World Heritage sites included in the UNESCO special list are of enormous interest to the entire population of the planet. Unique natural and cultural objects make it possible to preserve those unique corners of nature and man-made monuments that demonstrate the richness of nature and the capabilities of the human mind.
As of July 6, 2012, there are 962 sites on the World Heritage List (including 745 cultural, 188 natural and 29 mixed), located in 148 countries. Among the objects there are individual architectural structures and ensembles, for example - the Acropolis, cathedrals in Amiens and Chartres, historical city centers - Warsaw and St. Petersburg, the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square; and there are also entire cities - Brasilia, Venice along with the lagoon and others. There are also archaeological reserves - for example, Delphi; national parks - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Yellowstone (USA) and others. States on whose territory World Heritage sites are located undertake obligations to preserve them.
In this photo collection you will see 29 objects from different parts of our planet that are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
1) Tourists examine the Buddhist sculptures of the Longmen Grottoes (Dragon Gate) near the city of Luoyang in the Chinese province of Henan. There are more than 2,300 caves in this place; 110,000 Buddhist images, more than 80 dagobas (Buddhist mausoleums) containing relics of Buddhas, as well as 2,800 inscriptions on rocks near the Yishui River, a kilometer long. Buddhism was first introduced to China in these places during the reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty. (China Photos/Getty Images)
2) Bayon Temple in Cambodia is famous for its many giant stone faces. There are more than 1,000 temples in the Angkor region, which range from nondescript piles of brick and rubble scattered among rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, considered the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored. More than a million tourists visit them every year. (Voishmel/AFP - Getty Images)
3) One of the parts of the archaeological site of Al-Hijr - also known as Madain Salih. This complex, located in the northern regions of Saudi Arabia, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 6, 2008. The complex includes 111 rock burials (1st century BC - 1st century AD), as well as a system of hydraulic structures dating back to the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra, which was the center of caravan trade. There are also about 50 rock inscriptions dating back to the Pre-Nabatean period. (Hassan Ammar/AFP - Getty Images)
4) "Garganta del Diablo" (Devil's Throat) waterfalls are located in the Iguazu National Park in the Argentine province of Misiones. Depending on the water level in the Iguazu River, the park has from 160 to 260 waterfalls, as well as over 2000 species of plants and 400 bird species.Iguazu National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984. (Christian Rizzi/AFP - Getty Images)
5) The mysterious Stonehenge is a stone megalithic structure consisting of 150 huge stones, and located on Salisbury Plain in the English county of Wiltshire. This ancient monument is believed to have been built in 3000 BC. Stonehenge was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
6) Tourists stroll at the Bafang Pavilion at the Summer Palace, the famous classical imperial garden in Beijing. The Summer Palace, built in 1750, was destroyed in 1860 and restored in 1886. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1998. (China Photos/Getty Images)
7) Statue of Liberty at sunset in New York. "Lady Liberty", which was given to the United States by France, stands at the entrance to New York Harbor. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984. (Seth Wenig/AP)
8) "Solitario George" (Lonely George), the last living giant tortoise of this species, born on Pinta Island, lives in Galapagos National Park in Ecuador. She is now approximately 60-90 years old. The Galapagos Islands were originally included on the World Heritage List in 1978, but were listed as endangered in 2007. (Rodrigo Buendia/AFP - Getty Images)
9) People skate on the ice of the canals in the area of the Kinderdijk mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located near Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is home to the largest collection of historic mills in the Netherlands and is one of the top attractions in South Holland. Decorating holidays taking place here with balloons gives a certain flavor to this place. (Peter Dejong/AP)
10) View of the Perito Moreno glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park, in the southeast of the Argentine province of Santa Cruz. The site was listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1981. The glacier is one of the most interesting tourist sites in the Argentine part of Patagonia and the 3rd largest glacier in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. (Daniel Garcia/AFP - Getty Images)
11) Terraced gardens in the northern Israeli city of Haifa surround the golden-domed Shrine of the Bab, founder of the Baha'i faith. Here is the world administrative and spiritual center of the Baha'i religion, the number of professers of which worldwide is less than six million. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 8, 2008. (David Silverman/Getty Images)
12) Aerial photography of St. Peter's Square in. According to the World Heritage website, this small state is home to a unique collection of artistic and architectural masterpieces. The Vatican was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984. (Giulio Napolitano/AFP - Getty Images)
13) Colorful underwater scenes of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. This thriving ecosystem is home to the world's largest collection of coral reefs, including 400 species of coral and 1,500 species of fish. The Great Barrier Reef was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981. (AFP - Getty Images)
14) Camels rest in the ancient city of Petra in front of Jordan's main monument, Al Khazneh or the treasury, believed to be the tomb of a Nabatean king carved from sandstone. This city, located between the Red and Dead Seas, is at the crossroads of Arabia, Egypt, and Phenicia. Petra was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1985. (Thomas Coex/AFP - Getty Images)
15) The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous and easily recognizable buildings in the world, a symbol of Sydney and one of the main attractions of Australia. The Sydney Opera House was designated a World Heritage Site in 2007. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP - Getty Images)
16) Rock paintings made by the San people in the Drakensberg Mountains, located in eastern South Africa. The San people lived in the Drakensberg region for thousands of years until they were destroyed in clashes with the Zulus and white settlers. They left behind incredible rock art in the Drakensberg Mountains, which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. (Alexander Joe/AFP - Getty Images)
17) General view of the city of Shibam, located in the east in the province of Hadhramaut. Shibam is famous for its incomparable architecture, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Program. All the houses here are built of clay bricks; approximately 500 houses can be considered multi-story, as they have 5-11 floors. Often called "the world's oldest skyscraper city" or "Desert Manhattan", Shibam is also the oldest example of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. (Khaled Fazaa/AFP - Getty Images)
18) Gondolas along the shore of the Grand Canal in Venice. The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore is visible in the background. Island Venice is a seaside resort, a center of international tourism of world importance, a venue for international film festivals, art and architectural exhibitions. Venice was included in the UNESCO World Heritage program in 1987. (AP)
19) Some of the 390 abandoned huge statues made of compressed volcanic ash (moai in Rapa Nui) at the foot of the Rano Raraku volcano on Easter Island, 3,700 km off the coast of Chile. Rapa Nui National Park has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Program since 1995. (Martin Bernetti/AFP - Getty Images)
20) Visitors walk along the Great Wall of China in the Simatai area, northeast of Beijing. This largest architectural monument was built as one of the four main strategic strongholds to defend against invading tribes from the north. The 8,851.8 km long Great Wall is one of the largest construction projects ever completed. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP - Getty Images)
21) Temple in Hampi, near the South Indian city of Hospet, north of Bangalore. Hampi is located in the middle of the ruins of Vijayanagara - the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Hampi and its monuments were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP - Getty Images)
22) A Tibetan pilgrim turns prayer mills on the grounds of the Potala Palace in the capital of Tibet, Lhasa. The Potala Palace is a royal palace and Buddhist temple complex that was the main residence of the Dalai Lama. Today, the Potala Palace is a museum actively visited by tourists, remaining a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists and continuing to be used in Buddhist rituals. Due to its enormous cultural, religious, artistic and historical significance, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP - Getty Images)
23) Inca citadel Machu Picchu in the Peruvian city of Cusco. Machu Picchu, especially after receiving UNESCO World Heritage status in 1983, has become a center of mass tourism. The city is visited by 2,000 tourists per day; In order to preserve the monument, UNESCO demands that the number of tourists per day be reduced to 800. (Eitan Abramovich/AFP - Getty Images)
24) Kompon-daito Buddhist pagoda on Mount Koya, Wakayama Province, Japan. Mount Koya, located east of Osaka, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. In 819, the first Buddhist monk Kukai, the founder of the Shingon school, a branch of Japanese Buddhism, settled here. (Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA)
25) Tibetan women walk around the Bodhnath Stupa in Kathmandu - one of the most ancient and revered Buddhist shrines. On the edges of the tower crowning it are depicted the “eyes of Buddha” inlaid with ivory. Kathmandu Valley, about 1300 m high, is a mountain valley and historical region of Nepal. There are many Buddhist and Hindu temples here, from the Boudhanath stupa to tiny street altars in the walls of houses. Locals say that 10 million Gods live in the Kathmandu Valley. The Kathmandu Valley was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
26) A bird flies over the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum-mosque located in the Indian city of Agra. It was built by order of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. The Taj Mahal was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. The architectural marvel was also named one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" in 2007. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP - Getty Images)
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27) Situated in north-eastern Wales, the 18-kilometre long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a feat of Industrial Revolution-era civil engineering, completed in the early years of the 19th century. Still in use more than 200 years after its opening, it is one of the busiest sections of the UK canal network, handling around 15,000 boats a year. In 2009, the Pontkysilte Aqueduct was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a "landmark in the history of civil engineering during the Industrial Revolution". This aqueduct is one of the unusual monuments to plumbers and plumbing (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
28) A herd of elk grazes in the meadows of Yellowstone National Park. Mount Holmes, to the left, and Mount Dome are visible in the background. In Yellowstone National Park, which occupies almost 900 thousand hectares, there are more than 10 thousand geysers and thermal springs. The park was included in the World Heritage program in 1978. (Kevork Djansezian/AP)
29) Cubans drive an old car along the Malecon promenade in Havana. UNESCO added Old Havana and its fortifications to the World Heritage List in 1982. Although Havana has expanded to a population of over 2 million, its old center retains an interesting mixture of Baroque and neoclassical monuments and homogeneous ensembles of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought iron gates and courtyards. (Javier Galeano/AP)
Work is underway to submit the following natural objects to the List: Volga Delta, Lena Delta, Green Belt of Fennoscandia, Kurile Islands, Valdai - Great Divide, Western Sayan, Beringia and Solovetsky Islands.
Natural sites included in the World Heritage List |
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| Square | State | |
| Virgin forests of Komi | 3.279 million hectares | Inscribed on the World Heritage List (1995) Criteria - N ii, iii |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Pechora-Ilychsky" | 721 322 | |
| 2. Yugyd Va National Park | 1 891 701 | |
| 3. Protected zone of the reserve | 666 000 | |
| Lake Baikal | 8.8 million hectares | Listed (1996) Criteria - N i, ii, iii, iv |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Baikal" | 165 724 | |
| 2. State Biosphere Reserve "Barguzinsky" | 374 322 | |
| 3. State Nature Reserve "Baikalo-Lensky" | 660 000 | |
| 4. Pribaikalsky National Park | 418 000 | |
| 5. National Park "Zabaikalsky" | 246 000 | |
| 6. Reserve "Frolikhinsky" | 910 200 | |
| 7. Reserve "Kabansky" | 18 000 | |
| 8. National Park "Tunkinsky" (partially) | ||
| Volcanoes of Kamchatka | 3.996 million hectares | Included in the List (1996). Expanded in 2001 Criteria - N i, ii, iii, iv |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Kronotsky" | 1 147 619,37 | |
| 2. Natural Park "Bystrinsky" | 1 368 592 | |
| 3. Natural Park "Nalychevsky" | 286 025 | |
| 4. Natural Park "South Kamchatka" | 500 511 | |
| 5. Federal Nature Reserve "South Kamchatsky" | 322 000 | |
| 6. Natural Park "Klyuchevskoy" | 371 022 | |
| Golden Mountains of Altai | 1.509 million hectares | Included in the List (1998) Criterion - N iv |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Altai" | 881 238 | |
| 2. State Biosphere Reserve "Katunsky" | 150 079 | |
| 3. Natural Park "Mount Belukha" | 131 337 | |
| 4. Ukok Nature Park | 252 904 | |
| 5. Buffer zone "Teletskoye Lake" | 93 753 | |
| Western Caucasus | 0.301 million hectares | Listed (1999) Criteria - N ii, iv |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Caucasian" with a buffer zone | 288 200 | |
| 2. Natural Park "Bolshoy Thach" | 3 700 | |
| 3. Natural monument "Upper reaches of the rivers Pshekha and Pshekhashkha" | 5 776 | |
| 4. Natural monument "Upper reaches of the Tsitsa River" | 1 913 | |
| 5. Natural monument "Buiny Ridge" | 1 480 | |
| Curonian Spit(shared with Lithuania) | 0.031 million hectares | Listed (2000) Criterion - C v |
| 1. National Park "Curonian Spit" (Russia) | 6 600 | |
| 2. National Park "Kursiu Nerijos" (Lithuania) | 24 600 | |
| 1.567 million hectares | Included in the List (2001). Expanded in 2018 Criterion - N iv |
|
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Sikhote-Alin" | 401 600 | |
| 2. Bikin National Park | 1 160 469 | |
| 3. Reserve "Goralovy" | 4 749 | |
| Ubsunur Basin(shared with Mongolia) | 0.883 million hectares | Listed (2003) Criteria - N ii, iv |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina" (Russia) | 73 529 | |
| 2. Biosphere Reserve "Uvs Nuur" (Mongolia) | 810 233,5 | |
| Wrangel Island | 2.226 million hectares | Listed (2004) Criteria - N ii, iv |
| State Nature Reserve "Wrangel Island" | ||
| Putorana Plateau | 1.887 million hectares | Listed (2010) Criteria - vii, ix |
| State Nature Reserve "Putoransky" | ||
| Lena pillars | 1.387 million hectares | Listed (2012) Criteria - viii |
| Natural Park of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) "Lena Pillars" | ||
| Landscapes of Dauria(shared with Mongolia) | 0.913 million hectares | Included in the List (2017) Criteria - (ix), (x) |
| 1. State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Daursky" | 49 765 | |
| 2. Protected zone of the State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Daursky" | 117 690 | |
| 3. Federal reserve "Dzeren Valley" | 111 568 | |
| Total area in the Russian Federation: | 279 023 | |
| 4. Strictly protected area “Mongol Daguur” | 110 377 | |
| 5. Buffer zone of the strictly protected area “Mongol Daguur” | 477 064 | |
| 6. Nature reserve "Ugtam" | 46 160 | |
| Total area in Mongolia: | 633 601 | |
Natural sites included in the Tentative List |
||
| Objects and territories included in them | Square | State |
| Valaam archipelago | 0.026 million hectares | Included in the Preliminary List of the Russian Federation on May 15, 1996. |
| Natural Park "Valaam Archipelago" | ||
| Magadan Nature Reserve | 0.884 million hectares | Nomination has been prepared |
| State Nature Reserve "Magadansky" | ||
| Commander Islands | 3.649 million hectares | Included in the Preliminary List of the Russian Federation on 02/07/2005. Nomination has been prepared |
| State Nature Reserve "Commander" | ||
| Great Vasyugan swamp | 0.4 million hectares | |
| State complex reserve of the Tyumen region "Vasyugansky" | ||
| Krasnoyarsk pillars | 0.047 million hectares | Included in the Preliminary List of the Russian Federation on March 6, 2007. |
| State Nature Reserve "Stolby" | ||
| Ilmen Mountains | 0.034 million hectares |
Included in the Preliminary List of the Russian Federation on August 11, 2008. Nomination has been prepared |
| State Nature Reserve RAS "Ilmensky" | ||
| Bashkir Ural | 0.045 million hectares | Included in the Preliminary List of the Russian Federation on January 30, 2012. |
Natural objects promising for inclusion in the Preliminary List |
||
| Objects and territories included in them | Square | State |
| Beringia | 2.911 million hectares | Recommended by IUCN for inclusion in the List |
| 1. Beringia National Park (RF) | 1,819,154 ha | |
| 2. Bering Land Bridge National Wildlife Refuge (USA) | 1,091,595 ha | |
| Volga Delta | 0.068 million hectares | criterion N iv. Nomination has been prepared |
| State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Astrakhan" | ||
| Lena Delta | 1.433 million hectares | Recommended by IUCN for inclusion in the List in accordance with criterion N iv. Nomination has been prepared |
| State Nature Reserve "Ust-Lensky" | ||
| Kurile Islands | 0.295 million hectares | Nomination has been prepared |
| 1. State Nature Reserve "Kurilsky" and its buffer zone | 65,365 and 41,475 | |
| 2. Biological reserve "Little Kuriles" | 45 000 | |
| 3. Reserve of regional significance "Urup Island" | 143 000 | |
| Green Belt of Fennoscandia(shared with Finland and Norway) | 0.541 million hectares | The Russian part of the nomination has been prepared |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Lapland" | 278 436 | |
| 2. State Nature Reserve "Kostomuksha" | 47 457 | |
| 3. Pasvik State Nature Reserve | 14 727 | |
| 4. Paanajärvi National Park | 104 354 | |
| 5. National Park "Kalevalsky" | 95 886 | |
| Valdai - Great Divide | 0.183 million hectares | Nomination has been prepared |
| 1. Valdai National Park | 158 500 | |
| 2. State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Central Forest" | 24 447 | |
Natural objects not included in the List |
||
| Objects and territories included in them | Square | State |
| Vodlozersky National Park | 0.58 million hectares | |
| 1. Vodlozersky National Park | 404 700 | |
| 2. Reserve "Kozhozersky" | 178 600 | |
| Bashkir Ural | 0.2 million hectares | Not included in the List (1998) |
| 1. State Biosphere Reserve "Shulgan-Tash" | 22 531 | |
| 2. State Nature Reserve "Bashkir" | 49 609 | |
| 3. National Park "Bashkiria" (strictly protected area) | 32 740 | |
| 4. Reserve "Altyn Solok" | 93 580 | |
| Teberdinsky Reserve(extension of the "Western Caucasus" object) | 0.085 million hectares | Not included in the List (2004) |
| State Biosphere Reserve "Teberdinsky" | ||
Russia, of course, is rich in unique and, what is very important, natural complexes that have not been affected by economic activity. According to rough estimates by scientists, there are about 20 territories in our country that are worthy of the status of a World Natural Heritage site. The list of the most promising areas was determined during the joint project of UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) on boreal forests.
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 physical-geographical 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.
The most important tourist and recreational resources, which often determine a tourist’s choice of travel route, include unique natural and cultural landscapes, historical and cultural monuments, which are designated as “natural and cultural heritage” and are declared national treasures by many countries. Of particular importance are the sites included by UNESCO in the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites began to be compiled in 1972, when the Convention for the Protection of Outstanding Cultural and Natural Sites was adopted. These include archaeological sites, unique cultural landscapes, historical city centers and individual architectural monuments that have become the property of all mankind, monuments that exemplify traditional ways of life, monuments associated with teachings and beliefs of global significance, nature reserves and national parks.
At the beginning of 2010, the list of cultural and natural heritage sites included 890 objects, incl. 689 cultural, 176 natural and 25 mixed (natural and cultural). In fact, there are much more of them (over a thousand), because some of them include entire complexes and architectural ensembles, such as the castles of the Loire Valley or palaces and temples in the historical center of St. Petersburg. UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in 148, the first twenty of which are presented in Table. 4.
Table 4.
There is a clear disproportion in the distribution of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites across parts of the world: 44% of UNESCO sites are in Europe, and another 23.5% are in Asia (Table 5). The marked contrast is even more noticeable in the distribution of cultural monuments - 3/4 of the world's cultural heritage is concentrated in Eurasia (50% in Europe and 25% in Asia). This phenomenon is explained by the Eurocentricity of modern world culture, and the preserved heritage of ancient civilizations of the East, on the one hand, and the youth of European civilization in America, Australia, and the almost unpreserved heritage of ancient African civilizations, on the other hand.
Table 5.
America holds the lead in natural monuments in the world, significantly ahead of Europe in this regard. Due to natural monuments, Africa and Australia are also noticeably moving up in the general list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
We also note that in the distribution of UNESCO World Heritage sites among the three structural elements of the world economy, there is no such disproportion as in the geography of international tourism. World Heritage sites are divided in approximately equal proportions between the post-industrial “core”, the industrial “semi-periphery” and the agricultural “periphery” (Table 6).
Table 6.
Distribution of UNESCO World Heritage sites by structural
elements of the world economic hierarchy
However, additional (relative) indicators of the distribution of natural and cultural monuments recognized by UNESCO still indicate their greater concentration in the post-industrial “core”. In terms of the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites per unit area, the “core” is almost twice the world average, and in terms of the number of natural and cultural monuments in proportion to the population – almost three times.
In terms of the density of UNESCO World Heritage sites (i.e., in terms of their number per unit area), the leading positions in the world are occupied by small but densely populated European countries: , etc. (Table 7, Fig. 4). In most cases, these countries act as the most famous centers of attraction for foreign tourists in Europe and the world.
Table 7.
Top 20 countries and Russia by number of World Heritage sites
UNESCO per unit area and in proportion to population
It is quite natural that large countries, such as Russia, the USA, Brazil, Australia, etc., occupy quite low positions in terms of the density of UNESCO World Heritage sites. For this reason, we propose another relative indicator characterizing the location of natural and cultural monuments in the world: the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in proportion to the population of states (Table 7, Fig. 5).
Rice. 5. Number of UNESCO World Heritage sites per 10 million inhabitants.
Apparently, the relatively more even distribution of UNESCO World Heritage sites across countries and continents, compared to the current global tourist flows, should in the near future affect the increase in the weight of the “semi-periphery” in the tourism industry of the world economy, and in the more distant future perspective – and the “periphery”. Tourism can play the role of a locomotive of post-industrial development in countries of the “semi-periphery” and “periphery”.
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In Russia, many priceless natural and cultural monuments are recognized as World Heritage Sites.
They are under the close attention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). We present to your attention the most protected UNESCO sites in Russia.
Moscow Kremlin and Red Square
Real symbols of Russia, which are known throughout the world and are considered the main cultural attractions of the planet. The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square were included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1990.Almost the oldest monument in Russia with numerous buildings reflects the centuries-old history of the Russian people. Unique examples of Russian foundry art are exhibited on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin - the “Tsar Cannon” weighing 40 tons and the “Tsar Bell” weighing over 200 tons and with a diameter of 6.6 m.
Lake Baikal
A unique natural monument of Eastern Siberia, Baikal was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1996. The lake is the deepest in the world and contains 19% of the planet's fresh water. When viewed from above, the lake resembles a crescent moon, covers an area of over 3 million hectares and is fed by more than 300 rivers and streams. 
The water in the lake has a high oxygen content, and thanks to its transparency, it is possible to discern a depth of up to 40 m. The age of the ancient lake is especially impressive - more than 25 million years, the complete isolation of which contributed to the development of a unique ecosystem in it.
Natural Park "Lena Pillars"
Included in the UNESCO National Heritage List in 2012, the Lena Pillars Park is the site where priceless finds from the inhabitants of the Cambrian period were discovered. The park is located in the center of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) near the coast of the Lena River, occupying 1.27 million hectares. 
The park is home to 12 species of fauna listed in the Red Book. Due to its antiquity, the park is of particular geological interest: the natural monument is distinguished by its relief dotted with caves, stone spiers, towers and niches.
Architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost
The unique architectural complex of wooden architecture of the 18th-19th centuries was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 and is an ensemble of two wooden churches and a bell tower in Karelia. 
The Kizhi State Historical and Architectural Museum is located here, with many objects of wooden religious architecture, including an eight-wing windmill from 1929 and the Church of the Transfiguration, built without a single nail.
Novgorod historical monuments
The architectural complexes of Veliky Novgorod and its environs were included in the UNESCO National Heritage List in 1992. The number of cultural sites includes such significant Orthodox buildings of antiquity as the Znamensky, Antoniev, Yuryev, Zverin monasteries, as well as the churches of the Nativity of Christ, the Savior on Nereditsa, and the Novgorod Detinets Kremlin. 
Nature Reserve Wrangel Island
The reserve was included in the UNESCO list in 2004. The unique protected area is known for its virtually untouched natural ecosystem dominated by the largest population of polar bears, walruses, and more than 50 species of birds. 
The territory of the reserve is located beyond the Arctic Circle, including Wrangel and Herald Islands and the waters of the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. Despite the harsh conditions of the Arctic waters, more than 400 species of plants can be seen here.
Curonian Spit
The famous sand spit stretches for 98 km with a maximum width of up to 3.8 km, located on the dividing line of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. The natural attraction was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 2000 and is interesting for its unique anthropogenic landscape, which is represented by a variety of reliefs - from deserts to swampy tundras. 
The spit is of great importance during the migration of 10 to 20 million birds and serves as a haven for them during rest. Only here you can find dunes up to 68 m in height, the width of which sometimes reaches 1 km.
Novodevichy Convent in Moscow
Since 2004, the monastery has been included in the UNESCO list, which since 1524 was one of the defensive structures of Moscow. In 1926, a historical museum was founded in the building of the monastery, and in 1980, the residence of the Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna was located. In 1994, the convent was officially approved. There are more than eight hundred monasteries in Russia. You can read about the most beautiful temples in our article. 
Komi forest
The Komi forest area is recognized as the most pristine forests in Europe with a total area of 32,600 square meters. km, which belong to the territory of the Pechero-Ilychsky Nature Reserve and occupy part of the YugydVa National Park. The number of volcanoes in Kamchatka totals more than a thousandThe exact number of volcanoes on the peninsula is still unknown. The highest volcano is considered to be Klyuchevskaya Sopka with a height of 4835 m. The editors of the site also invite you to learn more about the most beautiful places in Russia.
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