Atlas of high conservation value areas, and analysis of gaps and representativeness of the protected area network in northwest Russia : Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Leningrad, and Murmansk Regions, Republic of Karelia, and City of St. Petersburg

• Other Authors: Kobyakov, Konstantin, Jakovlev, Jevgeni
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Finnish Environment Institute 2023
• Subjects: luonnontilaiset alueet; luonnontilaiset metsät; luonnontilaiset suot; suuren suojeluarvon alueet; Luoteis-Venäjä; intact forests; intact mires; satellite images; mapping; Northwest Russia; luonnonsuojelu; luonnonsuojelualueet; kartoitus; kaukokartoitus; nature conservation; nature reserves; Arctic; Murmansk; Arkhangelsk; karelia*; nenets; North-West Russia; Republic of Karelia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/566000

Northwest Russia boasts still huge, almost intact forest and mire landscapes that have, when it comes to their size, no match in Europe. They can be considered valuable on the international level. Many of these areas have no protection status and their size decreases due to logging and other human activities. This publication bases on the results of the Finnish-Russian project “Gap Analysis in Northwest Russia”. It was implemented in 2007-2011 in the six regions of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation: Republic of Karelia, Murmansk Region, Leningrad Region, City of St. Petersburg, Vologda Region and Arkhangelsk Region (excluding Nenets Autonomous District and Arctic Islands). The aim of the project was to support the international targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity to halt the loss of biodiversity by studying eco logical gaps and representativeness of the protected area network in this region, and giving recommendations on its development. This publication presents the identified internationally significant high conservation value (HCV) areas in north-west Russia that are particularly important habitats for the region’s native species and ensure nature’s ecological balance. A consistent approach in terms of method and criteria was applied across the region. It was based on satellite image interpretation, which was used together with topographic maps, archived information, and results of field surveys. The identified HCV areas were compared with the protected area network to analyze protection gaps. Regional as well as national (federal) level protected areas were included in the analysis, and the planned protected areas were considered along with already existing ones. Analysis was focused chiefly on assessing the large areas, and therefore some smaller HCV areas were covered with the analysis only partly. This publication gives recommendations for further development of the protected area network in the study area. The borders of HCV areas in the atlas section are ...