Articles on Eco-Tourism in Russia's National Parks from the For Discussion section of RCN#17

Two articles from the For Discussion Section.
This Issue's Topic:
Ecotourism in Russia's Zapovedniks:
Sustainable Development, or a Direct Road to Ruin?

Ecotourism: Direct Road to Ruin
by Dr. Olin B. Rhodes, Jr.

I write these words having just spent four days within Denezhkin Kamen, a Zapovednik located deep in the Ural mountains. I am fortunate to have experienced this adventure and to have worked with the Zapovednik staff over the past two years from my position as an Assistant Professor of wildlife ecology at Purdue University. Our work together has focused on the scientific aspects of the Zapovednik system, encompassing both nature protection and long-term ecological monitoring. The goal of our collaboration and that of the symposium we have just held with a subset of the Ural mountains Zapovedniks is to use modern technologies, such as GIS, to enhance the abilities of the preserve personnel to collaborate with one another, as well as with western scientists. We recognize that there are many challenges ahead for the Zapovednik system, in light of the economic and political changes that are now occurring in Russia, and our strategy is to help the preserves to survive without altering their basic mission and unique status in the global environmental scheme. Russian Zapovedniks, despite their turbu lent history, represent a rather unique opportunity for the global environmental community to invest in true preservation of natural territories and a chance for long-term ecological research to exist within the framework of large, set aside areas rather than within the matrix of a human dominated landscape.

The issue it seems is how to help Zapovedniks survive in light of the current financial crisis. I am told that tourism and the dollars that such activities would bring is one potential solution to the problem. I will not argue that tourism would not in fact bring dollars to the preserves, it probably would. However, when the last guest lodge is built and the multitude of amenities that tourists require are in place, there will be no more Zapovedniks. For it is the very absence of people that defines the Zapovednik system. In essence, to save the Zapovednik system with tourist dollars would be to destroy it and with that destruction comes the loss of something that is integral to Russian society and the oneness of the Russian people with their land.

I am a scientist, and being a scientist I see the value of the Zapovednik system for what it is today and has been for decades. It is a wealth of knowledge and promise for our future. It is a system of strictly protected lands in a world where so few such lands exist. It is a basis to stimulate collaboration between east and west using the language of science as its foundation. It is a global resource that deserves our best efforts for its protection, not its well-intended, yet unknowing destruction. It is an opportunity for preservation in a world where few such opportunities are left.

Russia is a country with vast natural resources and many opportunities for tourist activities that would not involve the loss of the Zapovednik system as a cost. For instance, many of the lands now managed by the Federal Forest Service of Russia would make spectacu lar additions to the National Park system of Russia and would not require the loss of the Zapovednik mission. A Zapoved nik changed to a national park for tourists is forever a national park; the land cannot be recovered to its former purpose.

Ironically, as is often the case, we are on the same side. While we all wish to save this undeniably unique resource for posterity, we differ only in our method of salvation. My arguments are simple in that I am convinced that the introduction of tourists into the Zapovednik system will inherently lead to its destruction. My strategy is based on the fact that Zapovedniks are valuable scientific and societal resources. However, as with all such assessments of natural value, the global value of Zapovedniks is a human- derived quantity and cannot be demon strated without our help. Given the length of time that Zapovedniks have persisted and the wealth of information that they have accumulated in their Chronicles of Nature (Letopis' Prirody), I. submit that their scientific and societal values can be demonstrated effectively. Furthermore, I propose that their world wide value can be demonstrated by building effective collaborations with western scientists, leading to the genera tion of funding toward the support of their mission and the achievement of a greater public awareness of what the Zapovednik system has to offer the world.

Dr. Olin E. Rhodes, Jr. is an Assistant
Professor of wildlife ecology at Purdue
University.

Ecotourism: an Opportunity for Sustainable Development
by Elena Nikitina

A fter 80 years of isolation, Russia's Zapovedniks are beginning to seize the attention of "adventure tourists" worldwide. During the Soviet period, strict limitations and prohibitions against entering nature reserves helped to protect nature in its wild state. Today, with more relaxed international borders and changes in the management regime of these reserves, Zapovedniks are more accessible to "ecotourists" and can offer a wilderness experience unparalleled in the world.
Ecotourism, which encompasses a range of activities including scientific tours, student internships, trips for nature lovers, bird-watching trips, and filming expeditions, is a relatively new phenom enon in Russia. One of the first tours occurred in 1992, when a British film crew shot footage of the Amur tiger in Lazovski Zapovednik in the Russian Far East.

In 1995 a feasibility study on ecotourism was conducted in the Russian Far East within the framework of the Environmental Policy and Technology (EPT) project. This study revealed great poten tial to develop ecotourism as an attrac tive and economically viable activity. Also, it concluded that ecotourism, taking the need for resource conserva tion into account, was the most logical type of tourism to promote in the region.

The following year, in 1996, the Russian Programme Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched a project for the development of ecotourism in the Primorski (Maritime) Region of the Russian Far East (please refer to the accompanying article [in the Biodiversity Briefings] "WWF- Ecotourism Project: Lessons Learned from the Russian Far East ). The project demonstrated that although there are divergent opinions about ecotourism development in nature reserves, many Zapovednik managers view the idea positively and believe that they could be successful in organizing ecotours.

Lotus (Netumblum), Ktlankaiski Zapovednik. Photo by E. Nikitina Under the right circumstances, ecotourism can greatly enhance the activities of Russia's nature reserves. For instance, ecotourism can play an important role in environmental education. Zapovedniks in the Primorski Region are now beginning to realize that their work cannot be successful without the understanding and strong support of the general public. Ecotourism offers an effective tool in raising public awareness: nothing is more effective in encouraging respect for protected areas than direct personal experience with nature. Ecotourism may also take the form of scientific tours, which open the door to the international scientific community and opportunities to start joint projects.

Besides its educational value, ecotourism can provide an additional source of finan cial support sorely needed during this time of drastic budget cuts in governmen tal funding for protected areas. Because ecotourism does not require extensive infrastructure, it is not a great imposition on the Zapovednik; it can provide revenue with minimal initial investments. In addition to the basic fee paid by tourists, Zapovedniks occasionally receive supplemental donations or other contribu tions from guests who realize that a little extra funding can be of great help to the Zapovednik.

The benefits of ecotourism also extend beyond the reaches of the Zapovedniks. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many regional economic activities have collapsed. Faced with high unemployment, local communities have begun to depend on traditional economic activities such as keeping livestock, haymaking, and hunting. Ecotourism can help alleviate the negative influence of these activities on nearby protected areas by providing an alternative economic incentive for the local people.

One of greatest advantages of ecotourism development is its minimal negative ecological impact. Most of the ecotourists visiting Zapovedniks are very conscious of the area's fragility. Experience has shown that if tourists are informed about the rules and regulations in a protected area, it is highly likely that they will observe them. Moreover, ecotourists set positive examples for local people by gathering litter left on the trails and hauling it back to the villages.

Nonetheless, a certain compromise always exists between ecotourism development and the conservation of completely intact wilderness areas. In order to minimize negative consequences of ecotourism and maximize its benefits, serious planning and preparation are required. The number of tourists in Zapovedniks should be limited and regulated through a detailed selection process. The organization of long and highly specialized (and more expensive) ecotours for a few groups seems to be the most appropriate option for Zapovedniks.

Another way to reduce the effects of ecotourism is to restrict tourists to the buffer zones of the Zapovedniks, areas surrounding the core protected area in which some limited human activities are permitted. This allows the Zapovednik to maintain a strict nature protection regime and conduct scientific research on the primary part of their territory. Ecotourism in the buffer zone does not necessitate the construction of large, new lodges on the territory of the Zapovedniks. Rather, accommodations could be arranged in bordering villages with host families, an option often more desirable for ecotourists who wish to become acquainted with local culture as well as nature. Thus, if properly organized, it is evident that ecotourism can simultaneously meet conservation, education, publicity, and economic objectives of the Zapovednik.

Elena Nikitina is the coordinator of the
ecotourism project within WWF's Russian
Far East Program.
(Her other article from this section discussed the WWF Ecotourism Project: Lessons Learned from the Russian Far East.)

Home

Top