The Nenets Autonomous Area authorities have thrown their weight behind an environmentalist initiative to create a national park on Vaigach Island, TASS reports, citing Governor Igor Koshin's message on VKontakte.

"Designating the island a federal protected nature area will allow us to conserve the polar bear and walrus population and also create new jobs. The Nenets Autonomous Area authorities support this environmentalist initiative," Koshin wrote following the visit of an expedition organized by WWF Russia and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to the island to make a case for creating a national park.

At present, the nature reserve on Vaigach Island and the adjacent smaller islands has regional status.