Today President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi. The agenda included discussion of the preparation for holding the Year of the Environment in Russia. Mr Donskoi reported that the ministry is continuing working on a large package of papers, including a law on regulating activities at protected natural areas.

He added that the strategy for the conservation of rare and endangered species will be submitted to the Government in the near future. "Following your directive, we began last autumn, and I hope we will submit it to the Government in the first quarter, hopefully in February. Two strategies are almost ready. One is the comprehensive strategy for handling solid household waste and the other for the conservation of rare and endangered species. These two documents are important now as they determine the main directions of our activities" Sergei Donskoi said.