Category: Conservation

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation

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Ksenia Gasparyan, Development Director of the Nature Embassy Foundation, spoke at the second meeting of Severstal's Biodiversity Expert Council, where a new popular science book, "Who Are You, Children of the Night?" was presented. The book, dedicated to the bats of the Vologda Region, was published by the Nature Embassy Foundation with organizational and financial support from Severstal as part of its comprehensive biodiversity conservation program.

Severstal's Expert Council was created to independently assess environmental risks and shape the environmental agenda; its December meeting was devoted to summing up the year's results. In 2025, specialists conducted extensive research on company grounds, focusing on birds, invasive plants, landscaping, and other aspects of biodiversity at industrial sites. And also—bats!

The presentation of the book about bats, "Who Are You, Children of the Night?", was one of the key and most striking moments of the meeting. No boring presentations were offered; instead, a creative, immersive format was used. Participants entered the room in complete darkness with headlamps on, symbolically recreating the conditions of fieldwork for researchers. On the screen, bats "came to life" and flew, using AI technology.

"The scientists who spoke about their work told a story about how difficult it was for them," Ksenia Gasparyan commented. "The researchers' biorhythms were disrupted: they had to study birds during the day, and bats at night. They even mentioned that a minor accident occurred when the inspector probably fell asleep at the wheel from fatigue."

The book's authors are Oleg Shapkin, a postgraduate student at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Miroslav Babushkin, Deputy Director for Science at the Darwin Nature Reserve. The book's design and publication were supported by the Zapovednoye Polusstvo Foundation, with financial support from Severstal. The editor was Ekaterina Pilyutina, an environmental educator, a true conservationist, a professional, and a friend of the foundation.

As Ksenia Gasparyan emphasized, the goal of the publication was not only to educate the general public about ecology but also to "immerse and shape a whole generation of new researchers." "Who Are You, Children of the Night?" is based on six years of research (2018-2024), during which over a thousand individuals of eight bat species were studied. However, this isn't a thick, jargon-laden tome that only scientists specializing in bats (incidentally, such scientists are called chiropterologists) will be interested in. Rather, it's a truly engaging, popular science book that every biology-loving schoolchild will appreciate! What makes this publication special is that serious scientific research is adapted and presented in a language that's understandable and engaging for a young audience.

The authors dedicated the publication to the mother of one of the authors, Almira Babushkina, a biology teacher who introduced him and dozens of other children to the world of science.

Bats (Chiroptera) are one of the least studied mammal groups, yet they are critically important to ecosystems. They effectively regulate insect populations, including many agricultural and forestry pests, as well as mosquitoes. Some species are involved in plant pollination. In Russia, many bat species have protected status and are listed in regional and federal Red Data Books. Their secretive nocturnal lifestyle and vulnerability to habitat changes (cutting of hollow trees, disturbance in caves) make their conservation particularly pressing.

Following the meeting, Severstal's Expert Council developed plans for the next year. Priorities include creating a monitoring system for invasive plant species, continuing to observe indicator species, and conducting in-depth studies of rare and secretive birds. A highlight of 2026 is expected to be Russia's first environmental and educational festival, "SKOPIN FEST."

The Nature Conservation Embassy Foundation will continue to provide expert support for the company's environmental initiatives. "We recommend that large city-forming companies, such as Severstal, not only develop environmental education in general in the cities where they operate, but also encourage the emergence of new young researchers by helping them with career guidance in environmental and scientific fields," Ksenia Gasparyan concluded.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation

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Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Why is it so important for our country's representatives to participate in key international environmental events? What developments by Russian conservationists are generating the most interest abroad? Following our participation in the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Natalia Romanovna Danilina, President of the Nature Conservation Embassy Foundation and Director of the Zapovedniki Ecocenter, gave an interview.

Interview: Tatyana Margulyan

TM: Please tell us what is happening at the IUCN World Conservation Congress that is important for the conservation community?

ND: The IUCN World Conservation Congress is one of the largest global conservation events. It's held by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) every four years. This was my seventh I've attended.

The Congress typically lasts over a week and consists of two parts. The first is the Forum, where environmental governmental and non-profit organizations have the opportunity to showcase their achievements, learn from the conservation practices of countries around the world, and discuss strategic documents. The Forum lasts four days and is the most important event of the Congress. The second part is the Assembly, which is attended only by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Proposals for conservation that are most relevant to the majority of countries are put to a vote. Congress recommendations are adopted at the Assembly by vote after a fairly complex and contentious debate. The election of the governing bodies—the President and members of the IUCN Council—also takes place. Our country is part of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. The interests of the region are represented by three elected councilors; unfortunately, our country is not currently among them. During the Assembly, the heads of each of the seven IUCN commissions are elected.

TM: What do the IUCN Commissions do, and how can interaction with them be beneficial for Russian protected areas?

ND: An IUCN Commission is an association of experts from around the world in various fields. Such Commissions sometimes bring together thousands of people. The largest by number of experts is the Commission on Rare Species. Within this Commission, experts are organized into working groups: for example, on big cats, on turtles, and so on. This creates a global network of specialists in various fields, which is crucial for sharing experience.

Collaboration with the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is traditional and important to us. The Commission has identified specific regions, including Northern Eurasia—part of the post-Soviet space that encompasses Russia, Belarus, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The Commission has previously been very active in our country and region. We will strive to revive this activity.

I previously served as the regional vice-chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas for 15 years. My continuing friendships with many global leaders in the field of protected areas continue to be helpful today. I am delighted that my colleagues are always responsive, willing to serve as experts, share their knowledge, and even participate in our projects.

Thanks to the Commission, we can learn from global experience and share our expertise with the professional community. For example, the Zapovedniki Ecocenter published a book on best Russian practices for training personnel for protected areas. This work generated great interest, and the book was distributed throughout the world; it is still available in the IUCN library. We have also translated several books from the IUCN series "Best Practices in Protected Area Management" into Russian, and they are available on our website.

I would also like to highlight the Commissions on Ecosystem Conservation, Environmental Legislation, and Climate as important for protected area experts. And the Commission on Environmental Education and Communications, which is very important for the Zapovedniki Ecocenter and includes our staff, is very important. The Commission's experts have great respect and interest in our educational experience, so at the Congress we worked in partnership and were able to present Russian experience over four days in the Educational Hub pavilion, where we held nine events.

I believe that our work with IUCN Commissions in our country needs to be strengthened to absorb global experience and showcase our strengths. Russian experts should be more actively involved in the work of IUCN Commissions. The number of Russian members of such a major and significant conservation organization as IUCN should also increase. This will allow us to influence decisions on strategic areas of the global conservation agenda and the election of governing bodies. All the most important documents on nature conservation are adopted at IUCN Congresses and subsequently form the basis for the work of the United Nations in this area, shaping the work of UNESCO, UNDP, and UNEP. These documents become recommendations for all UN member states.

TM: Did you notice any interest in Russian experience and practices following the Congress?

ND: Our events at the pavilion proved very attractive to Congress participants. At our request, many of those who attended marked their country with a circle on the globe. Thus, we counted over 80 countries, although we weren't able to cover all visitors with this "mini-survey." All continents were represented: South and North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

An important part of our participation in the Congress was presenting our experience and the importance of business relationships with protected areas and the role of non-profit organizations in implementing partnership projects to conserve biodiversity. This triple alliance produces significant results. We believe it's important to help businesses implement conservation projects in terms of their environmental responsibility while simultaneously fulfilling our organization's mission—to support protected areas and develop Russian nature conservation.

We held a special meeting on this topic with representatives from SIBUR and Rosatom, and also presented our joint projects with Norilsk Nickel, JTI, and MTS. SIBUR is a long-standing, reliable partner with whom we collaborate on a number of effective projects. Our partnership with Rosatom is just beginning, and we discussed the details of our collaboration at a joint press conference we organized at the Congress media center. The company has extensive experience and valuable expertise in environmental conservation, and we hope that our partnership will strengthen this area.

We were given space around the Educational Pavilion to showcase environmental education games, of which we've already developed a whole portfolio: on tiger conservation, marine mammal conservation, protected areas, and more. We saw how interested specialists from around the world were in our experience in environmental education and were convinced that we operate at a very high level, in line with global trends. This was confirmed by global leaders in environmental education.

The forum concluded with an evening "protected islands" reception, also held in the pavilion of the Commission on Environmental Education and Communications. It was a vibrant, warm, and informal event, attended by over a hundred like-minded environmental educators and protected area workers. We thanked everyone who actively participated in our work—our team and the partners with whom we collaborated at this Congress. Colleagues from the new "Nature for All" and "Nature-Based Education" programs—important programs for engaging youth in environmental conservation and educational programs—joined us in celebrating the completion of the Congress's extensive work. Our educational programs and the Friends of Protected Islands Movement align with the work of the Education Commission, and we agreed to collaborate and replicate each other's experiences.

Our participation in the Congress in Abu Dhabi demonstrated enormous interest in the Russian Federation and its experience in developing protected areas and preserving biodiversity. I am proud of the coordinated, creative, and astonishingly efficient work of our team. We were able to effectively and vividly present some of Russia's rich experience. It's no coincidence that after our events, we heard, "It was a sensation, it was fantastic, it was incredibly interesting," from people from various countries – from China to Canada, from America to Australia, from South Africa to Botswana, and even our close neighbors – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. This truly was a truly worthy and beautiful endeavor. Our international program is gaining significant momentum and is beginning to make a name for itself internationally. Its participants are eager to continue working, generating new approaches and creative work in environmental education, and helping develop protected areas.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation

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From December 8 to 11, 2025, the Nature Embassy Foundation held a comprehensive seminar, "Oil Spills: Impact, Consequence Management, and Psychological Preparation of Personnel," in Sochi and the Sirius Federal Territory. The event brought together 20 specialists from coastal nature reserves and national parks across the country, whose territories are most vulnerable to this man-made threat. The seminar was part of the new, large-scale "Living Black Sea" project, launched in November 2025 and implemented by the Nature Embassy Foundation with the support of JTI Russia.

The seminar program included lectures by leading scientists from the State Institute of Natural Sciences and the Institute of Oceanology of the Republic of Armenia, who have been studying this topic for many years, along with specialized practical workshops (for example, on providing veterinary care to injured animals), and training sessions to enhance the management and psychological competencies of protected area staff when working in emergency situations. Seminar topics included studying the impacts on ecosystems in specific areas, ensuring the safety of people and animals, monitoring and scientific research, and actions to restore ecosystems after emergency situations.

In particular, Sergey Zatsepa, a leading researcher at the State Oceanographic Institute, spoke about the use of modern technologies for scientific modeling and forecasting of oil spills, using the Kerch Strait and other waters as examples. Representatives of the Utrish Nature Reserve and the Anapa Peresyp Nature Park outlined key factors that must be considered when assessing the vulnerability and protecting specially protected natural areas. Vyacheslav Krylenko, a senior researcher at the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained how to plan for emergency response based on an understanding of coastal ecosystems.

Tatyana Denisenko, Head of the Department of Virology and Microbiology at the K.I. Scriabin Moscow Veterinary Academy, dedicated her report to helping cetaceans and studying the impact of oil spills on the health of Black Sea dolphins. During a discussion moderated by Olga Pegova (Caucasian Nature Reserve), protected area staff discussed the risks to their natural areas and outlined elements of an oil spill response plan.

The program for the second and subsequent days was structured around the principle of "from on-site action to crisis management." The second day of the seminar began with a practical sea voyage on a vessel with the scientific director of the Delfa Dolphin Rescue Center. Participants were fortunate to encounter all three species of dolphins inhabiting the Black Sea. The focus then shifted to technology and rescue: experts presented the capabilities of satellite monitoring and their experience in oil spill response in the Arctic. A key section was a detailed algorithm for rescuing birds contaminated with oil products, from capture to setting up a rehabilitation center, presented by veterinarians from the Wildlife Hospital. The day concluded with a tour of the high-tech laboratories of the Sirius National Technical University, where participants were able to observe the development of a microbiological method for the disposal of oil products.

The third day was dedicated to developing "soft" skills, crucial during emergencies. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, participants explored external and internal communication strategies, volunteer management methods, and working with local communities. The culmination was a practical workshop, organized jointly with the press service of the Caucasus Nature Reserve, during which each participant recorded a mini-interview on a sensitive topic and received a professional on-camera analysis of their work.

The final day began with an inspiring excursion to the Caucasus National Park. Following this, professional psychologist Victoria Dmitrieva conducted a key training session on stress management, burnout prevention, and the ethics of interaction in emergency and crisis situations. The seminar concluded with a shared experience and a certificate presentation ceremony.

"The integrated approach used in designing this seminar not only allows us to provide specific instructions but also to develop a holistic understanding of the crisis and a course of action among protected area staff—from immediate shoreline interventions that preserve their own psychological resources to long-term measures that foster a trusting dialogue with the public. The Nature Embassy Foundation expresses its sincere gratitude to JTI Russia for supporting the project and the seminar, to all the experts and speakers for their invaluable knowledge and practical skills, to our colleagues from the Caucasus Nature Reserve for their assistance in organizing and conducting off-site events and workshops, and to the participants for their high level of engagement, willingness to engage in dialogue, and their inexhaustible motivation to protect Russia's nature. The tools we received and the professional connections we established are a significant contribution to improving the preparedness of the nature reserve system to respond quickly and effectively to environmental challenges," noted Polina Grigorieva, an expert at the Nature Embassy Foundation and director of the Living Black Sea project.

Sergey Zatsepa, Acting Head of the Marine Environment Modeling Laboratory and Leading Researcher at the N. N. Zubov State Oceanographic Institute, said: "The seminar, organized by the Zapovednoye Polustvo Foundation, allowed us to look at the Anapa oil spill from a new perspective. It was attended by biologists, geomorphologists, and representatives of specially protected natural areas whose mission is to preserve and study protected areas. I was incredibly impressed by their attention to the incident and their desire to do everything in their power to ensure that future incidents, should they arise, are dealt with as effectively as possible and with minimal impact on specially protected areas. The opinions of the seminar participants deserve to be summarized and disseminated so that an effective oil spill response system can be established in our country."

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.