Volcanoes of Kamchatka

Status: State Biosphere Reserve, Natural Park Nature Preserve

Area: 3.7 mill ha

Current state: inscribed onto the World Heritage List in 1996 (extension in 2001)

Included into the World Heritage List in 1996 the natural site "Volcanoes of Kamchatka" occupies an area of 3,696,000 ha and consists of 6 sections providing the most comprehensive views of the diversity and multiple faces of volcanic activity in the region.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is positioned at the junction of major tectonic plates in an area of active volcanic activity, where the contemporary processes and the history of our planet cannot be separated one from another. This limited area contains a great number of 30 active and 300 sleeping volcanoes, as well as over 150 thermal and mineral
springs.

Dozens of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, waterfall cascades, sharp

mountain peaks, mud pots and turquoise lakes, and fields of multicolored algae make the well-known Valley of Geysers look like a fairy-tale land. The caldera of the Uzon Volcano is one of the most interesting ancient geological phenomena on the peninsula. It is an enormous cauldron with a 200-800 m high wall and occupying an area of 100 square km. By the present time, a greatest hydrothermal system has developed in the caldera where processes of ore and mineral development take place right before our eyes.

Rare geological phenomena are inhabited by a peculiar wildlife, which has not suffered much from human activities. Out of the 1,168 plant species of Kamchatka, 10% are not encountered elsewhere in the world. The number of species that need special conservation measures is also very large. The peninsula is inhabited by a half

of the world population of the Steller's sea eagle, over 10,000 Kamchatka bear (the Kamchatka subspecies is one of the largest bears of the world), as well as the bighorn snow sheep, the sea otter and the sea lion. The biodiversity of the coastal areas is incredible. Situated here are the growth areas of the Kamchatka crab larvae and rivers used by salmon for spawning, from which the salmon young journey into the sea. From early summer till late winter an amazing picture can be observed on the Peninsula. Millions and millions of salmon working their way against the swift river flows, climb up the rivers to reach their spawning grounds. Protected areas included onto the World Heritage List embrace thousands of pristine lakes and entire pristine river systems, untouched by human activity. These are among the last wilderness areas on the planet.

EXISTING THREATS

Gold mining, unregulated tourism, forest logging and oil extraction on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. A gold mining project within a few kilometers from the Nature Park "Bystinsky", one of the clusters of the World Heritage Site, is presently under consideration. The project activities are at the stage of seeking project approval and sources of financing. The international status has been rescuing the park so far. The project proponent presently is not able to secure the support of international financing institutions for the project, which, if implemented, will inevitably and adversely affect the ecosystem of the National Park.

Illegal commercial touring activities are taking place in the Geyser Valley of the Kronotsky Nature Preserve. The unregulated activities might cause degradation of the unique valley.