Russian Federation

Consisting of 11 islands, Far East Marine Biosphere Reserve is located off the continental coast south of Vladivostok, where boreal and sub-tropical currents meet in the Sea of Japan. The coastal areas consist of a combination of rocky abrupt capes, small peninsulas and bays, with coniferous and deciduous forests inland. More than 3000 species of invertebrates and vertebrates - both marine and terrestrial - are represented. The region is the richest in Russia, in terms of number of bird species (some 340), as the site is a major location along the East Asian flyway. The core areas and buffer zone are protected as the Far East State Marine Reserve (established in 1978), while the transition area lies mainly along the coast. While the core area is uninhabited, some 15-20 people live in the buffer zone in summer, and some 30,000 live in the in the transition area. The most important objective of the biosphere reserve is to preserve the important marine biodiversity (as a repopulation area for open sea fisheries), while at the same time improving the socio-economic conditions of local populations. The latter is to be achieved through ecologically friendly forms of nature use, such as ecotourism, aquaculture, deer farming, crafts, and sustainable hunting. Emphasis is being given to improving existing legislation and land use planning, including the control of waste disposal. Environmental education is catered for by an ‘Ecocentre’, a Botanical Garden and a Marine Museum.