The Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) aims to ensure that a full range of ecosystems, habitats, species and landscapes of European importance is conserved, BelTA learnt from Oleg Maslovsky, a scientist of the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences. There are 10 natural monuments in Belarus that have been included in the network. among them are the National Park Narochansky, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the National Park Pripyatsky, Nalibokskaya Pushcha and now Braslav Lakes.

“Awarding the national park the status of the core botanic area of Europe will enhance the efficiency of the measures to protect rare flora species. We will be able to attract additional financial resources from the national budget and also from environmental funds of the European countries,” Oleg Maslovsky said. “We are going to launch new research of the rare and endangered species sites, develop a set of measures to preserve them given the ever increasing recreational load,” he said. A new management plan of the National Park Braslav Lakes is currently being devised by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The document will be compiled in line with the latest European standards.

The National Park Braslav Lakes is located in the north-west of Belarus. Its total area is 69,100 hectares. The park includes more than 60 lakes, the largest being Drivyaty, Snudy, Strusto, Voiso, Nedrovo, Nespish. The flora of the national park features around 500 species of plants, 32 of them are in the Red Book of Endangered Species of Belarus.

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