Published on: 2026-11-09
Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation – Фонд Заповедное посольство –
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At the business forum “Man. Nature. Time” of the 10th International Gathering of Friends of Protected Islands (October 31 – November 5), a session on “Biodiversity Conservation and the Role of Protected Areas under Climate Change Conditions” was held. Participants summed up the results of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which took place at the end of October in Yerevan, and shared practices of cooperation between businesses and protected territories.
The session was moderated by the director of the Kept Operational Risks and Sustainable Development Group, Svetlana Sheinfeld, and the director of international projects at the Zapovednoye Posolstvo Foundation, Yulia Vereshchak. Experiences were shared by ANO “Energy of Development” of the Rosatom State Corporation, JTI Russia, Norilsk Nickel, SIBUR, and Polyus, as well as employees of nature reserves and national parks — from the Black Sea to Dauria.
Svetlana Sheinfeld highlighted three messages from COP17 to businesses. First: biodiversity conservation is no longer the sole responsibility of sustainable development departments—it encompasses all management structures, from strategists to local business units, and impact reduction practices extend to surrounding and adjacent territories, including protected areas. Second: the conference secretariat recommended that businesses integrate the biodiversity agenda with the climate agenda—this yields tangible results and opens the possibility to combine budgets. The third message is addressed to governments: to create various forms of incentives and financing for biodiversity projects. Among the strengthening tools, the speaker named biodiversity credits and units (“nature units”), blended financing, and analogues of public-private partnerships.
Yulia Vereshchak noted the role of protected areas: “PAs are not just one form of territorial nature protection, but a key partner in achieving the goals of international conventions. The evidence base is unique: it is precisely in protected areas that long-term scientific research is conducted on all the topics of the conventions, with natural chronicles kept for decades. These are not only scientific centers but also centers of ecological education and enlightenment, which is necessary for the implementation of the conventions. All this makes protected areas a strong and professional partner for business projects and NGO programs: here specialized experts work and long-term data have been accumulated, which can be relied upon. This point was also made at COP17: the International Union for Conservation of Nature presented the document “Common Key Messages” — about combining efforts on the three Rio conventions: desertification, climate, and biodiversity. This is a very important document: it outlines steps to consolidate work toward achieving the goals of the conventions, rather than in parallel projects.”
Reports from business companies have shown that the COP17 requirements are already being implemented in Russian territories as part of long-term programs. Ekaterina Zhukovskaya, head of the international cooperation department at the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “Energy of Development” of the State Corporation Rosatom, shared that sustainable development of the corporation is not only about technologies and green energy but also involves working with communities and natural areas within the cities where they operate. According to biodiversity research in these areas, hundreds of species were recorded, 17 of which have been included in the corporate nature conservation program. Projects such as the “Protected Areas Map,” volunteer and educational programs, as well as a global contest across ten directions including Arctic biodiversity conservation, are being developed. As the expert noted, each program is coordinated with ecologists to ensure it has a real impact.
Ekaterina Lyovshina, Head of Social Investment Programs at JTI Russia, presented the program for studying and preserving the Black Sea ecosystem “Living Black Sea,” implemented in partnership with the “Zapovednoe Posolstvo” foundation. It was a response to a major fuel oil spill at the end of 2024. According to the expert, the effects can only be verified in long-term programs—over three to four years. Recent news from the program: the scientific-ecological center “Delfa” in Sochi was provided with a rescue vehicle for transporting injured dolphins; in the “Utrish” nature reserve, an educational trail about the Nikolsky turtle—the only land turtle in Russia—was opened; training for volunteers and protected area staff is actively developing. Additionally, for three years in partnership with the “Zapovednoe Posolstvo” foundation, the company supported the “Smolenskoye Poozerye” National Park—specifically, a bison enclosure was created, inclusive eco-trails were established, 30 hectares of new forest were planted, and a new visitor center was constructed.
Natalya Ryzhkova, the chief manager of the division for ensuring interaction with relevant government authorities at PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, presented a biodiversity conservation program designed for ten years. The partner territories are reserves in the Murmansk region, Krasnoyarsk and Zabaykalsky krais, four of which are UNESCO biosphere reserves. Among the interregional projects: scientific volunteering (more than twenty trips of students from specialized universities have been organized over three years); a thematic digital platform and an interactive biodiversity map.
Natalya Temchenko, Deputy Director for Environmental Education at the Dauria Reserve, shared her experience working with corporate teams from the “People of the Territory” program: since 2021, two pedestrian crossings critical during the years of the returning pulsating lakes of Dauria have been built in the area — according to her, about 60% of the lakes have already returned. Volunteers move trail markers on steppe sections to allow them to recover and become overgrown, install navigation signs, and participate in monitoring and analyzing data from camera traps.
Irina Komissarova, the chief expert on sustainable development at SIBUR, said that supporting specially protected natural territories (SPNT) at all levels — from federal to municipal — is one of the four directions of the company’s biodiversity conservation concept. Among the examples are support for the reintroduction project of the forest reindeer in the Kerzhensky Nature Reserve, the renovated entrance group for the centenary of the Krasnoyarsk Stolby National Park, an eco-trail network across five regions where the company operates, assistance to the non-governmental sustainable nature use park “Muravyovsky” after the 2025 forest fire, and the “Plastic for the Benefit of Nature” project with an eco-lesson that gathered over 2.5 thousand participants. According to her, the volume of voluntary investments by Russian businesses in biodiversity has no parallels in the world.
Darya Grigoryeva, Director of the Sustainable Development Department at Polyus, stated that biodiversity conservation is integrated into the company’s business values and principles and is supported by specific goals and metrics. The “Polyus Protected Areas” program is based on partnerships with specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) in the regions where it operates.
Its essence lies not in allocating funds for the preservation of individual species, but in supporting the territory with its reference sites—the ecological backbone of the region. For example, on Talan Island (Magadan region), an autonomous monitoring system has been created. In the Chersky National Park, “Polus” supported expeditions that led to the discovery of new insect species and the finding of a population of the Siberian larkspur—a rare subspecies of a bird from the bunting family. In Yakutia, during three years of searches, the Asian endangered bird dikusha was discovered. Additionally, the company supported nature conservation and tourism infrastructure projects in the Krasnoyarsk Stolby Nature Reserve.
Pyotr Shpilenok, director of the Nature Defenders Fund and Chairman of the Association of Protected Area Workers, drew attention to the need to change the very approach to nature conservation. According to him, most of the global biodiversity conservation goals set for 2030 are unlikely to be achieved. This includes the “30 by 30” goal — to ensure protection of 30% of land and 30% of marine areas.
Now the focus needs to shift from the area of protected territories to the effectiveness of protection. It is important to show that a certain percentage of the territory has protected status and to understand that protection is actually working there: no poaching, no destruction of biological resources, natural complexes are preserved.
This is why the role of protected-area science is particularly increasing today, notes Petr Shpilenok. Effective conservation requires verifiable and measurable data: on the state of ecosystems, species numbers, migration routes, and anthropogenic pressure. Based on these, decisions should be made regarding territory protection, the development of ecological tourism, and the use of modern technologies.
The role of business is also changing: whereas it was previously obvious that it was impossible to effectively conserve protected natural areas without engaging with local communities, today a systematic partnership with business is equally necessary.
At the same time, it is scientific data that allows businesses to understand the environmental outcome of their investments. This is precisely the renaissance of science that we all so desperately need today.
REFERENCE:
The “Human. Nature. Time” Forum was held as part of the Jubilee 10th International Gathering of Friends of Protected Islands in Moscow from October 31 to November 5. The forum was organized by the “Protected Embassy” foundation and brought together participants from Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Abkhazia. The event was attended by 93 representatives from 53 state nature reserves, national and nature parks, several regional specially protected natural areas, as well as 25 business companies, 20 non-profit organizations, scientific and educational institutions. In total, the forum gathered over 200 participants, joined by another 300 delegates of the Gathering from all over the country and neighboring abroad. The event took place at the MISIS University of Science and Technology venue.
The 10th Gathering of Friends of Reserved Islands is organized by the “Friends of Reserved Islands” Movement together with the Charitable Educational Foundation “Reserved Embassy” and the Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization of Additional Professional Education “Ecological Educational Center “Reserves” with the support of the Presidential Nature Fund and the Presidential Grants Fund. Partners include the Russian Reserve Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, the Department of Nature Use and Environmental Protection of the city of Moscow. General partner: Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization “Energy of Development” of the State Corporation “Rosatom”. The Gathering of Friends of Reserved Islands expresses gratitude to the hospitable venues of the Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory, NITU MISIS, the International Wildlife Festival “Golden Turtle”, the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, and the State Darwin Museum.
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