In accordance with the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Territories,” specially protected natural territories are areas of land, water surface and air space above them where natural complexes and objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and health value.
At the same time, when establishing one or another type of specially protected natural areas, it is planned to satisfy certain public interests. Let us consider them in relation to individual types of such territories. In accordance with Art. 2 of the Law “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”, taking into account the peculiarities of the regime of these territories and the status of environmental institutions located on them, the following types of specified territories are distinguished.
a) State natural reserves, including biosphere reserves. Specially protected natural complexes and objects (land, water, subsoil, flora and fauna) on the territory of the reserve have environmental, scientific, environmental and educational significance as examples of the natural environment, typical or rare landscapes, places for preserving the genetic fund of flora and fauna. State nature reserves are environmental, research and environmental educational institutions aimed at preserving and studying the natural course of natural processes and phenomena, the genetic fund of flora and fauna, individual species and communities of plants and animals, typical and unique ecological systems.
State natural biosphere reserves are created for the purpose of conducting scientific research, environmental monitoring, as well as testing and implementing methods of rational environmental management that do not destroy the environment and do not deplete biological resources.
State nature reserves are assigned the following tasks:
Carrying out the protection of natural areas in order to preserve biological diversity and maintain protected natural complexes and objects in their natural state;
Organization and conduct of scientific research, including maintaining the Chronicle of Nature;
Implementation of environmental monitoring within the framework of the national environmental monitoring system;
Environmental education;
Participation in the state environmental assessment of projects and layouts for economic and other facilities;
Assistance in training scientific personnel and specialists in the field of environmental protection.
b) National parks. They are environmental, environmental, educational and scientific research institutions, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects of special ecological, historical and aesthetic value, and are intended for use for environmental, educational, scientific and cultural purposes and for regulated tourism.
National parks are assigned the following main tasks:
Preservation of natural complexes, unique and reference natural sites and objects;
Preservation of historical and cultural objects;
Environmental education of the population;
Creation of conditions for regulated tourism and recreation;
Development and implementation of scientific methods of nature conservation and environmental education;
Implementation of environmental monitoring;
Restoration of damaged natural, historical and cultural complexes and objects.
c) Natural parks. These are environmental recreational institutions administered by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects of significant environmental and aesthetic value, and are intended for use for environmental, educational and recreational purposes. Natural parks are assigned the following tasks:
Preservation of the natural environment, natural landscapes;
Creation of conditions for recreation (including mass recreation) and preservation of recreational resources;
Development and implementation of effective methods of nature conservation and maintaining ecological balance in the conditions of recreational use of natural park territories.
d) State natural reserves - territories (water areas) of particular importance for the preservation or restoration of natural complexes and their components and maintaining the ecological balance. State nature reserves can have a different profile, including: complex (landscape) designed for the conservation and restoration of natural complexes (natural landscapes);
Biological (botanical and zoological), intended for the conservation and restoration of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, including valuable species in economic, scientific and cultural terms;
Paleontological, intended for the preservation of fossil objects;
Hydrological (marsh, lake, river, sea), designed to preserve and restore valuable water bodies and ecological systems;
Geological, intended for the preservation of valuable objects and complexes of inanimate nature,
e) Natural monuments - unique, irreplaceable, ecologically, scientifically, culturally and aesthetically valuable natural complexes, as well as objects of natural and artificial origin.
f) Dendrological parks and botanical gardens are environmental institutions whose tasks include the creation of special collections of plants in order to preserve the diversity and enrichment of the flora, as well as the implementation of scientific, educational and educational activities.
g) Medical and recreational areas and resorts. These may include territories (water areas) suitable for organizing the treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as recreation for the population and possessing natural healing resources (mineral waters, therapeutic mud, brine of estuaries and lakes, therapeutic climate, beaches, parts of water areas and inland seas, other natural objects and conditions). Medical and health-improving areas and resorts are allocated for the purpose of their rational use and ensuring the preservation of their natural healing resources and health-improving properties.
According to the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”, these include areas of land, water surface and air space above them where natural objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and health value, which are withdrawn by decision of government bodies authorities wholly or partially from economic use and for which a special protection regime has been established.
The law distinguishes 7 main categories of protected areas: reserves, national parks, natural parks, wildlife sanctuaries, natural monuments, dendrological parks and botanical gardens, as well as health-improving areas and resorts. In addition, the law provides that government authorities can establish other categories of protected areas (urban forests and parks, green areas, monuments of landscape art, biological stations, micro-reserves, protected natural landscapes, river systems, coastlines, etc.). Protected areas may have federal, regional and local significance.
Reserves
State nature reserves are environmental, research and environmental educational institutions aimed at preserving and studying the natural course of natural processes and phenomena, the genetic fund of flora and fauna, individual species and communities of plants and animals, typical and unique ecological systems. On the territory of the reserves, protected natural complexes and objects (land, water, subsoil, flora and fauna) of special environmental, scientific, environmental and educational significance are completely withdrawn from economic use.
In accordance with the IUCN classification, reserves belong to the first category of protected areas, which provide the most comprehensive and strict nature protection regime. Nature reserves are approved by government decree, and the land, water, subsoil, flora and fauna located on their territory are provided to them for use (ownership). The seizure of land plots and other natural resources of reserves is prohibited; they are completely withdrawn from circulation. Any activity that contradicts the objectives of the reserve and the regime of special protection of its territory is prohibited on the territory of the reserves. On areas of land and water adjacent to the territories of nature reserves, protective zones with a limited regime of environmental management are created.
A reserve is the most stringent organizational form of protection of natural areas in terms of environmental restrictions. The word “reserve” itself (it is believed that this concept was originally applied to a sacred forest protected by the Orthodox Church) is quite difficult to translate into other languages, and in English-speaking countries its analogue is “strict reserve”. However, this does not quite accurately convey the essence of nature reserves as a special category of protected areas, which is why the term “zapovednik” has recently been increasingly used in international practice.
The foundations of the modern concept of nature reserves were laid at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries in the works of outstanding Russian natural scientists V.V. Dokuchaeva, I.P. Borodina, G.F. Morozova, G.A. Kozhevnikova, V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky and others. In their opinion, in nature reserves they should study nature, preserved in complete integrity, in order to identify its laws, knowledge of which is necessary for the wise use of natural resources. This idea has run like a “red thread” through the entire history of nature reserves, but at different times, views on the tasks of nature reserves have changed. The latter circumstance was associated both with the destruction of the country’s nature and with changes in scientific views on nature conservation, including under the influence of ideology and economic policy.
The tasks assigned to the reserves are formulated as follows:
1) maintaining protected natural complexes in their natural state and preserving biodiversity;
2) conducting environmental monitoring, including through maintaining the “Chronicle of Nature”;
3) conducting research work;
4) assistance in training scientific personnel and specialists in the field of nature conservation;
5) environmental education;
6) participation in state environmental assessments for the design of construction, reconstruction and expansion of economic facilities.
Let's look at some of them in more detail.
For example, as of January 1, 2002, Russia had 100 nature reserves with a total area of 33.17 million hectares, which is approximately 1.56% of its area. The network of Russian nature reserves is widely recognized throughout the world. 27 reserves have the international status of biosphere reserves, 9 are under the jurisdiction of the World Heritage Convention, 10 are part of the network of wetlands of international importance. A long-term plan for the further development of the network of reserves for the period until 2010 has been developed, taking into account their role in the conservation of biodiversity and as standards of nature.
Despite the numerous conflicts that have plagued nature reserves over the years, the network of protected areas that has formed in Russia is an outstanding achievement of domestic nature conservation enthusiasts, which has no analogues throughout the world. We can say that this is one of the most significant contributions of Russia to world civilization in the 20th century. The classic, initial principle of conservation is the absolute inviolability of strictly protected natural objects removed from any economic use. No country in the world has created protected areas in such areas on the principle of complete non-interference by humans in natural processes. It seems that such a phenomenon is possible only in Russia with its vast territory and the special mentality of the scientific community.
Currently, the situation with nature reserves is quite contradictory. Some scientists believe that the principles of nature reserves proclaimed by Russian science did not stand the test of the realities of life and entered into a deep, perhaps even insoluble contradiction with it, and a significant number of nature reserves are not “standards of nature”, but “nature farms”. The opinion is also expressed that the current network of reserves does not correspond to modern socio-economic conditions and the capabilities of the state (according to existing legislation, reserves are non-profit environmental institutions financed from the federal budget). Proponents of another point of view believe that, despite the current difficulties, it is necessary to preserve and expand the network of nature reserves as unique “laboratories of nature” that are of exceptional importance for humanity, and the destruction or even transformation of the existing network of reserves is a crime against the current and future generations of people.
In our opinion, the latter point of view is closer to the truth. This, however, does not exclude some aspects of evolutionary (not revolutionary) reform of the reserve system. The scientific community has long been discussing the possibility of dividing reserves into absolute and partially managed ones. Historically in Russia, it has happened that some nature reserves were created in places where it would be more appropriate to organize national parks. The features of the organization and functioning of biosphere reserves, which in Russia are not always reasonably classified as biosphere reserves, need to be clarified. The need to reform the management of the entire system of protected areas, in which nature reserves would occupy a central place, is being discussed. However, these and, possibly, other aspects of reforming protected areas should be based on time-tested and practice-tested basic principles of conservation management. At the same time, the absolute priority should be the preservation of an integral network of nature reserves that have almost a century-old history, reflect and preserve the diversity of Russia’s nature, support biodiversity and are excluded from economic use.
National parks
National parks (NP) are a special form of organization of protected natural areas, which combine the tasks of preserving natural, historical and cultural objects with the organization of active educational recreation.
The entire global diversity of national parks, in principle, corresponds to a single international standard, enshrined in the decision of the X session of the IUCN General Assembly in 1969: a national park is a relatively large area where: 1) ecosystems have not been significantly changed as a result of exploitation and use by humans, geomorphological areas, species of animals and plants and their habitats are of scientific, educational and recreational interest, the landscapes are characterized by amazing beauty; 2) the highest and most competent authorities of the country have taken steps to prevent or eliminate the economic use of natural resources throughout the territory and to ensure effective compliance with the rules of conduct; 3) visitors stay with a special permit for education and fulfillment of cultural and recreational needs.
The first NPs of Russia (Losinoostrovsky and Sochi) were formed only in 1983. The main reason was that in the former USSR, priority among all protected areas was given only to nature reserves.
However, throughout the history of the existence of the Russian nature reserve network, prominent scientists and public figures have repeatedly turned to this idea. This issue was discussed especially widely after the creation of the first Lahemaa NP in the former Union in Estonia, established in 1971. Following this, during the 70s, one NP was created in Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan. And only Russia, with its vast territory and a huge variety of natural and socio-economic conditions, continued to discuss the idea itself until the beginning of the 80s. The result of the discussion was the approval in 1981 of the “Model Regulations on State Natural National Parks.”
It can be considered that, on the whole, the NP network has taken shape as a systemic entity. A significant role in this was played by the adoption in 1995 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”, which for the first time determined the legal status of NP in our country. Article 12 of Section III states: “National parks are environmental, environmental, educational and scientific research institutions, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects of special ecological, historical and aesthetic value, and which are intended for use in environmental protection. , educational, scientific and cultural purposes and for regulated tourism."
When organizing an NP, the entire territory or part of it is withdrawn from its previous economic use and given over to the park. On old developed lands, NPs usually have within their boundaries areas of other land users, including agricultural lands, lands of towns and cities. This operating model is called European.
Parks located in areas of new development or in underdeveloped regions usually own the entire or almost the entire territory (“Paanajärvi”, “Yugydva”, Transbaikalsky, etc.). This is the so-called North American operating model.
According to the Federal Law, the NP is entrusted with the following main tasks:
1. preservation of natural complexes and unique natural and historical and cultural objects;
2. environmental education of the population;
3. creating conditions for regulated tourism and recreation;
4. implementation of environmental monitoring, etc.
In addition to the tasks common to all NPs, each of them, due to the specifics of its location, natural conditions and the history of the territory’s development, also performs a number of additional functions. Thus, NPs near large agglomerations and (or) in popular tourist and recreational areas are designed to preserve a relatively weakly modified natural environment and historical and cultural objects from the influence of industry, forestry or agriculture, on the one hand, and from the degradation of ecosystems under the influence of mass recreation and tourism, on the other. Such NPs, first of all, include Losinoostrovsky, “Russian North”, Prielbrussky and some others.
Around the NP, as well as around nature reserves, there is a so-called protective zone, the width of which depends on natural and socio-economic conditions. The territory of the protected zone remains under the jurisdiction of the previous land users, but economic activities must be coordinated with the park administration.
There are a number of activities that contradict the goals and objectives of the entire NP and are therefore completely prohibited within its boundaries. These include mining, plowing, grazing, almost all types of tree felling, summer cottage construction, etc. Some types of activities, which generally do not contradict the objectives of the NP, but cause local disturbances of the natural environment, are permitted only in specially designated areas. These include mass sporting and entertainment events, organizing tourist camps, making fires, and amateur fishing.
NPs are distributed unevenly across the territory of Russia. More than half of them (21) are located in the European part of the country. Another 3 are located in the Caucasus and 5 in the Urals. Thus, for the entire vast territory of Siberia there are only 6 NPs, all of them concentrated in the mountains of Southern Siberia. In the rest of the territory (the Far North, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East) not a single NP has yet been created.
Promising proposals for the creation of NPs cover both new and old development areas, as well as untouched landscapes. The priority criteria for selecting a territory for creating an NP are the following:
Availability of representative samples of ecosystems and biota, unique samples of geological and geomorphological processes, rare and endangered species of organisms included in the Red Book of Russia;
The ability to maintain the most important natural processes and ecosystems essential for maintaining the ecological stability of large regions;
The presence of historical and cultural monuments of national importance in the natural environment;
Availability of conditions for the organization of protected areas of international importance (border protected areas, World Heritage sites, biosphere reserves, etc.);
Significance for the development of environmental education and tourism.
Natural parks
Along with national parks, there is another form of protected areas in the world, within which the tasks of preserving natural landscapes and historical and cultural sites are combined with the organization of educational recreation and tourism. These are natural parks. As a separate concept, they arose in the world a little later than NP: the first natural park was created in 1909 in Germany. Over the years, their organization has grown in scope, especially in the highly urbanized countries of Western Europe. Thus, out of 5.6 thousand natural parks, 2.6 thousand are in the European region. In various countries, the same category includes a protected landscape area and a protected landscape. This also includes a regional natural park according to the classification of N.V. Maksakovsky.
The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas classifies natural parks as protected landscapes, i.e. Protected areas created specifically for nature conservation and recreational use.
In Russia, a natural park is one of the new and not yet established forms of protected areas in terms of content.
For the first time, the concept of a natural park in Russia was enshrined in 1995 in the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Areas.” Before this, they were actually “merged” with the NP on the basis of the “Model Regulations on State Natural National Parks” in force at that time.
According to the Law, natural parks are understood as “environmental recreational institutions, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects of significant environmental and aesthetic value, and which are intended for use for environmental, educational and recreational purposes.” The main legal difference between natural parks and national parks is their subordination: they are not federal property, but are under the jurisdiction of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Natural parks can be located not only on those lands that are provided to them for indefinite use, but also on the lands of other land users. In the latter case, all organizations whose activities are carried out within the boundaries of the park or its protective zone must coordinate their actions with the park management.
In general, the tasks of natural parks are similar to the tasks of the protected landscapes of the world listed above. These tasks determine the regime for the protection and use of the territory, as well as the presence of various functional zones: reserved, recreational, historical and cultural, etc. The list of functional zones for each park is determined in accordance with natural, socio-economic and historical conditions.
The first natural parks in Russia, corresponding to this status not only in name, but also in content, were organized in 1995. At the beginning of 2002, there were 40 of them. The reasons for choosing territory for natural parks can be very different. Let's give a few examples.
Natural criteria for choosing a territory for creating natural parks generally repeat those for NPs. Almost the only difference between them is that the recreational value of landscapes for natural parks is in a certain sense more important than the ecological value. Thus, when choosing an area for a natural park, it is not at all necessary to have representative samples of ecosystems, rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. What is more important for him is the high aesthetic value of the natural area, which in most cases is directly related to the good preservation of ecosystems.
Natural parks are especially necessary in conditions of high human development of the region, where only islands of natural nature remain, surrounded by economically transformed territory. The regime of natural parks will help limit economic activity within territories that are valuable in recreational and educational terms, will help streamline recreational activities, and will prevent the digression of the most visited areas.
Wildlife sanctuaries
State nature reserves are territories that are of particular importance for the conservation or restoration of natural complexes or their components and the maintenance of ecological balance.
Nature reserves can carry out both land use on their territory and be organized on the lands of other land users. In the territories of nature reserves (or their individual sections), any economic activity is permanently or temporarily prohibited or limited if it contradicts the purposes of their creation or damages natural complexes and their components.
Due to a certain flexibility of the environmental restrictions introduced (depending on the specifics of local conditions, economic activity may be either completely prohibited or some types of it may be allowed), zakazniks are one of the most common categories of protected areas in Russia. In addition, this is a very ancient form of protection of hunting grounds and their inhabitants, known since the times of Kievan Rus. It is assumed that it was then that the word “order” appeared, which meant a temporary restriction on the use of hunting resources.
Until some time, reserves traditionally served as typical hunting reproduction and reserve areas, formed for a certain period of time necessary to restore depleted hunting resources. However, at the end of the 50s, nature reserves of republican significance began to appear in Russia, differing from local ones in a stricter protection regime, complexity, better material and technical base, and unlimited validity. A similar division is fixed in the law, which states that, depending on the environmental, ecological and other value of protected natural objects, reserves can have federal or regional significance. Despite the same name - “reserve” - in practical activities the difference between federal and regional reserves is very significant. In addition to a much more strict and comprehensive protection regime, federal reserves go through the stage of special design surveys, they sometimes conduct environmental monitoring, phenological observations, count the number of game fauna, and have their own security staff.
In general, nature reserves are of very significant importance among different categories of reserves and often form the basis of regional systems of protected areas. Due to their diversity, large number, elasticity, and the possibility of being located in regions with very different natural and socio-economic conditions, they represent a kind of supporting system in relation to protected areas with a more stringent protection regime (reserves and national parks), increasing the effect of their activities. In addition, nature reserves (primarily federal ones) are a kind of reserve from which, if necessary and appropriate, natural objects can be transferred to the reserve network.
Natural monuments
Natural monuments are unique, irreplaceable, ecologically, scientifically, culturally and aesthetically valuable natural complexes, as well as objects of natural and artificial origin.
According to the IUCN classification, natural monuments belong to the III category of protected areas, which as the main task provides for the protection of natural attractions. A natural monument (NP) is one of the most popular concepts related to the protection of natural objects, widely used not only in science, but also in everyday life. The origin of the term is associated with the name of A. Humboldt, who used it in 1818 in relation to a tree he discovered that was unusual in size and age. The prevalence of this concept that has reached our time is obviously due to its simplicity and figurativeness. The protection of natural monuments became widespread in many European countries at the beginning of the 20th century. Here, individual old or rare trees, alleys, boulders, rocks, caves, springs, etc. were preserved as natural monuments. In Russia, the identification of natural monuments became very popular in the 20s of the 20th century. Nature conservation enthusiasts have compiled a list of natural monuments, including about 250 natural objects, some of which still exist as natural monuments.
The main purpose of declaring natural complexes and other objects natural monuments is to preserve them in their natural state. According to the current legislation in Russia, this goal can be achieved both with and without the seizure of land plots from other land users (the latter option is less favorable from an environmental point of view, but in practice it is the most common). The list of objects that have the status of natural monuments is very wide. These may include: areas of scenic areas; reference areas of untouched nature; cultural landscape objects; places of growth and habitat of valuable, relict, small, rare and endangered species of plants and animals; forest areas and forest areas that are especially valuable for their characteristics, as well as examples of outstanding achievements of forestry science and practice; unique landforms and associated natural complexes; thermal and mineral water sources, deposits of medicinal mud; coastal objects (spits, isthmuses, peninsulas, islands, lagoons, bays); individual objects of living and inanimate nature (bird nesting sites, long-lived trees of historical and memorial significance, single specimens of exotics and relics, volcanoes, hills, glaciers, boulders, waterfalls, geysers, springs, river sources, rocks, cliffs, outcrops, manifestations of karst, grottoes). protected biodiversity reserve Chelyabinsk
In general, such a category of protected areas as a natural monument is very widespread and is of exceptional importance for the protection of small landscape elements, which is especially important in old developed regions for maintaining an ecologically balanced spatial structure of landscapes. The negative aspects of this form of protected areas in our country include the fact that the direct protection of natural monuments is often entrusted to legal entities or individuals who are not directly related to nature conservation (as a rule, these are land users), which does not contribute to the effective protection of these objects.
In addition to the five categories of protected areas discussed above, which are characterized by relatively high preservation of the natural environment, the federal law gives the right to consider as such some other environmental and medical-recreational institutions that have within their boundaries not only purely natural, but also anthropogenically modified or even completely artificially created ecosystems. The law contains their expanded definition, special protection regime and financing features.
Dendrological parks and botanical gardens
Detailed regulation of the issues of creation, operation and maintenance of the regime of dendrological parks and botanical gardens is contained in a domestic legislative act for the first time. At the same time, the law does not establish any special differences between these two forms of protected areas, since both have similar tasks: the creation of special collections of plants for the purpose of preserving biodiversity and enriching the flora, as well as carrying out scientific, educational and educational activities on this basis. The land plots on which arboretums and botanical gardens are located are transferred to them for indefinite use, regardless of their significance and, accordingly, subordination - federal or regional.
In our country there are 56 botanical gardens and 24 dendrological parks and arboretums. Their departmental subordination is different: the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), branches and scientific centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Rosleskhoz, state universities (including the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University), agricultural, forestry and pedagogical universities and some other organizations.
The protection regime for arboretums and botanical gardens provides for the prohibition on their territory of any activity that is not related to the implementation of their direct tasks and leads to a violation of the safety of flora objects.
In an arboretum or botanical garden, other areas may be allocated that correspond to their natural conditions and characteristics of functioning. Thus, within the boundaries of the botanical garden of the Amur Scientific Center of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a protected area (forests of group 1), an active zone and the territory of an arboretum are allocated.
Medical and recreational areas and resorts
According to the Federal Law, a special type of protected areas includes territories (with adjacent water areas) that have healing resources and are suitable for organizing the treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as for recreation of the population. They are called medical and recreational areas. Their ecosystems are often characterized by significant changes as a result of human economic activities. Their classification as protected areas is mainly due to the fact that they use a natural resource and need to preserve it in its natural form for an indefinitely long time. At the same time, the concept of medicinal resources includes mineral waters, medicinal mud, brine of estuaries and lakes, medicinal climate and some other natural objects and conditions.
The same type of protected objects also includes a resort - a developed territory that has not only natural healing resources, but also the buildings and structures necessary for their operation and is already used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
Both medical and recreational areas and resorts can be of federal, regional and local significance and, accordingly, be under the jurisdiction of federal government bodies, a subject of the federation or local governments.
Based on the Federal Law, the Russian government, executive authorities of the constituent entities of the federation and local governments are given the right to establish other categories of protected areas, in addition to those discussed above. These include areas where there are green areas, urban forests, city parks, monuments of landscape art, protected coastlines, protected river systems, biological stations, micro-reserves, etc.
Like some of the main categories of protected areas discussed above, such objects can have different significance or levels: federal, regional or local. An example of such a category of protected areas of federal significance are water protection zones of water bodies and their coastal protective strips, approved by a special decree of the Russian government in 1996.
The list of regional protected areas established by federal subjects is much broader. For example, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), among its protected areas, has national natural reserves, national resource reserves and protected landscapes.
The number of special protected areas created at the local (municipal) level is still insignificant. The “Comments on the Federal Law...”, from which the listed examples are taken, contains only one object recognized as the most successful. This is the ecological park “Black Lake” in the Zasviyazhsky district of Ulyanovsk.
In accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”, this category includes “areas of land, water surface and air space above them, where objects of special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, and health value are located, which are withdrawn decisions of public authorities, wholly or partially from economic use and for which a special protection regime has been established.” All specially protected natural areas are called upon to perform the most important environmental functions, such as preserving unique and typical natural complexes and objects, the gene pool of plants and animals, providing optimal conditions for the reproduction of natural resources, and above all biological ones, studying natural processes occurring in them, etc. Conservation and The development of specially protected natural areas is one of the priority areas of the state environmental policy of the Russian Federation, and therefore specially protected natural areas are classified as objects of national heritage. In accordance with the prevailing environmental objectives, features of the regime and structure of the organization, the following categories of protected areas are distinguished:
1) state natural reserves, including biosphere reserves;
3) natural parks;
4) state natural reserves;
5) natural monuments;
6) dendrological parks and botanical gardens;
7) medical and recreational areas and resorts.
Reserves are environmental, research and environmental educational institutions. The territory is completely withdrawn from economic use. This is a protected area with the most stringent form of nature conservation. Only scientific, security and control activities are permitted in nature reserves. The first reserves were organized at the beginning of the century: (1915, abolished in 1919), Barguzinsky (1916), “Kedrovaya Pad” (1916), etc., among which only Barguzinsky was officially approved as a state reserve. As of January 1, 1995, there were 88 state nature reserves in the Russian Federation with a total area of 28,854.1 thousand hectares, including 24,144.1 thousand hectares (1.4% of the land area of the Russian Federation) of territories with inland water bodies. By 2005, it is planned to create about 70 state nature reserves on the territory of the Russian Federation. Particularly among state natural reserves are state natural biosphere reserves, the main purpose of which is to conduct comprehensive background monitoring of the natural environment. Currently, there are 17 biosphere reserves on the territory of the Russian Federation, which are part of the international network of biosphere reserves.
Sanctuaries are territories (water areas) intended to preserve or restore natural complexes or their components and maintain ecological balance. In this case, as a rule, the conservation of some types of natural resources is carried out while the use of others is limited. Wildlife sanctuaries can be of federal or regional subordination. Certain types of economic activities that may lead to disruption of the natural environment are prohibited here. There are different types of reserves: complex (landscape), hydrological (, river, etc.), biological (botanical and zoological), etc. Currently in the Russian Federation there are more than 1.5 thousand reserves, occupying more than 3% of the territory.
National parks (NP) are “environmental, environmental, educational and scientific research institutions, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects of special ecological, historical and aesthetic value, and which are intended for use in environmental, educational, scientific and cultural purposes and for regulated tourism.” Currently, national parks are one of the most promising forms of protected natural areas. They are distinguished by a complex internal structure, expressed in the allocation of zones with different environmental regimes, for example, such as protected areas, zones for regulated tourism and recreation (recreational zones), territories of other land users allocated for traditional forms of economic activity. At the same time, historical heritage (historical and cultural objects) is taken into account and carefully preserved. National parks in Russia began to be created only in 1983, the first of which were: Sochi National Park and Losiny Ostrov National Park. In subsequent years, the number of national parks has steadily increased and currently there are 31 national parks in the Russian Federation, with 2/3 of them created over the past five years. The total area of the NP is 6.6 million hectares, which is 0.38% of the territory of Russia. In the future, it is planned to create about 40 more parks with a total area of approximately 10 million hectares.
Natural parks (NP) are environmental recreational institutions that are used for environmental, educational and recreational purposes. They include natural complexes and objects of significant ecological and aesthetic value. Unlike national parks, natural parks are under the jurisdiction of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the main purpose of their creation is to provide comfortable recreation for the population. In this regard, environmental protection measures are aimed primarily at preserving recreational resources and maintaining the natural environment in a functional state. Much attention is paid, among other things, to the presence of interesting cultural and historical sites. Just like national parks, natural parks represent a combination of territories with different regimes of protection and use (environmental, recreational, agricultural and other functional zones).
Natural monuments include natural objects of natural or artificial origin, as well as natural complexes, small in area, that have scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational significance. Often natural monuments are associated with certain historical events (for example, oak trees in the Kolomenskoye estate, preserved from the time of Ivan the Terrible) and are represented by unique natural objects: individual remarkable trees, caves, etc. Natural monuments are used primarily for scientific, environmental, educational, and environmental protection purposes.
The existing network of specially protected natural areas in the Kaliningrad region includes the Curonian Spit National Park, 7 state nature reserves and 61 natural monuments. In the future, it is planned to create the Pravdinsky nature reserve on the territory of the Kaliningrad region, which will include the marsh natural complex of the Baltic lake area with an area of 2.4 thousand hectares (“Tselau”). Currently, the network of protected areas in the Kaliningrad region is not sufficient to preserve natural diversity and perform environment-forming and environment-forming functions.
In conditions when environmental pollution became an obstacle to the normal life of people, a massive public movement began to protect the environment, most economically developed and some developing countries began to carry out state environmental policy, environmental policy. Environmental laws were adopted, fine systems were developed, expenditures on environmental protection were increased, long-term programs were drawn up, and special environmental protection services or other similar government bodies were created.
A special place in state environmental policy is occupied by the creation of specially protected natural areas and water areas.
Natural specially protected areas and water areas- these are natural complexes and objects excluded in whole or in part from economic use for the purpose of their conservation, as well as because of their special scientific, educational, aesthetic, historical and recreational value.
Specially protected natural areas include: state natural reserves, including biosphere reserves; state nature reserves; National parks; natural parks; dendrological parks and botanical gardens; medical and recreational areas and resorts. Natural monuments, as well as rare and endangered species of animals and plants listed in the region, are also subject to protection.
All territories and objects under special protection of the state are divided into three types:
- administrative(military and defense facilities, sensitive zones of internal affairs bodies, suburban areas);
- historical and cultural(monuments of history, culture, architecture, landscape art, historical and cultural reserves, etc.);
- natural.
In addition, in our country, specially protected natural areas include 35 national parks, as well as more than 12,000 natural parks, reserves, natural monuments and other areas protected at the federal or regional levels.
Reserves
Nature reserves- these are natural complexes specially protected by law (land, subsoil, water, flora and fauna), which are completely and forever excluded from any economic use. Nature reserves are the highest category of protected areas; they serve as standards of the natural environment.
The first reserve was the Barguzinsky Reserve on Lake Baikal, created in 1917, two months after the adoption on November 12 (October 30, old style) 1916 of the first law on reserves in Russia “On the establishment of rules on hunting reserves.”
The main distinctive feature of the natural reserve is the presence of the sign of “reserve”, which means, in accordance with the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, inviolable, forbidden, treasured. Nowadays, in accordance with Art. 26 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On Environmental Protection” and due to the increased social significance of protected areas and natural and climatic features, more stringent standards for maximum permissible harmful emissions are established for them
actions on the natural environment. On the territory of the reserves, economic, recreational and other activities that contradict the principles of conservation or cause harm to the natural environment are prohibited: construction of industrial and agricultural enterprises, exploration and mining of mineral resources, logging, plant collection, grazing, hunting, fishing, use of pesticides and pesticides (even near protected areas), aircraft flights below 2000 m, all forms of tourism and recreation for the population, etc.
Protective zones are created around the territory of the reserve, within which activities that adversely affect the reserve regime are prohibited.
A natural complex can be either a typical landscape of the corresponding region, or, conversely, rare for a particular area. The significance of the reserve also lies in the fact that it is an environmental research institution aimed at preserving and studying the natural course of natural processes and phenomena in typical and unique systems.
31 Russian nature reserves have the status biosphere, i.e., it is part of the international network of biosphere reserves that carry out global environmental monitoring. Their main difference from other reserves is the presence in the territories adjacent to them of biosphere sites where limited environmental management is carried out (mainly traditional for the region, as well as tourism and other types of recreational activities).
The concept of a biosphere reserve was developed in 1974 by a working group of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program. Two years later, the formation of their Worldwide Network began, which today supports the exchange of information, experience and specialists between 440 reserves of the planet. They have been created in 97 countries and preserve areas of slightly disturbed ecosystems of most biogeographic places on Earth over an area of at least 300 million hectares.
The first biosphere reserves in the USSR appeared in 1977. They were created on the basis of existing reserves - Prioksko-Terrasny, Kavkazsky, Askania-Nova (Ukraine), Repeteksky (Turkmenistan) and a number of others.
Biosphere reserves are considered as self-regulating natural systems. Therefore, they must be large enough and ecologically isolated from neighboring ecosystems and anthropogenic influence. As a rule, they include globally unique ecosystems and landscapes (for example, with the presence of rare and endangered species of animals and plants on the globe), which are of particular scientific and natural history value.
The scheme of biosphere reserves is as follows: in the center - reserved core(absolutely protected area), around which stands out buffer zone, whose function is to reduce the negative impact of economic activities on the natural complex of the reserve, and is followed by buffer polygon- a zone of ordinary, but strictly rational, economic use of the territory in the interests of scientific and applied research on the profile of the reserve. The main task of biosphere reserves is to provide long-term comparative studies of ecosystems and participate in global monitoring of the natural environment. 5 national parks of Russia also belong to biosphere reserves.
Wildlife sanctuaries
Nature reserves- these are natural complexes designed for the conservation or reproduction of certain types of natural resources in combination with the limited and coordinated use of other natural resources. According to the terminology of regulations of the 20s of the XX century. - these are “incomplete reserves”.
Nature reserves organize when, to achieve a goal, it is enough to restrict or prohibit the use of only certain resources. An example is medicinal plant reserves—environmental areas with a regime that prevents the depletion of stocks of certain types of medicinal plants. The collection of medicinal plants in reserves is permitted only under strict control, to the extent that does not interfere with their reproduction.
Among the reserves, the most significant in terms of number and area are hunting reserves. Their task is long-term reservation and protection of the habitats of some valuable animals. The regime of the reserves provides not only a ban on hunting, but also restrictions on certain types of economic activities that can harm protected species of animals.
National and natural parks
National and natural parks- these are specially protected natural complexes withdrawn from economic use, which are important as typical or rare landscapes, habitats for communities of wild plants and animals, places of recreation, tourism, excursions, and public education. A national natural park is a fairly large area where nature conservation is combined with recreation. It consists of one or more ecological systems or natural landscapes of high aesthetic value, little or not modified by human activity, where plants, animals and landscapes are protected. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, national natural parks are formed for the purpose of protecting nature (for example, traditional places of residence of small peoples of the North) in combination with environmental education of the population, organizing their recreation, and developing tourism.
The entire territory of the national (natural) park is divided into several zones, each of which has its own legal regime. Most often there are four zones: reserved, reserved, recreational and economic. The central protected core of the national (natural) park functions as a nature reserve. It serves as a natural laboratory for the park to carry out environmental monitoring tasks. The restricted regime zone is organized according to the principles of a natural reserve. Recreational zones are intended for tourism, visitor recreation, placement of service facilities, information services, etc. The economic zone is usually external to those listed. According to the accepted international classification, a national park, in contrast to a natural one, is characterized by the predominance of environmental objectives over recreational ones.
In the USA, in 1872, the first now world-famous Yellowstone National Park was created (states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho). In total, there are more than two thousand national parks in the world today, including the High Tatras (Czech Republic), Kaziranga (India), the already mentioned Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon (USA), Tsavo (Africa) and many others. For foreign countries, this form of nature conservation is traditional.
In the USSR, the functions of national parks were initially assigned to nature reserves. The first ones were created in 1983 - “Sochi” on the Black Sea coast and “Losiny Ostrov” on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region.
Natural monuments
Term "natural monument" was first used in 1819 by the German naturalist A. Humboldt (1769-1859). Individual unique natural objects and natural complexes that have relict, scientific, historical, environmental and educational significance and require special protection by the state are declared natural monuments. Natural monuments include standard areas of untouched nature, geological outcrops, unique landforms, individual objects of living and inanimate nature - waterfalls, geysers, caves, paleontological objects, individual long-lived trees, etc.
Several thousand natural monuments, mostly specific objects, have been identified in our country and around the world. These include the Khosta yew-boxwood grove (Krasnodar region), rocky outcrops on the banks of the Don with relict vegetation (Lipetsk region), individual boulders and many others.
From monument trees Especially famous are the oak tree in Yasnaya Polyana, the plane tree “Seven Brothers” near Ashgabat, the fused trunks of which can hug 10 people, as well as the giant sequoias in the famous Yosemite Valley (USA), whose age exceeds 3 thousand years and height is 90 m. California is also home to the oldest tree in the world - the sequoia, whose age is estimated at approximately 4650 years.
Other specially protected natural areas
Museum-reserves. These include historical memorial, literary museums, estate museums, open-air museums, etc. Museums and reserves are of great historical and cultural value. Among the world-famous museum-reserves are Yasnaya Polyana, Polenovo, Kizhi, Vladimir-Suzdal, Abramtsevo, Kuskovo, and, of course, the Moscow Kremlin and museums of St. Petersburg. Strictly speaking, they belong to the group of historical and cultural specially protected areas, but in most of them the natural component plays an important role.
Dendrological parks and botanical sa Yes: their tasks include creating special collections of plants in order to preserve the diversity and enrichment of the flora, as well as carrying out scientific, educational and educational activities.
Medical and recreational areas and resorts isolated in territories (water areas) suitable for organizing the treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as for recreation of the population and possessing natural healing resources (mineral waters, therapeutic mud, therapeutic climate, beaches, etc.).
Ecological resort region- a relatively new form of specially protected areas, which appeared in 1994 in connection with the formation of the specially protected ecological resort region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
Deposits of mineral waters and medicinal mud, the nature of resorts are extremely sensitive to pollution. There are more than 40 industrial enterprises operating on the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. Their emissions pose a serious problem for the region.
Types of specially protected natural areas
| Parameter name | Meaning |
| Article topic: | Types of specially protected natural areas |
| Rubric (thematic category) | Ecology |
Protected natural areas - ϶ᴛᴏ areas of land, water surface and air space above them, where natural complexes and objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational, health value, which are withdrawn by decisions of public authorities in whole or in part from economic use and A special protection regime has been established for them.
In Russia, the most important legislative act regulating relations in the field of organization, protection and use of protected areas is the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Areas”, adopted by the State Duma in 1995.
Taking into account the dependence of their significance, protected areas may be under federal ownership and management, or they may be regional or municipal property.
In Russia, the system of protected areas has been formed for more than 80 years. One of the first was the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve on Lake Baikal. By the end of 1998, this system included 99 nature reserves, 34 national parks, about 1,600 state reserves and more than 8,000 natural monuments.
A state nature reserve (full reserve) is the most stringent form of nature conservation. Οʜᴎ represent, firstly, territories completely withdrawn from economic use, and secondly, scientific and research institutions aimed at preserving the natural course of natural processes and phenomena. Only scientific, security and control activities are allowed in them, and in exceptional cases, the organization of educational and environmental routes. Sometimes it is even prohibited to remove fallen and dead trees, which disrupts the natural development of natural processes.
Of the total number of reserves, biosphere reserves are especially distinguished; they are part of the international system of biosphere reserves and carry out global environmental monitoring. In Russia, about 20% of nature reserves have this international status.
In addition to areas that are completely closed to the public, it is also extremely important to create areas accessible to controlled visits. World experience says that the main thing for nature conservation now is the education of environmentally literate people. It is important to note that to combine protective and educational functions, national parks are created, which are the main form of protected areas in the world (there are about 2 thousand of them).
A national park is a vast territory (from several thousand to several million hectares), including both completely protected areas and areas intended for recreation, recreation, short-range tourism, and promotion of environmental knowledge. With proper organization of services for visitors, they can produce good results not only in the environmental, but also in the economic sphere, partially recouping the costs of their maintenance. One of the famous national parks is Losiny Ostrov (Moscow).
The total area of reserves and national parks in our country at the end of the 90s reached 2% of the territory of Russia and will have to increase further.
In addition to nature reserves and national parks, there are also softer forms of conservation, such as nature reserves and natural monuments.
Natural monuments are individual natural objects that have scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational significance. They include an unusual spring, a waterfall, a ravine with rare plant species, very old trees that were “witnesses” of some historical events, for example, oak trees in the Kolomenskoye estate (Moscow), preserved from the time of Ivan the Terrible.
A reserve is a natural complex designed to preserve certain types of natural resources with limited use of others. In areas occupied by nature reserves, certain types of economic activity are permanently or temporarily prohibited. For example, activities leading to disturbance of the landscape are prohibited, but hunting must be allowed. Temporary hunting reserves are often created to preserve and restore the numbers of certain animal species.
Although nature reserves and monuments play a positive role in maintaining ecological balance, they cannot fundamentally solve the problem. Only systemic natural aggregates can be preserved, and not individual components. Without preserving its habitat, a species will inevitably disappear, and will pull with it a chain of species interconnected with it.
Types of specially protected natural areas - concept and types. Classification and features of the category “Types of specially protected natural areas” 2017, 2018.