Belarus' Braslav Lakes, Vygonoshchanskoye seek Ramsar status

MINSK, 9 August (BelTA) – The Braslav Lakes National Park and Vygonoshchanskoye Wildlife Reserve can qualify for the status of the wetland of international importance (Ramsar status), Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Belarus Anatoly Lis told a press conference. Specialists of the Ministry of Environment and the National Academy of Sciences have already prepared a letter of application to the Ramsar Bureau. All necessary prerequisites are in place for the reserve and the national park to get the status of wetlands of international importance. According to Anatoly Lis, this will help attract more tourists. The deputy minister noted that it is not easy to obtain the status of a Ramsar site. Currently, there are nine sites in Belarus that have Ramsar status, namely: Sporovsky, Pripyat, Zvanets, Olmalnskie swamps, Osveysky, Yelnya, Kotra, Prostyr and Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. Belarus and Ukraine have also established a cross-border Ramsar area. The Sporovsky Reserve was the first territory in Belarus to have been included in the list of wetlands of international importance. This year the reserve turns 20. The Convention on Wetlands, or the Ramsar Convention, was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. This is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance and to plan for sustainable use of all of the wetlands in their territories. More than 159 countries are signatories to the Convention. Belarus joined the Ramsar Convention in 1999. As noted by Anatoly Lis, misbalance in the state of wetlands is one of the causes of global climate change. In Belarus, they occupy large areas. The country pays great attention to their preservation in good condition.

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