Sochi 2014 and Young Environmentalists Celebrate International Birds Day

1 April 2009--Today, on International Bird Day, Sochi 2014 held an event to support a project to create an Ornithological Park within the Imeretinskaya Valley. This event involved representatives from the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Olimpstory, the Sochi National Park, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and students from the Ecological and Biological Center in Sochi.

During the event young environmentalists and students participated in a contest to be the best bird observer. They also had the opportunity to transfer rare and endangered plants to the area of the Imeretinskaya Valley specifically reserved for wildlife protection.

As a result of planning the venues of Russia’s first Olympic and Paralympic* Winter Games in the Imeretinskaya valley, a program was implemented to ensure that the wildlife of this region was protected. The project – essential for delivering the greenest Winter Games ever – will preserve a precious area of the Imeretinskaya valley for migrating birds.

In preparation for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, the Imeretinskaya valley--a key Russian ornithological area--is included in the list of water and swamp lands of the Northern Caucasus which meet the Ramsar Convention’s criteria.

The main tasks of the natural ornithological park:
•Preservation and restoration of ecosystems within the Imeretinskaya Valley
•Preservation and reproduction of rare flora and fauna species
•Creation of favorable conditions to stop the migration accumulations and for mass birds wintering
•Monitoring of biocenoses state and their individual components
•Conducting research, outreach and environmental education
In 1994, the Sochi department specialists of the Russian Geographical Society and the Caucasian State Nature Biosphere Reserve assessed biodiversity and ecosystems of the Imeretinskaya valley with its environmental zoning.

In 2002, within the project “The status of protected areas to the key ornithological Russian areas”, which is a constituent part of the PIN-MATRA, which is part of the Union of birds in Russia, it was realized that the area justified the need for a reserve.

* According to changes made to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation № 991 and the activities program for environmental maintenance of the preparation and the staging of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi.

Source: Sochi 2014

LINK :
Sochi 2014