The Khakassky Nature Reserve hosted the ninth seminar of managers and research fellows involved in the project “Monitoring biological diversity in protected areas of the Altai-Sayan eco-region.” Taking part in the event were leading experts and research fellows from the Sayano-Shushensky, Stolby and Khakassky reserves, as well as Shushensky Bor National Park, and representatives from national parks in southern Siberia, as well as the Strana Zapovednaya (Preserved Realm) Foundation and the Centre for Environmental Projects autonomous non-profit organisation.

The seminar featured 15 presentations, including reports on rare species from the Pozarym Nature Sanctuary, the reindeer distribution and population in the Sayano-Shushensky Biosphere Reserve, as well as a monitoring report on the human-caused impact on the forest ecosystems in the Stolby Nature Reserve.

Viktor Lukarevsky, a research fellow from the Sayano-Shushensky Biosphere Reserve, made a presentation, “The state of the snow leopard population in Russia. Preservation and protection issues,” in which he put forward a project related to preserving and restoring the snow leopard population based on the experience in reintroducing wildcats in Russia. “This is a very serious issue, and we must pay more attention to it next year. A number of proposals in this report can be implemented with the help of both specialists and volunteers. The project to fight illegal loop-traps proposed by Mr Lukarevsky will make a major difference for this territory,” said Irina Sannikova, executive director of the Strana Zapovednaya (Preserved Realm) Foundation.

Data obtained during the monitoring have theoretical, as well as practical significance. Presentations from the seminar will be published in an academic publication and the Nature Chronicle.

The project to monitor biological diversity in natural reserves of the Altai-Sayan eco-region is sponsored by Rusal, En+ Group, the Volnoe Delo Foundation and the Republic of Khakassia’s branch of the Russian Geographical Society.