The Virgin Komi Forests (3.28 million ha) in the Urals on the territory of Komi Republic in northern European part of Russia are the most extensive area of virgin boreal forest remaining in Europe. They are home to a multitude of rare and endemic species of plants and animals, protected by two entities - Yugyd Va National Park (the largest in Europe by a wide margin) and Pechoro-Ilichsky Zapovednik (a strict nature reserve). For its uniqueness and well-preserved ecosystems, this region has been inscribed in the List of World Natural Heritage Sites in 1995 as the first such a site in Russian Federation.
Despite the inscription of the Virgin Komi Forests on the List by UNESCO more than 10 years ago, the territory does not fully benefit from this status. Area managers and local stakeholders are in urgent need of support in order to safeguard the ecological values of the area, to resolve existing conflicts with impact on local biodiversity and to foster positive attitude towards the conservation of the Virgin Komi Forests locally, nationally and internationally.
Machaon International in collaboration with Natural Heritage Protection Fund of Russia and Directorate of Yugyd Va National Park address the identified problems by planning to facilitate public outreach and awareness building of the world heritage (WH) site and its values, and to provide expert assistance and capacity building to local area managers in the adoption of more suitable management practices and in the promotion of biodiversity conservation and sustainability of the area through effective use of the World Natural Heritage status. It serves as a model project for other WH sites in Russia and CIS facing similar problems.
