Published on: 2026-11-06
Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation – Фонд Заповедное посольство –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On National Unity Day, the delegates of the 10th Jubilee International Gathering of Friends of Protected Islands became participants — and even somewhat contributors — to the 6th All-Russian Protected Areas Dictation. The in-person mass dictation took place at the Gathering venues in Moscow, at the Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory, and gathered 238 people from various regions of Russia and foreign countries. Among the participants were 103 schoolchildren and 42 employees of specially protected natural areas.
The theme of the 2026 dictation — “Peoples in Harmony with Nature” — is dedicated to the Year of National Unity. It emphasizes the inseparable connection between the traditions of Russia’s multinational society and the careful attitude towards the country’s natural wealth. The organizers are the Charitable Educational Foundation “Protected Embassy,” the Eco-center “Reserves,” and the Interregional Public Movement “Friends of Protected Islands.”
This year, the format of the event became truly original for the first time: the organizers did not offer participants a single ready-made text, but invited authors and communities from across the country to compose and submit their own texts in advance on the theme of unity of peoples and nature. At the DZO Gathering, participants wrote the text by Anika Rik — a journalist and eco-activist from Perm, a staff member of the previous DZO Gathering “Zapovednaya Parma,” which took place in the Perm region in 2024. The text was read by a popular eco-blogger Zhora Kavanossyan and chairman of the Friends of the Protected Islands Movement Elena Knizhnikova.
“It was especially touching that for 80% of the teachers and employees of specially protected natural areas present, it was their first Zapovedny Dictation. This does not mean that they are unfamiliar with the event; on the contrary, many have been conducting it for more than one year. But the status of organizer does not allow them the time or opportunity to sit down and truly feel the philosophical, nature-loving text themselves. And we really wanted to give adults, not just schoolchildren, such an opportunity. Their inspired faces after the dictation showed us: it was the right decision!” — emphasizes Elena Romanova, head of the Training Center of the EcoCenter “Reserves,” organizer of the dictation.
As is tradition, the Zapovedny Dictation concluded with a creative task: participants were asked to finish the answer to the question “What does nature say to you?” The answers turned out to be deep and personal:
— “Nature tells me that it loves me, protects me, fills me with fresh air, beauty, and tenderness. That we and nature are one whole. If we take care of nature, we will preserve ourselves, our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”
— “What does nature say to me? It is a language that requires no words. Nature speaks of the eternal. The rustle of its leaves will support you in a difficult moment. The sound of the sea will provide an answer to a complex question. The sounds of rain outside the window will make you understand that changes are needed in life.”
— “Nature tells me about eternity and impermanence, about cyclicity and moments of happiness. About the beauty of this world and the fragility of life, about the greatness of this life and how important it is to cherish it.”
Over five years, the All-Russian Reserve Dictation has brought together 27,745 people and covered 1,073 dictations across 772 venues — in educational institutions, protected areas, cultural institutions, and environmental NGOs. The event engages people of all ages through literary words, ideas of contemplation, and deep appreciation of nature.
The organizers continue to compile a library of original texts, which will be used for dictations at venues across the country and will reflect the diversity of cultural traditions and their connection with nature.
Any organization can become a partner in the campaign and register a venue to hold the Zapovedny Dictation: a school, library, cultural center, youth center, university, or office. Instructions and materials are available on the website https://dictant.wildnet.ru.
*The event partner was the company GRASS: it provided all participants with notebooks of a suitable natural color for writing the dictation.
*Photo: K. Davydkin
FOR REFERENCE: 10th Gathering of Friends of the Protected Islands organized The movement “Friends of Protected Islands” together with the Charitable Educational Foundation “Protected Embassy” and the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization for Additional Professional Education “Ecological Educational Center “Reserves” with the support of the Presidential Nature Fund and the Presidential Grants Fund. Partners — Roszapovedcenter of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the city of Moscow. General partner of the Gathering: ANO “Energy of DevelopmentThe Gathering of Friends of Protected Islands thanks the hospitable venues of the Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory, NUST MISIS, the International Wildlife Festival “Golden Turtle”, the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, and the State Darwin Museum.
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