THE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION CENTER’S
ADOPT A PROTECTED AREA PROJECT:
RESULTS 2001-2002
In 2000-2002 the Biodiversity Conservation Center (BCC), with the support
of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation implemented an eco-educational
project called Adopt a Protected Area. The project is intended to promote
the expansion of Russia’s nature conservation community and public control
over protected natural areas (PNAs). The Project is focused primarily on
collaboration with environmentally aware teachers and groups of children
who want to learn more about wildlife.
Project Participants
By June 1, 2002, there were 177 participants in the Project. Most active were the teachers of supplementary education (at young naturalists stations, of junior natural history study groups, at ecological and leisure centers) as well as schoolteachers engaged in extracurricular work with children. NGOs focusing on practical conservation work and ecological education also participated. Meanwhile, the involvement of government conservation organizations was critically low.
Sixty of Russia’s 89 regions are represented in the Project. The best situation is with North-West Federal District (all regions, except Kaliningrad and the Nenetsky Autonomous Area), the Central Federal District (all regions, except Kostroma and Kursk) and the Urals Federal District (all regions, except Kurgan and the Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Area). The worst situation is with the Far East (3 regions only). In the other Districts the percentage of the regions involved comprises between 50% and 70%.
Supervised PNAs
The projects involve 480 protected natural areas: 113 zakazniks
(category of protected areas), 355 nature monuments, 7 national parks and
5 nature reserves.
Participants with experience in collaboration with protected natural areas selected some of the PNAs (among them national parks and nature reserves which are not the priority of the Project). Most of the PNAs were selected and offered to participants by the curator of the project after a preliminary analysis. Most are located in populated areas or nearby (parks, woodlands, memorial trees, water springs, river food-lands, etc.). The selection of the areas for the Project was done on the following principles:
Objects’ greatest exposure to negative anthropogenic impact;
Accessibility for project participants;
Relatively simple methods of monitoring and rehabilitation;
Maximum social effect from positive results of Project activities.
Individual Work With Warticipants
Work with Project participants involves a constant dialogue by mail. Groups participating in the Project range from secondary-school students to college students, therefore their abilities and conservation experience cannot be compared. In this situation the only way of cooperating and coordinating efforts is through personal communication. Participants were divided into groups in accordance with the level of complexity of the work they were to do. The main topics of the correspondence were the selection of protected areas, the most efficient and applicable methods of collaboration with the PNAs, specific targets and local specifics in wildlife management. In the correspondence they also discussed the results achieved, provided participants with detailed instructions, consulted them on different issues and evaluated the experience of their colleagues. Over 500 letters were written; and two fieldwork manuals were issued. All the participants received a set of Wildlife Conservation Journal Publications.
The Basic Outputs
The project has passed the preparatory and organizational phases. The network of groups starting to “adopt” protected natural areas has been created, and the first list of supervised PNAs is has been determined.
Children’s ecological organizations were provided with an opportunity to make a practical contribution to nature conservation within the framework of a Russian program.
PNA monitoring and condition assessment was carried out. In a number of cases the PNAs were genuinely helped.
Project participants have gained practical conservation skills; they have faced the problems of protected areas and realized the necessity of specific actions to protect and conserve the nature around them.
Project Prospects
Support and development of the system of PNA curators;
Involvement of new participants in the project;
Improvement of methodical base, exchange of experience between participants (publication of conference materials), publication of educational handbooks;
Encouragement of NGOs to supervise protected natural areas.
Do join us!
Write to the BCC in Moscow BCC or to this e-mail address: zakaznik@biodiversity.ru
