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Real Diamonds of Yakutia National Park created
MIRNY. Real Diamonds of Yakutia National Park was created just before New Year Holidays. The national park with 32105 hectares was established by the Decree of the Republic Government #612 on December 29, 2006.
In 1976 Yakutia became the initiator of the WWF campaign “The Gift to the Earth” and declared that 25 percents of the republic's territory would be turned into nature reserve.
For the past decade, Yakutia managed to create 6 national parks and 78 nature reserves. At present the total conservation area occupies 28.5% of the republic territory or 88 million hectares. That is three times as many as the United Kingdom.
Since 1996 Yakutia's initiative gained support from tens of state and corporations leaders all over the world. The hundredth gift to the Earth, for example, was given also from Russia, by the Krasnoyarsk Territory .
Mirninsky's new national park was generously supported by ALROSA CO. The company is ready to pay out wages to a certain part of the park personnel. Besides, it plans funding infrastructure development at the rate of about $2 million.
"We congratulate our Yakutian partners and friends with such success,” says Viktor Nikiforov, director of WWF Russia Regional Programs. “This is very important that republic authorities and corporation managers understand the crucial role of nature conservation to future generations. Yakutia set an outstanding example for other Russian regions.”
// Jan. 10, 2007
Reported by Yakutia-Sakha News Agency (in Russian).
Translated by YakutiaToday.com
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