Our Environment - Our city

Our Environment

Sochi. An inspiring and unique combination of snowy alpine peaks and beautiful beaches on the Black Sea coast...

Nicknamed the "Russian Riviera", Sochi is a spectacular combination of Mediterranean-like temperatures and vegetation with favorable winter sport conditions, just a short drive away. Its temperate climate, averaging 8-10 degrees Celsius along the coast, and rarely exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in summer, underpins the city’s appeal as a resort destination.

Sochi’s forests and terrain, home to unique environmental riches, are distinguished by the extreme diversity of the area’s vegetation. With more than 3,000 plant species growing in the resort area, the Sochi Resort Region includes over 200,000 hectares of forest. In fact, Krasnaya Polyana has increased from 70% forested area to 95% in the last 30 years. Forests account for more than 4,000 hectares within the city districts of Sochi and form a "green necklace" semi-circling the resort from Loo to Adler with hundreds of acres of parks and gardens; earning this spectacular landscape the honor of being designated a UNESCO world heritage site.

In the city’s suburban region, palm, banana and citrus trees thrive among forever-blooming flowers. The black sand and pebble beaches stretch for 147km along the coast of the Black Sea. Sochi’s stunning Black Sea is a spectacular sight, changing coulour depending on the weather, from blue-green to silver-grey to azure.

Sochi’s unique environment has been well-safeguarded due to the absence of large industrial factors and strict regulations applied to the existing industrial, construction, transport and agricultural enterprises, which have also contributed to the city’s high air and water quality; among the very best in the world.

Protecting and enhancing the region’s environmental riches is of the highest-importance to the Sochi bid. Sochi has implemented strict regulations in terms of construction of facilities and transport infrastructure. The Olympic works required to host the 2014 Games in Sochi will be conducted in compliance with ISO 14001 standards to ensure that negative impacts are minimized. In addition, a series of initiatives, outlined in the bid’s Candidature File, and supported by the Federal Government are intended to safeguard the unique environment of the region.

The Caucasus Mountains, which form a backdrop to Sochi, are one of the few large mountain areas in the world that have escaped significant human impact. Extensive tracts of undisturbed forests, from the lowlands to the sub-alpine zone, are unique to Europe. The mountain scenery of high peaks, wide valleys, mountain bogs and lakes contains 60 remnant glaciers and will be an unforgettable but undisturbed backdrop to the most celebrated winter sporting event in the world.

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