Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve awarded Ramsar status

VITEBSK, 4 January (BelTA) - Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been added to the list of wetlands of international importance. The decision was taken by the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, BelTA learnt from Valery Ivkovich, deputy director for research of the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The reserve together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus and the National Academy of Sciences has been working for several years on the necessary documents for filing with the Ramsar Bureau. The work on getting the status was carried out according to a complex system of criteria. Eventually the Berezinsky reserve became the 9th site in Belarus that had received this status. Earlier, the international status was awarded to such Belarusian sites as the reserves Sporovsky, the Mid-Pripyat, Zvanets, Omalnskie swamps, Osveysky, Yelnya, Kotra and Prostyr. Information on the status of these and other objects included in the list of wetlands of international importance can be found in the database of the International Bureau for the conservation of wetlands and is continuously updated. Valery Ivkovich informed that the main purpose of the Ramsar Convention is conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. The territory of the Berezinsky Reserve is a unique natural environment combining an exceptional diversity of wetlands: upland, transitional and low-lying wetlands, which together account for 60% of the area of the reserve. In addition, the reserve has an extensive network of large and small rivers, the floodplain of the Berezina River, and lakes varying in size and origin. The total area of the wetlands is about 70%, and the number and composition of plants and animals meet international criteria for inclusion in the list of Ramsar sites. The Berezinsky reserve is a habitat for many species threatened with extinction on a global scale, such as greater spotted eagle, and the species which are close to the threat status such as corncrake. Berezinsky Reserve lands are among the most important places for nesting and migration of waterbirds Along with the status of Ramsar wetlands, the reserve has the status of State Reserve, Biosphere Reserve, biogenetic reserve, important bird area, the place for monitoring of the National Environment Monitoring System (NEMS). The Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in February 1971. The convention is the first global international treaty devoted entirely to one type of ecosystem. The Ramsar Convention has 160 countries signatories. Belarus joined the convention in 1990. The List of Wetlands of International Importance includes 1910 lands.

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