Preservation of Unique Natural Territories of the North of Russia: from the History of the Creation of the Natural Heritage Site “The Virgin Forests of the Komi Republic”

Abstract

Based on a wide range of archival sources, the article considers the history of the creation of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site “The Virgin Forests of the Komi Republic” located in the Komi Republic on the western slopes of the Northern and Subpolar Urals. It includes the territories of two protected areas of the Pechora-Ilych Reserve and the National Park “Yugyd Va”, which make up the largest of the primary forests remaining in Europe. The level of the industrial development of the USSR and environmental transformation in the first half of the 20th century determined the wide involvement of academic knowledge in solving the problems of conservation of unique natural resources. The article considers the main directions and results of scientific work in the formulation and successful solution of the problems of nature conservation and the rational use of the resources of the northern region. Thanks to the scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences more than two hundred objects were declared natural monuments on the territory of the Komi ASSR from the 1940s to the 1980s. The organization of the National Park “Yugyd Va” on the territory of the republic became one of the major scientific projects.