Baltic
Fund for Nature of SPNS
was organized in 1995 as a unit of one of the oldest
scientific societies in Russia, and was at the early
stages engaged primarily in scientific (inventory-oriented)
research. As BFN developed, it approached the understanding
of the need to develop multi-faceted conservation activities
and introduce research results in NP practices.
Nordic
Agency for Development and Ecology
(founded in 1990) in the late 1990’s started working
i. a. with DANCEE projects in the Baltic region. An
important incentive for this was their interest in testing
global experience in the Russian context.
Thus,
the objective
chosen
for the Project was to
- Enhance
the system of natural diversity conservation and
- Promote
socio-economic development of the Sebezh district by
improving the Sebezhsky NP management system.
Long-term
tasks were defined as follows:
- Combine
new technologies in NP management and biodiversity conservation
with traditional Russian practices.
- Gain
experience in development and testing of mechanisms
for the Park management involving local communities.
The
immediate task was to develop and test a number of techniques
for biodiversity conservation and integrated management
of the Sebezhsky national park, in collaboration with
the Park Administration, BFN of SPNS and Nordeco
Activities
planned initially within the Planning workshop held
at the beginning of the Project included:
- Preparing
and conducting study programmes for local executants
(analysis of training demands and identification of
training activities; finding instructors and formulating
training syllabi; organizing training; conducting consultations,
working meetings, study trips).
- Organizing
the process of consultations among partners concerning
nature conservation, Park management, analysis and application
of biodiversity data, utilizing the Park’s natural resources
and cultural values.
- Developing
and implementing microprojects to test various approaches
to biodiversity monitoring, environmental education,
eco-tourism, information for visitors, development of
various forms of economic activities, publishing activities,
Park infrastructure and facilities, etc.
- Sharing
experience and disseminating results via organization
of workshops, working meetings, field trips, interactions
with other DANCEE projects, scientific and popular science
publications, cooperation with mass media.
The
ideal project implementation scheme implied concerted
planning of activities by all stakeholders, consultations
with potential executants, requisite training, identification
of specific practical activities and their implementation.
The process was to result either in initiating expansion
of the tested activity, or substantiating inefficiency
of a certain approach.
What
was done and how it was done.
- Within
the consultative process regular meetings of stakeholders,
17 workshops, meetings with local people and representatives
of various groups of population (teachers, entrepreneurs,
retired people, schoolchildren), consultations with
various experts were organized.
- Within
training for local executants a training course in participatory
approach, study trips for the Park staff and teachers,
workshops were organized. Executants qualifications
were mutually enhanced by collective field work.
- Within
the approach testing line microprojects on Sebezhsky
NP biodiversity inventory, Development of the natural
complex monitoring system, Assessment of the lake system
pollution, Organization of the “Istoki” regional eco-camp,
Preparation of a series of TV programmes and a documentary
about the National Park, Development of varietal seed
breeding of Karelian birch were developed and implemented.
In this part of the activities the Project partners
somewhat departed from the initial project implementation
scheme, since in a number of aspects there existed previously
accumulated experience (requisite consultations and
staff training already done) sufficient to start implementing
the activities directly. This was first of all research
carried out by the Pskov Field Group of BFN. As the
project implementation proceeded, however, some microprojects
transformed due to involvement of new partners, new
knowledge being obtained and consultations held.
Eventually,
major emphasis in the Project was made on developing
three lines of the NP activities:
1.
Biodiversity conservation. Development of inventory
research, assessment of anthropogenic impact on the
Park ecosystem components and eco-monitoring systems
served as the basis for working out the Sebezhsky National
Park Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan.
2.
Environmental education and public awareness activities.
Practical activities related to organizing and conducting
the regional eco-camp and organizing the eco-class,
as well as results of study trips and workshops for
teacher-activists and representatives of stakeholders
were used to develop the Sebezhsky NP Environmental
Education and Public Awareness Strategy and Action Plan.
3.
Eco-tourism and promotion. Most activities in this sphere
within microprojects focused on producing TV programmes
and a documentary about the Park, as well as supporting
Karelian birch varietal seed breeding (as a new, nature-oriented
income-generating activity for the Sebezhsky NP). Much
attention was paid to consultations with experts, organization
of study trips, which resulted in the development of
the Eco-tourism Development Strategy and Action Plan.
Since the Strategy was developed first, the Action Plan
for its implementation constituted the essence of the
eco-tourism microproject..
An important point
is that the greatest emphasis in all lines of the Project
was placed on testing various options of local people
involvement in the Park’s activities. The term “local
people” in this context included also the Park staff
living in its territory. Major stress in Biodiversity
conservation was made on training the Park staff, developing
simple monitoring techniques, and involving local knowledge
via distributing questionnaires on various topics. Priority
in the Environmental education and public awareness
programme was given to the work with schoolteachers,
and organization of awareness-oriented events. Attention
within the Eco-toursim development line was paid to
developing the information campaign, and identifying
the ways towards mutually beneficial cooperation between
the Park and local people. In addition, the Project
held a number of meetings with villagers, seminars for
the Park staff, teachers, entrepreneurs..
A
number of problems were encountered in the course of
the Project implementation. Some of the specific problems
were:
- overestimated
capacities and availability of human resources,
- attempts
to use the newly received resources to complete what
has been started before,
- the
very short planning period did not give enough time
to understand what each partner really expected from
the project,
- language
barrier.
Other
problems are clearly common for the whole region, and
the country at large. They are:
- Conservatism
in approaches: distrust of data and observations by
laymen among specialists, traditions of managing state
institutions (PA’s included) by subordination only (staff
recruitment), perception of a “protected area” as prohibitions
and limitations.
- Political
and economic instability: unclear structure of PA subordination
and the federal strategy for PA network development;
insufficient financing of PA’s and dependence on additional
funding sources.
- Poor
interactions with each other, and with other nature
conservation organizations.
The
Project resulted in organization
of 17 workshops, 3 training sessions and 2 study trips;
implementation of 8 microprojects (data on the Park
flora and fauna gathered, revised functional zoning
scheme developed, the basis for the monitoring system
prepared, priorities for tourism development, information
and promotion campaigns identified; regional eco-camp
and conference held; eco-class and library opened; regional
environmental education programme adopted). Three Strategies
and Action Plans were developed within the Project for
the main lines of the Park activities. The Project gave
an impulse for attracting other international projects
to the Sebezhsky NP and expedited the decision on construction
of sewage treatment works in the town of Sebezh. The
Project partners believe, however, that a still more
important achievement is that they learned how to interact
with each other, take notice of each other’s interests,
and could realistically evaluate the potential of new
approaches.
This project was followed by the
project
Protected area co-ordination,
networking and capacity building in European Russia
which is scheduled to
run for four years and implemented by Nordeco, BFN
and Association of Zapovedniks and National Parks in
North-West Russia.
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