SIAE: GIS of Russian Ramsar sites

	GIS of Russian Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance)

GIS of Russian Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance)

Russia is extremely rich in wetlands, including 120,000 rivers with a tonal length of 2,300,000 km, 2 million lakes with a total area of 370,000 sq.km., and mire ecosystems covering an area of 1.8 million sq.km. Russia's coastline stretches tens of thousands of kilometers. These wetlands support rich and globally significant biodiversity, in addition to serving a variety of hydrological and biochemical functions valuable to people.
(Sourse: Krivenko, V.G., ed. 1999. Wetlands in Russia. Wetlands International - AEME Publ.52)

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands came into force for the Russian Federation in 1977. Russia presently has 35 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 10,323,767 hectares.

The "clickable" map of the Russian Federation below shows the location of Ramsar sites. By clicking on red spots you will get additional information and detailed maps of wetlands. Some images and additional maps will be added soon for the Volga Delta site.

ArcView and ArcINFO software have been used for this project. Detailed maps of the following five Ramsar sites are available at present:

Volga Delta (Astrakhan Region);
Kama-Bakaldino mires (Nizhni Novgorod Region);
Svir Delta (Leningrad Region);
Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea (Leningrad Region);
Kurgalsky Peninsula (Leningrad Region).

Our plan is to continue the project in the following directions:

developing basic maps for all Russian Ramsar sites indicating the main geographical features of the area and boundaries of the sites;
accomplishing on-line access to the maps of all Russian Ramsar sites; maintenance of Web page;
developing detailed GIS systems for the most important wetlands; the system would include information on hydrology, biological features, land-use, economical activities etc.;
organising a training course on "GIS as a tool for environmental decision making" for the people involved in the management of important wetlands.

The essential obstacle for the above plan is the lack of adequate funds. We are looking for a sponsorship to continue this project. Please contact us if you have any suggestions or if you need additional information: siae.geo@yahoo.com Thank you for your co-operation.

Project leader: Dr Yuri Motovilov (SIAE)
Project members: Alina Mastryukova, Irina Vishnevskaya (SIAE)