Accomplisments

In partnership with the Khabarovsk Wildlife Foundation (KWF), WSC is working to create a range of protected areas in the Khabarovsk Region that will safeguard over one million acres of pristine wilderness.

Assessments of Priority River Basins. The Russian Department of Fisheries and the Russian National Academy of Sciences recently identified high priority salmon rivers and agreed upon a new category of protected areas called "Federal Fisheries Protected Zones" to ensure that they remain productive and wild.

Koppi River Nature Reserve. 94,000 acres of important salmon spawning and rearing tributaries and critical habitat for a host of other wildlife will be protected through the efforts of the KWF. A new watershed council will be developed, comprised of government, academic and NGO representatives within the Khabarovsk Region, to implement conservation and management plans for the Preserve.

Shantar Islands National Park. The Shantar Islands in the western Sea of Okhotsk are an extremely biologically diverse and unique archipelago. Preliminary approval was secured and a decree from the regional governor to establish the national park is pending.

Nimelen River. Data collected on the Nimelen have been used in support of its nomination as a federal fisheries reserve, a new type of federal protected area mandated by Russian fishery law.

Tugur River. WSC and KWF are working together to obtain protected status for the Tugur River and surrounding areas to conserve 200,000 acres of undisturbed wilderness. A legislative packet for formal designation of the Tugur River as a protected site is in its final stages.