Russian Geographical Society, Newsletter 2011 - Home of Geography

The Russian Geographical Society
Newsletter
FEBRUARY
2011
Contents News
News 2
The Russian Geographical Society’s Development Strategy for 2011-2015
The Society’s historical headquarters reopened in December 2010
Our projects 2010 3
Conservation of rare species
Amur tiger
Snow leopard
Multimedia Ethnographic Project “Faces of Russia”
Students — For the Sustainable Development of the Sochi Olympic Campus
Expeditions 6
The Historical Landscape Expedition: “The Urals — The Border of Europe and Asia”
Search for Georgiy Brusilov’s Expedition: First Results
Events 7
Past events 7
Conference of the International Geographical Union,
Tel Aviv, Israel, July 12-16th, 2010
The International Geographical Olympiad for Schoolchildren, Taipei, Taiwan,
July 25th–August 4th, 2010
“The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” International Forum, with the support
of the News and Information Agency “RIA Novosti”, September 22-23 rd, 2010
International Tiger Forum, St.Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24
International Geographical Festival, Saint-Die-Des-Vosgues, France, October 7-10
Upcoming events 9
“The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” International Forum,
Arkhangelsk, Russia, September 2011
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News
The Russian Geographical Society’s Development Strategy for 2011-2015
The meeting of the Russian Geographical Society’s Academic
Council was held on the 11th of December. It was chaired by
the Society’s President Sergei Shoigu.
President Sergei Shoigu presented for review and approval of
the Academic Council the Society’s Development Strategy for
2011-2015. The document outlines the Society’s objectives for
the next five years, as well as the steps for their fulfillment.
Initiatives described in the Strategy build on the Russian Geographical
Society’s long history and experience.
The basic concept of the new Strategy is Russian national geography
– comprehensive exploration of the country in all its
diversity, to contribute to a fuller implementation of Russia’s
and its people’s potential.
Full text of the Strategy is available at the Society’s website:
http://int.rgo.ru/
The Society’s historical headquarters reopened in December 2010
In 2010, the Russian Geographical Society celebrated its 165th
anniversary. The Society’s historical headquarters, located in
Grivtsova Pereulok, building 10 in Saint-Petersburg, is a witness
of the Society’s history and a symbol of its revival. All these
165 years the building has served the Society’s needs, not for a
day closing its doors.
At the turn of the 21st century, the building was in need of substantial
renovation. Renovation works lasted throughout 2010
and have been finished just recently. The building and its interiors,
which represent the Society’s scientific, cultural and symbolic
heritage, have been restored according to their original
design.
On 11 December 2010, the newly restored headquarters of the
Russian Geographical Society gathered within its walls a large
number of scholars, as well as descendants and successors of
the great Russian travellers. They came to take part in the opening
ceremony of the 14th Congress of the Russian Geographical
Society.
The historical building, constructed over a century ago, has
been reconstructed in record time, and it is highly symbolic
that the Society commences its rebirth within the walls of its
original headquarters.
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Our projects
The projects of the Russian Geographical Society serve the purpose
of attracting the public’s attention to important geographical and
ecological issues. Our goal is to provide an authoritative venue for
discussing these issues, to exchange expert opinions, publish research
findings and take a lead role in supporting related initiatives.
The Board of Trustees of the Russian Geographical Society provides
grant funding to projects of national importance after project
proposals have been thoroughly evaluated by our team of experts.
The list of upcoming projects is to be announced after
the Board of Trustees meeting in March.
Here are some of our projects that took off in 2010.
Conservation of rare species
The first in the series of programs was dedicated to the lord of the Ussuri taiga — the
Siberian tiger. Currently, there are programs protecting the polar bear, the Far-Eastern
leopard, the snow leopard and the white whale. Since August 2010, the programs
will be implemented under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society.
Russian scientists and the government have been giving special attention to these five
species for quite a while already. All of them are at the top of the food chain in their
area and serve as important indicators of their habitats’ ecosystems condition.
All five species, except for the white whale, are included in the Red Data Book of the
Russian Federation and the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Amur tiger
The Amur (or Siberian) tiger is the largest
and the most beautiful of all tiger subspecies.
It’s native to the Russian Far East,
namely the Primorye and Khabarovsk regions.
It is enlisted in the Red Book of the
Russian Federation and the Red List of
Threatened Species of the International
Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN).
There are around 450 Amur tigers, inhabiting
the taiga and the deciduous forests
of the Russian Far East. The Amur
tiger is the true czar of the taiga. Remarkably
powerful and enduring, the animal
has adapted to living in the harsh conditions
of the Far-Eastern winters.
Watching the mighty feline roaming
confidently around the taiga forests covered
with deep snow, its black-striped
orange fur contrasting with the white
background, fills you with awe and deep
respect. Tiger is worshiped by many
peoples of the Russian Far East. Instead
of calling the predator directly by its
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name taskhu (tiger), they often admiringly
call it amba (big one).
Despite this profound veneration, it is
people and their activities that have put
the survival of the Amur tiger under
threat. The causes for declining population
of the big cat are attributed to
poaching (not only of the tiger itself, but
also their prey species), massive logging,
construction of industrial factories, and
extension of road network.
The Amur tiger was the first endangered
species to be taken special care of by specialists
from the A.I. Severtsov Institute
of Evolution and Ecology (Russian Academy
of Sciences) and other research organizations.
The program embraces non-invasive
DNA and hormone analysis, research of
the species numbers and distribution in
Russia, their seasonal migration patterns,
genetic status and health, conservation
issues, as well as other important aspects
of their life in the wild. The program also
includes educational and outreach projects
for the local people to raise their environmental
awareness.
Snow leopard
The irbis, or the snow leopard (Uncia uncia,
Shreber 1775), has a unique place among
the felid species. The irbis is a large cat with
smoky-greyish-brownish fur with a pattern
of large spots on their body. The long, thick
fur protects it from the cold. The unusually
long tail can sometimes be over a meter in
length and reach three quarters of the body
length. The irbis itself is about 120-125 cm
long, with a weight of up to 45 kg.
The name ‘irbis’ has a long history in
the Russian language. As far back as
the 17th century, Russian fur traders
have borrowed this name from the local
Asian hunters, many of whom spoke
Turkic languages. They pronounced the
name ‘irbiz’, meaning ‘snow cat’. The
‘snow’ part came from the fact that the
animal lives in the mountains up to 4500
meters above sea level, among the snow
fields and glaciers at the feet of mountain
peaks, where strong cold winds blow
constantly. In current Russian usage,
the term ‘snezhnyi bars’ (a translation
of the English ‘Snow leopard’) is quite
common, although technically incorrect
from the point of view of Russian zoological
terminology.
The range of the snow leopard extends
over the high-altitude regions of Asia
and includes the territories of 13 countries:
Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, India,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China,
Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan,
and Uzbekistan.
Within the whole of its range, the snow
leopard has not been comprehensively
studied. Russia is the northernmost
reach of its range, which mainly extends
over the Altai-Sayan mountainous area
and constitutes about 3-4% of the current
range. The peripheral nature of
the irbis population in Russia, increasingly
active invasion into its habitat, the
fragmentation of the range and the decrease
in snow leopard numbers mean
that there is an urgent need to develop
measures for its conservation not only
within specially protected area, but also
in ecosystems shared with people.
The Snow Leopard Conservation Programme,
just like the Amur Tiger Conservation
Programme embraces noninvasive
DNA and hormone analysis;
research of the species numbers and distribution
in Russia; seasonal migration
patterns of the big cats and their prey;
genetic status and health; conservation
issues, and other important aspects of
their life in the wild.
Scientists are planning to conduct their
research using camera traps, which will
enable them to identify individual leopards
and assess the animals remaining in
the wild. During the summer expedition
of 2010, scientists succeeded in taking
the first good quality picture of a snow
leopard. Camera traps will also allow
specialists to assess the number of leopard
prey species and learn about their
migration patterns.
Another way of studying the snow leopard
will be with the use of satellite collars.
These high-tech devices will enable
scientists to track the animals’ movements
and will also shed light on social
relations and habits of these highly endangered
felines.
“The project’s ultimate goal is not only to
obtain extensive scientific data about the
species, which is a worthy aim as such,
but also to contribute to conservation of
this rare species”, says Vyacheslav Rozhnov,
project leader and deputy head of
the A.I. Severtsov Institute of Ecology
and Evolution within the Russian Academy
of Sciences.
Apart from scientific research, the program
also envisages educational projects
for the local population, university and
school students, which aim at raising
their environmental awareness and increasing
their knowledge of local nature.
To achieve this, the project team actively
collaborates with the local mass media.
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Multimedia Ethnographic Project
“Faces of Russia”
Students — For the Sustainable
Development of the Sochi Olympic
Campus
With the aid of contemporary multimedia
and communication technologies this project
is to create a resource about the Russia’s
experience of cherishing the national cultures
of peoples, living in Russia.
Objectives of the project are to:
• Organize expeditions to make videos and collect ethnographic
data.
• Organize exhibits and other events, publish books, and develop
study materials for Russian schools.
• Publish an almanac about peoples of Russian Federation.
• Design and publish a brochure “Peoples of Russia.”
• Update the website www.rusnations.ru. This website contains
detailed information with images and audio resources about
every people and ethnic group of the Russian Federation. This
website also offers access to archives and three-dimensional
photographs of the displays from the Saint-Petersburg’s Kunstkamera,
significant scientific publications on ethnography
of the peoples of Russia, and news related to their culture and
traditions.
The project seeks to involve talented young
individuals in the sustainable social development
movement through research and
educational projects including preparation
activities for the Olympic Games in Sochi.
Objectives of the project are to:
• Develop an innovative student project aimed at enhancing
sustainable development of the region.
• Prepare research findings for publication.
• Develop popular scientific reference publications about the
region.
• Collect information about natural and archeological landmarks,
and new objects of the region’s infrastructure.
• Assess the region’s natural potential and its cultural-historical
heritage for the purpose of developing the tourist industry.
• Assess opportunities for initiating innovative activities aimed
at bringing out the region’s potential.
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Expeditions Events
The Historical Landscape Expedition:
“The Urals — The Border of Europe and Asia”
The Historical Landscape Expedition
“The Urals – The Border of Europe and
Asia” is an extensive one-year long project
of the Russian Geographical Society.
In the course of the project the researchers
will tread along the suggested border
between Europe and Asia from the
Kara Sea (the Yugorsky Strait) and up
to the north-east shore of the Caspian
Sea (Komsomolets Bay in Kazakhstan’s
Mangystau Province).
It is a widely accepted axiom that the Ural
Mountains divide Europe and Asia. In the
middle of the 18th century by the initiative
of Vasily Tatishchev the center part
of the Ural Mountains officially became
the border of Europe and Asia. Earlier
in the history, the border was “mapped”
along the rivers Tanais and Don, according
to Herodotus; along Volga and Kama
rivers, according to Arabic sources; and
even the Ob river, according to Delille.
Even towards the end of the 19th century,
the Orenburg General-Governor Nokolai
Kryzhanovsky in his speech at the
opening ceremony of a local branch of
Emperor’s Russian Geographical Society,
said that “Geographers have accepted the
ridge of the Ural Mountains and River
Ural to be a border between Europe and
Asia. Others ignore the opinions of the
geographers of Russia and Europe and
state that Asia starts right on the eastern
bank of Volga River. Therefore, the cities
of Orenburg, Ufa and others should be
considered part of Asia.”
So, where exactly does Asia meet with Europe
In the course of three centuries the
Ural Mountains have been identified by
world science and culture as the border
of two parts of the world. Nevertheless, a
more precise border between Europe and
Asia still needs to be determined. Specialists
seems to be unanimous regarding
the location of some sections of the
border, such as the stretch from the Kara
Sea coastline along Pai Khoy and further
along the Ural-Tau mountain ridge up to
the head of the Belaya River, (flowing into
the Volga River), the Ural River (flowing
into the Caspian Sea) and the Uya (flowing
into the Arctic Ocean). The southern
part of the border between Europe and
Asia, suggested by Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev
is questionable. First, the main
ridge in this area continues into at least
three branches. Second, the Ural Mountains
lose their role as the main water dividing
ridge, which moves to the south of
the Ilmen Mountains. Third, south of 51°
520’ north latitude the mountains “disappear”,
which allows the Ural River in
the areas of the Orsk Gates and the “Guberlinskoe
ushchel’e” to cut through the
whatever is left from the Ural Mountains
and flow further to the south-east part of
the Eastern-European plateau, the near
Caspian lowland and ultimately into Europe.
In the middle of the 19th century,
Nikolai Severtsev wrote: “From the point
of view of natural sciences, the two banks
of the Ural River are identical. It [the
Ural River] does not divide anything, it
simply flows across the Kirghiz steppe.”
The question arises – where is the border
between Asia and Europe located south
of Zlatoust
The team of twelve participants of the
expedition from Orenburg and Kazakhstan
hope to be able to answer this question.
The first leg of the itinerary goes
from Orenburg to Uralsk, then further
to Atyrau, Mangyshlak, the Caspian Sea,
Severny Ustyurt, Mugodzhary, and back
to Orenburg. The expedition will follow
the footsteps of the scientists and topographers
of the 19th century, some of
which were Grigory S. Karelin, Vladimir
D. Volkhovsky, Eduard F. Eversmann,
Fedor F. Von Berg among others.
Anticipated results of the expedition
By the end of the project we expect not
only to show a complete and contemporary
course of the border between Europe
and Asia from the Kara Sea to the Caspian
Sea, but also to ensure that contemporary
textbooks reflect those changes. We
will also develop a travel guide giving a
comprehensive overview of travel along
the border. We will place markers on the
southern and northern ends of the Urals
Mountains, make recommendations for
establishing new reserves, national parks
and tourist routes along the border between
Europe and Asia in the territory of
the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.
We hope that our efforts will also create a
positive social environment for the local
peoples (Nentsi, Khanty, Mansi, Bashkirs,
and Kazakhs) and attract investment
to the region.
The most important task in finding the
geographic border is not only to identify
“the line” that divides Europe and
Asia, but particularly to find the line that
unites the two continents.
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Search for Georgiy Brusilov’s Expedition: First Results
Russian explorers, who set off to Franz Josef Land archipelago
in search of Georgiy Brusilov’s Arctic expedition, which disappeared
almost 100 years ago, have found human remains and a
number of artifacts possibly belonging to the lost 1912 expedition,
according to one of the participants.
“We’ve managed to find remains of a human body, fragments
of clothes and equipment. We believe it was a member of Albanov’s
group lost around here 96 years ago. A pocket watch,
a spoon with engraved “P.S.” initials, homemade bottle-glass
spectacles, fragments of snow shoes, three rifle cartridges
marked 1910-1911, a mug, a knife and bucket remnants were
found near the remains”, said he.
“All these items have been mentioned in Albanov’s journals.
The composition of the find allows to suggest that the remains
belong to Pavel Smirennikov, one of the four missing persons.
Currently we’re collecting more material and preparing to
move the remains to the “big land” for further examination”,
said the explorer.
In 1912 Georgiy Brusilov’s expedition set off from St. Petersburg
on-board the schooner St. Anna. Its tragic story became
widely known after the publication of Veniamin Kaverin’s famous
book “The Two Captains”.
The fate of the ship and some of the crew which stayed onboard
still remains a mystery. Out of the 11 people who left the
schooner and made for the “big land”, only two survived: navigator
Valerian Albanov and sailor Alexander Konrad. We know
what happened to them from Albanov’s journal published in
1917.
The destiny of the four members of Albanov’s group, who got
lost somewhere between Cape Nil and Cape Grant in George
Land island of Franz Josef Land archipelago, also remained unknown
during all that time.
The expedition of the Russian scientists was intended to find
traces of the lost group in George Land Island.
Events
The Russian Geographical Society takes a vivid interest in geographical
sciences and makes considerable efforts towards dissemination of
geographical knowledge. Therefore the Society both acts as organizer
of, and actively participates in local and international geographical
congresses, conferences, forums, workshops, exhibitions, festivals
and other events aimed at sharing knowledge and experience, finding
solutions to the world’s pressing issues and raising awareness about
geography at the global level.
Past events Events
Conference of the International Geographical Union, Tel Aviv, Israel,
July 12-16th, 2010
The conference of the International Geographical Union was held
in Tel Aviv under the title “Bridging Diversity in a Globalizing
World”. The Russian Geographical Society delegation took part in
this conference. Members of the delegation participated in scientific
panels. Also, the Russian Geographical Society held an exhibition
of materials from the Society’s archives, and presented a number
of photographic and video materials, and museum artifacts.
Photos made by Society’s photographer at this conference are
available at our website: http://int.rgo.ru/
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The International Geographical Olympiad for Schoolchildren, Taipei,
Taiwan, July 25th–August 4th, 2010
The Russian Geographical Society prepared a team for the International
Geographical Olympiad for Schoolchildren. The
Russian team was made up of four high school students who
showed the best results at the All-Russian Geography Olympiad.
For 2 weeks, the young geographers had intensive training in
a special camp to prepare for the Olympiad. This year, thanks
to the grant allocated by the Russian Geographical Society, the
range of activities in the training camp was extended: more attention
was given to field work, English and psychology.
Ksenia Sokolova from Russia, who came 4th out of 106 contenders,
is one of the youngest students to get gold in this competition.
In 2015 the International Geographical Olympiad should take
place in Russia.
“The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” International
Forum, with the support of the News and Information
Agency “RIA Novosti”, September 22-23 rd, 2010
“The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” international
forum is one of the largest international
projects of the Russian Geographical
Society in 2010.
Main issues discussed at the Forum:
• Current problems of the Arctic: national
interests and international dialogue
• The environment of the Arctic: climate
change and the consequences of human
activity
• The Arctic natural resources: the source
of the region’s prosperity and a chance
for cooperation
• Sustainable development of the Arctic
region: problems and perspectives
International Geographical Festival, Saint-Die-des-Vosgues, France,
October 7-10.
In 2010 the International Geographical Festival was dedicated
to the topic “Rational forest management: from natural
resources to forest industry”.
Each year the organizational committee selects the country —
the guest of honor. In 2010 Russia was such a guest, represented
by the Russian Geographical Society.
The Society presented a number of scientific papers and video
materials, opened up the exhibit dedicated to the history of the
Society and the exhibit “Forests of Russia”.
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International Tiger Forum, St.Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24.
From 21 to 24 November 2010, Saint-Petersburg
hosted the International Tiger
Forum, dedicated to protection and conservation
of the global tiger population.
Organised by the Russian Federation
Ministry of Natural Resources, with
participation of the Russian Geographical
Society, the Forum was set to unite
government leaders of 13 tiger range
countries, including Russia, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia,
Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. Their
main objective has been “working out a
plan of tiger recovery and conservation
in its traditional habitat, as well as tilting
the international public opinion in
favour of tiger protection”.
The very fact that an animal species was
discussed at such a high level, demonstrated
the importance the global community
assigns to wildlife and environment
protection.
The Forum served as a venue for top-level
policy debates, and provided an opportunity
for experts to share their knowledge
and practical experience.
Upcoming events Events
“The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” International Forum, Arkhangelsk,
Russia, September 2011
One of the large international projects of the Russian Geographical
Society in 2010 was the conference “The Arctic: Territory
of Dialogue”.
The second Forum will take place in Arkhangelsk, the birthplace
of Mikhail Lomonosov to mark the scientist’s 300th birth
anniversary in September 2011.
The forum will focus on shipping in the Arctic region, international
cooperation in the development of circumpolar areas
and the development of the Northern Sea Route.
Federal Number/ Fax:
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Contacts
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E-mail: rgo@rgo.ru
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Monday-Friday:
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
(Moscow time)
www.rgo.ru
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