The Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been granted Ramsar status

January 4, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been included in the list of wetlands of international importance. This decision was made by the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Valery Ivkovich, Deputy Director for Research of the State Environmental Institution "Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve". For several years, the staff of the reserve, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus and the National Academy of Sciences, prepared the necessary documents for submitting an application to the Ramsar Bureau. The recognition of the wetland as a Ramsar site was carried out according to a complex system of criteria, and ultimately the reserve became the 9th territory in Belarus to receive this status. Previously, the Belarusian reserves "Sporovsky", "Srednyaya Pripyat", "Zvanets", "Omalnskie Bolota", "Osvyeysky", "Yelnya", "Kottra" and "Prostyr" were added to the international list. Information on the status of these and other sites included in the list of wetlands of international importance is contained in the database of the International Bureau for the Conservation of Wetlands and is constantly updated. As Valery Ivkovich noted, the main goal of the Ramsar Convention is the conservation and rational use of wetlands. The territory of the Berezinsky Reserve is a unique natural complex, combining an exceptional diversity of wetlands – various types of bogs: raised, transitional, and lowland, which together make up 60% of the reserve's area. In addition, a branched network of large and small rivers, the floodplain of the Berezina River, and lakes of various sizes and origins run through the territory of the reserve. The total area of wetlands is about 70%, and the number and species composition of animals and plants meet the international criteria for including the reserve in the list of Ramsar sites. The reserve is a habitat for many species that are globally threatened, such as the Greater Spotted Eagle, and species that are close to threatened, such as the Corncrake. The wetlands of the Berezinsky Reserve are among the most important nesting and migratory sites for waterfowl in Belarus. Along with the recently acquired status of Ramsar wetlands, the reserve has the statuses of a state reserve, a biosphere reserve, a biogenetic reserve, a key ornithological territory, and a monitoring point of the national environmental monitoring system (NEMS). The Ramsar Convention, or the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, was adopted in February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The Convention is the first global international treaty entirely devoted to one type of ecosystem. The Ramsar Convention is supported by 160 countries worldwide. The Republic of Belarus joined it in 1990. The list of wetlands of international importance includes 1910 sites. -0-