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.
