The land management scheme for the Rossony district will be presented to the public today

October 24, Minsk /BELTA/. A new land management scheme that takes into account the interests of biodiversity conservation has been developed for the Rossony district (Vitebsk region), Irina Novak, public relations specialist for the UNDP/GEF project "Integration of Biodiversity Conservation Issues into Spatial Planning Policy and Practice in Belarus," told BELTA correspondent. Today, the scheme, which was prepared within the framework of the UNDP/GEF project "Integration of Biodiversity Conservation Issues into Spatial Planning Policy and Practice in Belarus" (hereinafter referred to as "Biodiversity"), whose national implementing agency is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, will be presented to the public. According to Irina Novak, it contains recommendations for the conservation of rare and endangered biotopes (areas of territory with uniform ecological conditions inhabited by a group of characteristic species) of international and national environmental significance. 15 types of such biotopes with a total area of 16.4 thousand hectares were identified in the district. The biological and landscape diversity of the district was thoroughly studied during the preparation of this scheme. Studies have shown that 59 species of wild animals inhabit the area and 32 species of wild plants grow here, which are listed in the Red Book of Belarus. For 83 of their habitats, passports and draft conservation commitments have been prepared within the framework of the UNDP/GEF "Biodiversity" project, which will serve for the further conservation of these rare species. According to the conducted studies, it was also established that most of the rare species of animals and plants identified within the Rossony region are associated with wetlands. Thus, the lakes and swamps of the district are habitats for more than 30 protected animal species, including the black-throated diver, Eurasian curlew, golden plover, common redshank, thick-shelled river mussel. Such protected plant species as flexible hornwort, grass wrack, hydrilla verticillata are associated with clean lakes. Cranberry, dwarf birch, cloudberry, dwarf birch, marsh hammarbia grow on transitional and raised bogs. "Large forest areas, numerous clean rivers and lakes, natural swamps have been preserved in the district. This combination creates all the necessary conditions here, on the one hand, for the development of ecotourism, and on the other hand, for sustainable forestry and hunting, as well as for amateur and commercial fishing," notes Vladimir Koltunov, manager of the "Biodiversity" project. The land management scheme for the Rossony district includes proposals that will help implement these directions, taking into account biodiversity conservation. The United Nations Development Programme and Global Environment Facility project "Integration of Biodiversity Conservation Issues into Spatial Planning Policy and Practice in Belarus" has been implemented in Belarus from January 2010 to January 2014. Within the framework of the project, land management schemes that take into account biodiversity conservation issues are being developed for 10 "pilot" administrative districts. Currently, land management schemes for Korelichi, Ivacevichi, Volozhin and Rossony districts have already been prepared, and in 2012-2013, such schemes will be prepared for Bobruisk, Glubokoe, Rechitsa, Rogachev, Klichev and Slonim districts. During the development of land management schemes for the "pilot" districts, comprehensive experience in combining land use and biodiversity conservation issues will be gained. By 2014, it is planned to transfer the accumulated knowledge to an additional 40 administrative districts, i.e., to cover 36% of the territory of Belarus.-0-