we, the residents of Russia, do to support the conservation and development of specially protected natural areas?

Each of these places is unique in its own way, and together they function, making up the unity and integrity of the life support system on the Planet. They create its unique, still far from fully understood and understood appearance.