The discussion "UNESCO: preserve and enhance the World Heritage" was held at NMEC-2025

On May 23, as part of the second day of the XI Nevsky International Ecological Congress, a discussion "UNESCO: preserve and enhance World Heritage" was held. The participants discussed how the establishment of cross-border cooperation in the field of protection of natural and cultural values on the basis of specially protected natural territories contributes to the sustainable development of local communities and promotes cultural exchange. In this context, cross-border sites, as well as UNESCO biosphere reserves, serve as both initiators and "platforms" for the practical implementation of programs and projects for environmental and humanitarian cooperation.

The moderator, Oliver Avramoski, Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, recalled the importance of the IUCN's perspectives. They represent a global assessment of the state of natural and mixed World Heritage sites, allowing us to take into account not only the current state, but also potential threats and management effectiveness.

"In 2020, assessments of cross-border and transnational facilities were carried out. They identified several patterns. A good example is the expansion of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha territory in 2014, which made it possible to strengthen the protection of virgin forests and expand their ecological value. But most of the facilities are showing signs of deterioration. This is especially true for those included in the criterion 10 list, where biodiversity values are under increasing pressure," said Oliver Avramoski.

According to him, the most obvious threat is climate change, and only targeted actions, such as expanding protected areas or improving monitoring systems, can reverse or slow down negative trends.

Denis Butsaev, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, noted that Russia takes seriously the international obligations stipulated by the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and makes systematic efforts to ensure the identification and protection of such sites, which is reflected in national legislation.

As of 2025, the UNESCO World Heritage List includes 33 sites from Russia, 11 of which are natural and 22 cultural. Three are transborder: the Curonian Spit, the Daursky Reserve and the Ubsunur basin. UNESCO's worldwide network of biosphere reserves also includes 48 Russian territories.

"We are constantly working to expand the Russian presence on the World Heritage List. There are 32 Russian sites on the UNESCO preliminary list, including eight natural ones (Bashkir Shikhany, Bolshoe Vasyuganskoe Swamp and Krasnoyarsk Pillars, etc.)," the speaker shared.

He stressed that obtaining the status of a World Heritage site not only increases prestige, but also imposes certain obligations to preserve its condition for future generations. And the issue of well-designed communication is particularly relevant, especially in the management of cross-border territories.

"We regret to state that the current geopolitical situation in the world affects both cross-border cooperation and discussions within the World Heritage Committee. This sets the task for the international community to develop such relationship algorithms that would minimize the possible consequences of a politicized approach to purely humanitarian issues," said Alexander Alimov, Executive Secretary of the Russian Commission for UNESCO.

Sergey Maslyak, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, cited the situation with Belovezhskaya Pushcha, which is part of the cross-border Belarusian-Polish protected area. In 2022, at the initiative of Poland, construction of a five-meter fence began here, which has already led to the degradation of the facility. Anatoly Kalina, director of the Curonian Spit National Park, also spoke about similar problems. The issue of communication with Lithuania has become acute here.

But there are also examples of successful joint work — the Russian-Kazakh biosphere reserve "Bolshoy Altai" and the Russian-Mongolian UNESCO World Heritage Site "Landscapes of Dauria". Director General of the Mongolian Water Resources Agency, Zeneemdar Batbayar, even offered to expand cooperation. After all, 50% of the water in Lake Baikal comes from the Selenga River. If you protect lakes, then you need to pay attention to the protection of their tributaries, and this is already cross-border management.

Continuing the topic, Alexey Cherepitsyn, Director of the Daursky State Nature Reserve, shared his practical experience of cooperation with the Mongolian side and spoke about the prospects for expanding the facility in the Russian-Chinese border area.

The organizers of the XI Nevsky International Ecological Congress are the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. The Roscongress Foundation is the operator for the preparation and holding of the event.

The official website of the XI Nevsky International Ecological Congress — ecocongress.info/congress .