Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Dan Reifsnyder, accompanied by representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. National Park Service, traveled to Moscow on April 18-21 to meet with officials from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Federal Forestry Agency, as well as with representatives from environmental NGOs. During his visit, Reifsnyder and his counterparts addressed a wide range of topics including: the establishment of closer relations between parks in the Bering Strait region, protected areas management, forest preservation, endangered species and habitat protection, black carbon, and other issues related to global climate change. It was agreed that working group coordinators will travel to the Russian Far East, later this summer, to promote environmental cooperation and projects in the region. In addition to his official schedule, Reifsnyder and the U.S. delegation also participated in local Earth Day events, including planting a tree at an eco-friendly pre-school and talking about U.S.-Russia bilateral environmental cooperation with university and high schools students at the Moscow State University Department of Environmental Engineering.
Watch Dan Reifsnyder’s video blog on 2011 as the International Year of Forests.
