Developing a national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of peatlands in the Republic of Belarus.

During most of the 20^th century, peatlands in Belarus were regarded primarily as a strategic resource for agriculture and energy. In 1991, the Council of Ministers approved a "Scheme of Sustainable Use and Conservation of Peat Resources until 2010" (the "Scheme until 2010") which allocated a considerable fraction of the country's mires to nature conservation. Expiry of that Scheme has prompted its replacement with the "National Strategy for the Conservation and Wise (Sustainable) Use of Peatlands in the Republic of Belarus" (the "Strategy") supported by a new "Scheme until 2030". The aim is to meet the requirements for both sustainable development of natural resources within Belarus and international conventions. This article describes the development of the Strategy, which was achieved in conjunction with a detailed appraisal of the current state of peatlands in Belarus. The outcome is that the "Scheme until 2030" allocates almost all of the mires that have so far been confirmed still to be in natural (pristine) condition (684,200 ha or 29 % of the total peatland area) to nature conservation, 19,600 ha (1 %) as a reserve of 'especially valuable' peat, 99,100 ha (4 %) for commercial peat extraction, and 1,592,600 ha (66 %) for agriculture and forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]