Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 14-15.
Zezwolenie (permission) to conduct kite aerial photography for geological applications in Tatrza
ń
ski
Park Narodowy (TPN), Poland. This ofi cial permit was required before any scientii c i eld work could be
undertaken during the limited approved time period, 15 July to 15 August 2007. Photo by J.S. Aber.
global carbon sequestration. At present, 19
out of 35 currently designated Ramsar sites in
Russia comprise peatlands and encompass
approximately nine percent of the total Russian
Ramsar area (Russian Federation Report 2005).
While population pressures are not signii -
cant in this region, the exploration and extrac-
tion of minerals, timber, peat, oil, and natural
gas have all contributed to signii cant habitat
alterations and declines in biodiversity. The
former Soviet Union engaged in some site-
specii c wetland habitat protection in western
Siberia as far back as the late 1950s (Solo-
meshch 2005). Based on this system, natural
areas across Russia, such as zapovedniks and
zakazniks, are categorized based on their size,
the degree of protection they are accorded, the
l exibility of at-site management observed, and
the extent to which sites are off-limits to devel-
opment (Solomeshch 2005, p. 47).
The Russian government has conferred such
status to additional areas across the West Sibe-
rian lowland in an attempt to conserve these
important resources. Meanwhile, monitoring
key wetland ecosystem-health indicators is
ongoing at many sites (Russian Federation
Report 2005). This will provide a wealth of
information on the efi cacy of conservation
practices. Moreover, the policing and enforce-
ment of management plans ought to yield posi-
tive results in these protected areas. Even so,
their effectiveness will only become apparent as
long-term monitoring efforts yield results.
14.3.6 Australia, New Zealand and
Antarctica
Wetlands policy and management are chal-
lenged by the generally drier climatic conditions
observed across vast expanses of the Australian
continent. Even so, Australia has designated
over 900 nationally important wetland sites and
64 Ramsar sites that ring the continent (Austral-
ian Government 2010a). The density of nation-
ally recognized wetland sites is highest along
the wetter east-coast states of Queensland, Vic-
toria, and New South Wales. However, inland
wetlands are also found in the drier regions of
Western Australia and the Northern Territories.
Individual states and territories are responsible
for crafting and implementing wetland policy
and identifying strategies for protection, which
closely involve local stakeholders. As in other
developed nations, at the federal level, wetland
