Functional zoning of the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and protection
For the purpose of the National Park and for conservation of the exceptional biodiversity of Belovezhskaya Pushcha in accordance with the Belarussian law "About specially protected natural territories and objects", promulgated October 20, 1994, the entire territory of Pushcha has been divided into 4 functional zones in which the level of protection varies - Wilderness Protection Zone, Regulated Nature Zone, Regulated Recreational Use Area and Economic Activity Zone . The protection regime of zones depends on the degree of preservation of natural ecosystems, and environmental, scientific, recreational, historical, cultural, economic and aesthetic value of sites and territories.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park
Zoning Scheme (2012 year).
(Map taken from the official website
"SNPE "NP "Belovezhskaya Pushcha")
Wilderness Protection Zone (Core zone) — 58 297 ha or 38.8% (30 000 ha or 18.3% before 2012 year; 15 677 ha or 16.3% before 2004 year).
This Zone strictly protects all natural areas of intact, wild natural communities. The Wilderness Protection Zone is provided to serve as a reservation of genetic resources (a gene pool) of plants and animals and as a completely natural area. It provides conditions for the natural successions of ecosystems and their components.
As such this zone is a reference to full natural circumstances and fully natural growth. The area is managed in such manner as to create conditions which allow the natural development of complexes and their components. This Zone primarily exists of indigenous old-growth coniferous and deciduous forests. Except for scientific research and protection no (commercial, economic or other) activities are allowed for within this Zone.
Regulated Nature Zone — 37 905 ha or 25.3% (52 780 ha or 32.3% before 2012 year; 65 175 ha or 67.8% before 2004 year).
This Zone serves as a site for study, preservation, ensuring the conditions of natural successions and restoration of ecosystems that are characteristic within the Belovezhskaya Pushcha complex, as well as for reproduction and rational use of natural resources, and preservation of historical and cultural monuments and objects. All activities within this Zone should provide optimal conditions for sustainable development of natural communities, while scientifically-orientated nature conservation arrangements are being implemented.
Within the Regulated Nature Zone it is allowed to execute the following activities: scientific research, monitoring, activities aimed at restoration of disturbed natural complexes and the reproduction of natural resources, measures for prevention of fire, sanitary woodcutting, forest maintenance, clearing of dead wood for forest sanitation and afforestation in order to restore primary forest stands, protection of the forest against vermins and diseases (basically by biological methods); elimination of animals in order to regulate the number of their populations and for the purpose of selection, artificial feeding of wild animals under exceptional unfavorable seasons, veterinarian, prophylactic and biotechnical measures applied to wild animals, restricted ecotourism, haymaking, harvesting of berries and mushrooms, cattle pasturage, amateur fishing as well as several other uses serving the needs of the National Park and its employees which are being carried out on specially selected sites. Natural resources are being exploited in limited quantities.Ecotourism is allowed under guidance of guides employed by the National Park.
Regulated Recreational Use Area — 8 008 ha or 5.3% (6 140 ha or 3.8% before 2012 year; 10 732 ha or 11.1% before 2004 year).
The purpose of this area is to encourage tourism and the recreation, to implement activities connected to cultural aspects, leisure and improvement of man’s health as well as to study the impact of recreational pressure upon ecosystems. The Zone includes areas allocated for the placement of tourism facilities, for recreation and health improvement of citizens.
Nature conservation and economic activity are being aimed at preservation and, to a limited extent, reconditioning of the forest landscape and water bodies for recreational and educational purposes. When recreational services are being set up specific rules in order to prevent degradation of natural complexes should be followed and measures for the preservation of landscapes, water, vegetation and wildlife should be arranged. The activities allowed within the Regulated Nature Zone are permitted in the Regulated Recreational Use Area. Besides this on designated places within the forest it is allowed to park cars on parkings, to camp using tents and to make camp fires and there are specially designated places for relaxation and experiencing rest within the forest.
The Regulated Recreational Use Area is recognized as a part of the National Park where landscapes, natural ecosystems and individual objects have recreational, cognitive, cultural, educational, aesthetic, ethnographic, archeological, historical and other values while they do not require the measures of protection stipulated for the Wilderness Protection Zone or the Regulated Nature Zone.
Admittance may be free or based on guided visits.
Economic Activity Zone — 45 872 ha or 30,6% (74 580 ha or 45,6% before 2004 year; 4 614 ha or 4,8% before 2004 year).
This Zone has been designated in order to locate administrative, productive and recreational staff and operating facilities, for hosting and serving tourists, for residential purposes, for ensuring the economic functioning of the National Park and the economic activities of the local population. Selected cuttings, agriculture, forage supplying, cattle pasturage, wood processing, berry and mushroom harvesting and amateur regulated fishing is permitted here. Economic and other activities should be carried out using environmental technologies that do not interfere with the conservation of specially protected natural ecosystems and objects, tourist and recreational resources.
There are no restrictions of access within this Zone.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha National
Park Zoning Scheme
(from 2004 to 2012 years)
Before 2004, in addition to the four previous zones a Support (or Buffer) Zone has been established. This Zone encircled Belovezhskaya Pushcha and covered about 90,000 ha. The lands are in possession of private and collective users as well as of the state, while their use is subject to a number of limitations on economic activities. This Zone is designated to mitigate possible damage caused to nature complexes and sites of the National Park by economic activities executed on these adjacent lands. Later, much of this territory became part of the Economic Activity Zone of the National Park.
In the framework of the Project "Belovezhskaya Pushcha Forest Biodiversity Conservation", which was financed by the World Bank (Global Ecology Facility) in 1991to 1996, the idea of a so-called "Belovezhskiy Ecological Region" (BER) has been offered. The development of this idea would allow to solve many major problems and threats to the natural character of the forest. The BER would be a major input to start the complex task of adequate management of the National Park and the subdivisions of the park.
As highlights in recent years, a substantial increase of the total area protected as Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park with ecologically valuable and important land has been the most significant positive protective measure. The area of the National Park covered 87.6 thousand hectares in the 1990s. On January 1st, 1999 the area has been enlarged to 101,603 ha. In the 2000s, it became about 161,000 hectares. The major additions exist of the bog area Dikoye - a swampy area covering 7,539 hectares - and the Shershevskoe Forestry and Game Ground (FGG) of the Pruzhany District (13,300 hectares). The Shershevskoe FGG is a base for management of game, while its main objective is obtaining trophies through hunting. Currently [2019 year], the total area of the SNPE "NP "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" (together with the Shershevskoe Forestry and Game Ground and the Vygonovskoe Forestry and Game Ground) makes up 172,476 hectares.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park
Zoning Scheme (before 2004 year)
On the territory of the Shershevskoe Forestry and Game Ground, which directly adjoins the borders of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha", an enclosure for hunting covering 3,500 ha has been constructed. This purpose of this "range" is to serve the intensive and profitable economic activity of hunting. About 1000 individuals of Wild boar and 300 individuals of Red deer are being kept within the area. Specific techniques for keeping, resettling and breeding have been developed and are being applied within the area. Apart from economic goals the Forestry and Game Ground serves another important purpose, which is the reduction of the number of wild ungulates in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Wild ungulates are being led from the Pushcha into the Shershevskoie Forestry and Game Ground. These animals are selected and caught from the wild population. However, a ban on or strict limitation of shooting of animals within the territory of the Pushcha is planned. Population control by means of shooting facilitates to bring down the number of ungulate animals in the central part of the Pushcha. In the same time it allows for carrying out a more exact selection of animals to be taken out of population, which improves their genetic quality.
* Based on information from the article by Heorhi Kazulka & Vasiliy Zhukov "The State National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is the oldest Natural Reserve in Europe”, published in the book "Belovezhskaya Pushcha at the Turn of the Third Millennium. Materials of the Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Formation of the State Reserve "Belovezhskaya Pushcha". - Minsk, 1999. - pp. 16 - 33. (In Russian)
(With some modern data added.)
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