The Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve and the Braslav Lakes National Park may be included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands

January 27, Minsk / Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA /. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus expects two more Belarusian territories to be included in the list of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) - the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve and the Braslav Lakes National Park. This was announced today to journalists by the head of the department of biological and landscape diversity of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Natalya Minchenko, BELTA correspondent reports. The Ministry of Natural Resources, together with the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Bioresources, has already sent applications to the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on the inclusion of these territories in the list of Ramsar sites. In parallel, projects are being developed for the development of transboundary natural territories with neighboring countries. Currently, the list of Ramsar sites includes 8 Belarusian territories. These are the Belarusian reserves "Sporovsky", "Srednyaya Pripyat", "Zvanets", "Olmanskiye Bolota", "Osvyeysky", "Yelnya", "Kottra" and "Prostyr". Belarusian wetlands play a special role in maintaining ecological balance worldwide: they purify the atmospheric air from excess carbon dioxide and enrich it with oxygen, contribute to climate stability, and preserve the hydrological regime of rivers and water quality. Belarus is rich in wetland resources. The special significance of the republic lies in the fact that about 1.7 million hectares of wetlands have been preserved in their natural state on its territory. These are open lowland bogs and heavily flooded floodplains of lowland rivers, which are of significant importance for the conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity. Belarusian wetlands are an important region for the reproduction of 16 species of birds, including the Aquatic Warbler, Greater Spotted Eagle, Black Stork, and other rare bird species. More than 50 species of medicinal plants (valerian, wild rosemary, coltsfoot, etc.), as well as valuable berry plants (cranberry, lingonberry, blueberry, bilberry) grow in the wetlands of Belarus. The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitats - the Ramsar Convention - was signed on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Belarus joined the document in 1999. Currently, 159 countries are parties to the agreement. About 1.8 thousand wetlands worldwide are included in the Ramsar List. -0-