International Petition on reforming the global system of protected natural areas and establishing Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET)

We, the undersigned, call on governments, international organizations, scientific institutions, and conservation bodies to initiate a systemic reform of the global model of nature protection.

The existing system of protected natural areas in most countries does not ensure the long-term conservation of biodiversity and natural processes at the required scale. In many cases, protected areas consist of isolated sites surrounded by zones of intensive economic use. This spatial fragmentation reduces ecosystem resilience, disrupts migration routes, limits genetic exchange between populations, and decreases the capacity of natural systems for self-regulation and recovery. The need to move from fragmented protection toward the conservation of large, interconnected natural complexes is one of the core principles of the Concept of the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility.

The TFET concept proposes the creation of a network of large territories with the conservation of ecological integrity as the primary objective. This means integrating existing protected areas, intact and low-disturbance ecosystems, buffer zones, and ecological corridors into a single system designed to preserve key habitats, migration routes, watershed systems, and other spatially interconnected natural processes. The concept explicitly calls for the unification of protected areas, the creation of biological corridors, and the revision of the current protected area model.

We call for recognition that the conservation of the biosphere requires not merely increasing the number of formally protected sites, but improving their ecological connectivity, expanding the area of intact natural core zones, and establishing buffer regimes around the most vulnerable ecosystems. TFET territories should be designated on the basis of scientific criteria, including ecosystem integrity, the presence of rare and vulnerable species, the significance of the territory for migration and reproduction of wildlife, hydrological function, climatic role, and overall landscape connectivity. This approach is consistent with the concept’s principle that the establishment and governance of such territories must be based on scientific evidence and international standards.

We call for a strict conservation priority regime to be established for TFET territories. Within such territories, activities that lead to ecosystem degradation, habitat fragmentation, and disruption of natural processes must be excluded. The concept states directly that these territories must be free from economic activities capable of damaging ecosystems.

We call for international coordination in the creation of the TFET network. Biogeographic processes, species migrations, river basins, and climate-related ecological linkages do not follow political borders. For this reason, the protection of key natural territories requires coordinated intergovernmental mechanisms. The TFET concept explicitly proposes the establishment of an International TFET Union and a TFET Support Fund for coordination, financing, scientific support, and monitoring.

In this regard, we call for the following:

1. recognition of the need to reform the current global system of protected natural areas;
2. the initiation of international development of the legal and scientific framework for Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET);
3. the designation of TFET territories on the basis of independent scientific assessment of ecological integrity and biospheric significance;
4. the establishment of buffer zones and ecological corridors between key natural territories;
5. the exclusion of economic activities capable of disrupting natural processes within TFET territories;
6. the creation of an international mechanism for coordination, scientific assessment, monitoring, and financing of TFET territories;
7. the launch of pilot international projects for the formation of the TFET network in regions of high conservation significance.

We regard the establishment of Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility as a necessary direction for the reform of nature conservation under conditions of accelerating ecosystem degradation and increasing anthropogenic pressure on the biosphere. This is a transition toward a model in which the priority is the protection of large, functionally connected natural systems rather than only individual isolated sites.

Conceptual foundation of this petition

The full English version of the Concept of the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET) is available here:

• pavel-pashkov.com/concept/en

This petition is grounded in the Concept of the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET), proposed by Pavel Pashkov as an international framework for the protection of large, interconnected, and ecologically functional natural systems.