Geographers from Altai State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted an expedition to Altai

The international Russian-Chinese expedition conducted a seven-day exploration in Altai Krai and the Altai Republic, focusing on the feasibility of establishing transboundary specially protected natural areas of four countries located in Altai: Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia.

The expedition was facilitated by an agreement signed in Beijing on August 1, 2024, within the framework of the International Symposium on World Heritage and National Parks, and as a result of 3 months of active preparatory organizational work.

Alexander Dunets, Professor of the Department of Economic Geography, and Irina Rotanova, an associate professor of the Department of Physical Geography and GIS represented the Institute of Geography of Altai State University. They are experts of the specifics of Altai, its protected areas, and areas of nature management and attractions.

The Chinese group of researchers was headed by Professor Lei Sheng, Director of the Key Laboratory for Resource Use and Environmental Restoration of the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing). Professor Lei Sheng is also the Vice President and Secretary General of the China Society of Natural Resources. In addition to the participants from Beijing, representatives of the Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics (Urumqi), who are working within the framework of the Great Silk Road project, participated in the expedition.

Before arriving in Russia, Chinese scientists made expedition trips to the Kazakh and Mongolian parts of Altai as part of the implementation of the "Altai Cross-Border Expedition Project" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. According to Professor Shen, the goal of the international expedition is to facilitate the creation of cross-border national parks in the future, and then a cross-border biosphere reserve with the participation of four countries located in Altai. The expedition project focuses on both studying natural resources and policies regulating the creation of cross-border nature reserves.

To achieve this goal, the key specially protected natural areas (SPNA) were identified. They are the nature park “Foothills of Altai” in Altai Krai, the Saylyugemsky National Park, and the Katunsky State Nature Reserve. Currently, there is already a transboundary biosphere reserve "The Greater Altai", located within the borders of the Altai Republic and the East Kazakhstan region. The work of scientists will allow to justify the expansion of this territory of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with the inclusion of border territories of all four Altai countries.

It was the first time for the Chinese colleagues to get acquainted with the Russian territory of Altai. They were interested in various issues related to the conservation of biodiversity, the use of natural resources, the level of economic development and its impact on the environment and ecological situation.

Professor of the Department of Economic Geography and Cartography Alexander Dunets noted that during the expedition, they discussed with the Chinese geographers the issues of implementing scientific internship programs for young scientists, preparing joint articles in Russian and Chinese journals, and prospects for further joint research.

Upon returning from the expedition, the Chinese colleagues met with the assistant Vice-Rector for Scientific and Innovative Development Alexey Vaganov. During the meeting, Professor Lei Shen made a brief presentation on possible areas of Chinese-Russian cooperation and the interest of Chinese scientists in joint research in Altai. Irina Rotanova, an associate professor of the Department of Physical Geography and GIS, spoke about the main areas of research of the Institute of Geography of Altai State University in the Altai region and the results obtained, as well as about possible scientific topics of interest for international cooperation.

All participants agreed that a lot of work is required to create a transboundary biosphere reserve with the participation of four countries of the Greater Altai. In addition to environmental activities, an important area of ​​cooperation is economic interests in the Altai region. Scientists from Russia and China will formulate recommendations for the development of cooperation both at the level of border areas, with the participation of protected areas, and will send recommendations to the relevant ministries of both Russia and China.

The discussion not only covered the prospects for scientific collaboration, but also pinpointed the first specific activities essential for effective interaction between Altai State University and the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.