Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve
Located well above the Arctic Circle, the site includes the mountainous Wrangel Island (7,608 km2), Herald Island (11 km2) and surrounding waters. Wrangel was not glaciated during the Quaternary Ice Age, resulting in exceptionally high levels of biodiversity for this region. The island boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific walrus and the highest density of ancestral polar bear dens. It is a major feeding ground for the grey whale migrating from Mexico and the northernmost nesting ground for 100 migratory bird species, many endangered. Currently, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified on the island, double that of any other Arctic tundra territory of comparable size and more than any other Arctic island. Some species are derivative of widespread continental forms, others are the result of recent hybridization, and 23 are endemic. © UNESCO

Summary
2020 Conservation Outlook
Current state and trend of VALUES
Overall THREATS
Overall PROTECTION and MANAGEMENT
Full assessment
Description of values
Exceptionally diverse and abundant terrestrial and marine Arctic mammal fauna
Exceptionally diverse Arctic avifauna
Exceptionally diverse Arctic invertebrate fauna
Exceptionally rich Arctic plant diversity and endemism
Exceptional example of past and ongoing speciation
Exceptional example of an Arctic island ecosystem with exceptionally long-lasting succession
Assessment information
Potential hydrocarbon exploitation in the vicinity of the World Heritage site would also pose a threat to it's values and integrity due to pollution and risks of oil spills. The interplay of oceanic advection, limited emergency response capacities and arctic weather conditions suggests that Wrangel Island, including important polar bear habitat (Wilson et al., 2018), would likely be affected by spills even in considerable distances from the site (Kelly et al., 2018).
New plans for increasing visitation and expansion of tourism infrastructure are of concern. Together with above issues, these factors may exacerbate risks and disturbance in the marine and terrestrial ecosystem of Wrangel and Herald Islands.
There appears to be no plan nor human resources to support management of the marine component of the Reserve (IUCN Consultation, 2017; State Party of the Russian Federation, 2019).
330 tons of garbage have been removed from the island in 2018. However, it is currently unclear how and by when the remaining 25,000 tons of scrap metal and 100,000 metal drums counted in the 2013-2017 Management Plan will be removed (UNESCO, 2019). The 2020-2024 Management Plan highlights the objective to clear the territory of anthropogenic debris, but does not set out a plan and timeline for the completion of the removal (State Party of the Russian Federation, 2019).
Concerns have recently been raised regarding infractions related to human wildlife conduct (reported killing of polar bear a few years ago). The recent UNESCO/IUCN reactive monitoring mission (2017) requested, but did not receive information regarding the current status of this case.
Additional information
№ | Organization | Brief description of Active Projects | Website |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Administration of Wrangel Island Nature Reserve | Various research projects on the ecosystem and biota of the property (some with direct relevance to conservation), partly in cooperation with Russian universities and research institutes; see State Party of the Russian Federation (2011, 2019). |
References
№ | References |
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1 |
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5 |
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7 |
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12 |
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13 |
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14 |
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16 |
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17 |
Khruleva, O.A. and Stekolshchikov, A.V., (2019). Additions to the aphid fauna of Wrangel Island due to climate change with redescription of the oviparous female of Pterocomma groenlandicum Hille Ris Lambers, 1952 (Hemiptera Aphidoidea). Zootaxa, 4615(3), pp.511-528.
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18 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 |
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22 |
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23 |
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24 |
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