Box 9I The Volga (Russia, Ukraine)

Damtchik Canal, Volga Delta

Source: W Fischer, WWF


Europe's largest river system, the Volga, is over 3500 km in length and drains an area of 1 360 000 km2. It rises in the Valdai Hills, northwest of Moscow, and discharges into the northern Caspian Sea through a huge delta comprising more than 800 channels and with a seaward boundary over 200 km long. The Volga Delta (Site 154 on Map 9.7) is of international importance for wildlife conservation, its 652 000 ha area is designated a Ramsar site and contains a Biosphere Reserve. In the lower Volga extensive wetlands are found on the floodplain downstream of Volgograd. However, the natural character and functioning of the Volga ecosystems have been radically altered by the regulation of river flows through the construction of dams for hydroelectric power generation, flood protection and the creation of storage reservoirs for irrigation. Set against these economic benefits has been a serious decline in fishing yields and reduced soil fertility (Findlayson, 1992).

The fishing industry of the Caspian Sea and its major rivers, notably the Volga, accounts for 90 per cent of Russian sturgeon and 50 per cent of the world's beluga supply. During the period 1959­90 fisheries losses were estimated at almost 40 billion roubles (Findlayson, 1992). Dams at Volgograd and Saratov have prevented the important migration of many fish to spawning grounds, which had been formerly as much as 1500 km upstream. Now large spring floods are reduced by 25 per cent which has had an adverse effect on wetland ecosystem functioning.

Opportunities for fish to feed and spawn in the delta and floodplain have dramatically dwindled and food-chain support has declined through a reduction in water exchange and the sediment inputs which maintain fertility. Now some 7 million tonnes of sediment are trapped every year in reservoirs of the Volga. The delta and floodplain of the lower Volga are exceptionally rich and diverse wetland habitats, containing over 250 bird, 400 vertebrate and some 430 vascular plant species. However, agriculture (rice paddies and reclamation of land into polders for irrigated cropping) has produced salinisation and contamination from fertilisers and pesticides. Major contributions to the pollution load are the extensive industrial, urban (eg, sewage waste from Volgograd) and agricultural developments within the wider catchment.

In order to address the concerns over wetland loss in the lower Volga a strategy and action plan for wetland conservation was developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in cooperation with local and national conservation bodies and directed at all parties with an interest in the wetlands concerned (Findlayson, 1992). The themes were: establishment and management of protected areas, sustainable use of biological resources, landuse and water pollution, hydrological regulation and water management, and integrated management structures. Currently, WWF-International is preparing the designation of three large-scale protection areas.