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Area of protected natural territories in Belarus up by 50,000ha in 2018

17.04.2019
 The area of specially protected natural territories in Belarus increased almost by 50,000 hectares in 2018, Belarus' Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Andrei Khudyk said at a wrap-up board meeting of the ministry. “In 2018, the total area of specially protected natural territories rose almost by 50,000 hectares and reached 8.9% of the country’s total territory which meets the parameters of the national environmental safety,” Andrei Khudyk said.

As of 1 January 2019, Belarus had 1,289 specially protected natural territories with the total area of 1.862 million hectares. Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Aleksandr Korbut also spoke about measures to preserve biodiversity. “Belarus managed to preserve the European bison population in its territory. The population rose by 84 animals in 2018 and now includes 1,779 wild bisons. Belarus occupies the first place in the world according to the number of wild European bisons,” the deputy minister said.


The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry also implements measures to preserve the European eel population. It launched international cooperation with environmental organizations. Plans are in place to develop a cross-border plan to control populations of the European eel in the Neman River. The ministry took part in a meeting of the EU group on science oversight and presented information about the necessity to lift the ban on supplying the eel larvae to Belarus and the influence the ban had had on the eel population. The Belarusian Council of Ministers also adopted Resolution No.846 of 22 November 2018 to stock water bodies with young European eels.
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