How to make «green» news interesting for mass media: the participants of the seminar-training were on both sides of journalism, the seminar-training was conducted on October 12-13, 2009, by the Educational-methodological center of the Kamchatka PA Association “Our Sphere”, supported by the UNDP/GEF Project “Conservation of Biodiversity of Kamchatka”. More ››

05.10.2009 Grants of the UNDP/GEF Project work in Kamchatka

The UNDP/GEF Project “Demonstrating Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity in Four Protected Areas of Russia’s Kamchatka Krai” has bee working with the natural park “Nalychevo” since 2003. Much has bee done for the park during the years of creative and fruitful cooperation: the office of “Nalychevo” park was built in the town of Elizovo and environmental – educational and educational – methodological centers were equipped in it. Today we would like to tell about a few projects, which were implemented in “Nalychevo” park in summer 2009. The main areas of focus of these projects: conservation of biodiversity, awareness, application of traditional environmental knowledge in PA management. More ››

23.09.2009 United Nations Development Program launches a new Project in Kamchatka.

The delegation of UNDP representatives, officials of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation visited Kamchatka in September 10 – 16. The permanent representative of UNDP, resident coordinator of the UN system in the Russian Federation Mr. Frode Mauring, the executive coordinator of UNDP/GEF Mr. Yannik Glemarek, the UNDP/GEF programs manager Mr. Nick Sehran, the manager of UNDP ecological program for Europe and CIS Ms. Adrian Dinu, the director of the Department of strategic management (of programs) and budgeting of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Mr. Oleg Fomichev, the deputy director of the Department of trade negotiations of the Ministry of economic development of the Russian Federation Mr. Vladimir Tkachenko, staff member of the Ministry of natural resources of the Russian Federation mr. Dmintry Seliverstov, staff member of the Russian office of UNDP participated in the trip. The delegation visited Kronotsky and Komandorsky reserves, natural park “Nalychevo”. On Monday, September 14, a meeting in the Kamchatka Krai Government was held. During the meeting the results and implementation of the UNDP/GEF Projects in Kamchatka were discussed, as well as presentation of the new Project for Komandorsky Islands was made. The parties highly appreciated the contribution of the United Nations Development Program and the Global Environmental Facility in strengthening of the Kamchatka PA capacity, expressed confidence in successful development of the new UNDP/GEF Project on Komandorsky Islands, as well as they expressed deep interest in further business cooperation.

26.08.2009 The Third Far East Contest of Environmental Journalism “Living Taiga” 2009 is over. More ››

15.07.2009 One more activity, organized by the Educational - methodical center “Our Sphere” of the Association of Protected Areas with the support of the UNDP/GEF project, is over. More ››

10.07.2009 The annual tourism and visitor guide Kamchatka Explorer 2009 has been published. Colorful, information-intensive illustrated edition in Russian and English versions contains the latest information for travelers in Kamchatka. The information guide is designed for those who have visited Kamchatka peninsular as tourists or only want to do it. The edition was accomplished with the support of the Kamchatka Government, Administration of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatky urban district, Kamchatka regional department of the Party “One Russia”, Project UNDP/GEF “Demonstrating Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity in Four Protected Areas of Russia’s Kamchatka Krai – Phase 2”, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Kamchatka/Bering eco regional department.

10.07.2009 The annual tourism and visitor guide Kamchatka Explorer 2009 has been published. Colorful, information-intensive illustrated edition in Russian and English versions contains the latest information for travelers in Kamchatka. The information guide is designed for those who have visited Kamchatka peninsular as tourists or only want to do it. The edition was accomplished with the support of the Kamchatka Government, Administration of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatky urban district, Kamchatka regional department of the Party “One Russia”, Project UNDP/GEF “Demonstrating Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity in Four Protected Areas of Russia’s Kamchatka Krai – Phase 2”, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Kamchatka/Bering eco regional department.

07.07.2009 A new geyser appeared in the Kronotsky Reserve!!!More ››

07.07.2009 The UNDP/GEF project together with the Group of companies "Agroteck" holds an information campaign “Forest is the national heritage!” The purpose of the company is raising awareness about the danger of forest fires, harmfulness of forest fires and the rules of behavior in the forest. Under the action the radio quiz program on “Radio 3” are conducted, the posters and informational leaflets are issued. Look out for announcements and listen to the “Radio 3!” The UNDP/GEF project thanks the Group of companies “Agroteck” for conducting socially-oriented business and making contribution in the course of conservation of the unique forests of Kamchatka!

15.06.2009 The educational-methodical center of the Association of y protected areas of Kamchatka held a seminar-training in conducting ecological-informational excursions. On May 16-19, 2009, an educational seminar-training “Organization and conducting of ecological-informational excursions on protected areas of Kamchatka” was held in the education-methodical center “Our Sphere”, created on the basis of the Nature Park “Nalychevo” with the purpose of formation of the public support of the specially protected areas of Kamchatka Krai.

09.06.2009 April 15 became a memorable date for Bystrinsky district. In this day the first solar battery in the district was installed in the Demchikansky ranger patrol station of Bystrinsky Nature Park. This is the first step of our district in transition to the alternative sources of energy. The inverter allows to invert direct current 24 V, received from the photoelectron panels into alternative current 220 V for operation of the fridge, TV and other electric equipment. Now the ranger and tourists will be provided with electric power 24 hours a day, as the solar panels are connected with two batteries that will accumulate the necessary electric power.

07.06.2009 The representation of the photo album of Vladimir Zykov and Alexander Petrov “Kamchatka Nature Park “Nalychevo” was held in the cultural center of Krasheninnikov Library on May 29, 2009. The photo album was issued by the publishing house “Novaya Kniga” with the financial support of the UNDP/GEF Project “Kamchatka Biodiversity Conservation” and is already on sale in the stores “Novaya Kniga” in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Elizovo. Two hundred free copies were given by the Project UNDP/GEF to the Nature Park “Nalychevo”.

5.12.2008 On December 5, 2008, nearly 30 members and stakeholders of the Kamchatka Ecotourism Society gathered for a round table discussion and work session titled: “Ecotourism on Kamchatka: Development through Quality” at the Kamchatka Krai Krasheninnikov Science Library More ››

7.11.2008 From 16 to 22 of October, project-supported PA Training Center held a workshop training in fundraising for protected areas. The training was conducted by experienced trainer from Zapovednik EcoCenter. The training was guided by two chief objectives: 1) increase PA fundraisng efficiency; 2) train personnel for the PA Training Center

6.11.2008 For the first time in history of Kamchatka protected areas, an administrative case on violation of special protection regime was completed and the violator was fined. UNDP/GEF Project and Nalychevo Nature Park have been joinlty moving towards investment of park's rangers with power to issue administrative infringement notices. Finally, this issue has been resolved. In August 2008, a Nissan Terrano truck bypassed a traffic-control barrier via pristine vegetation cover thus violating Article 6.4.4 of Park's bylaws which prohibits movement of vehicles beyond designated traffic routes. Legal proceedings were initiated and the case was considered by administrative commission of Elizovo municipality. As a result, the culprit was fined for 2,500 rubles. We congratulate Nalychevo administration on this first very important step towards law enforcement in Kamchatka PA conservation area.

30.10.2008 Supported by UNDP/GEF Project, Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve (KSBR) conducted an inception meeting on the development of zapovednik's management plan until year 2013. 40 people participated in the meeting including representatives of local government, businesses and other protected areas of Kamchatka. The attendees defined priority activities and issues for KSBR.

29.10.2008 From 13 to 15 October, a workshop on innovative forms of interacting with children was held by Kamchatka Institute of Advanced Training for Teachers in PA training center

27.10.2008 Recently, a unique research project, the Kamchatka Visitor Survey, was completed with the public presentation of the results on October 23 and 24, 2008 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yelizovo, respectively. The final project report is authored by Dr. David Ostergren, of Goshen College, and formerly of University of Northern Arizona, and is based on data gathered at the Yelizovo airport from July 14, 2007 to July 14, 2008. During this time, visitors to Kamchatka filled out 3,434 surveys, with the goals to understand more about Kamchatka's visitors, to improve the quality of service to visitors, and to improve the management of our special protected areas. More ››

25.08.2008 Birds are among the most remarkable representatives of wildlife. The Project funded publication of a series of three books by the renown ornotilogist Nikolay Gerasimov, a popullizer of science: "Wintering Nearby", "Our Feathered Neighbours", "The Species Listed in the Red Book". The books provide readers with knowledge the feathered tribe. The books will be useful for teachers, students and pupils.

01.08.2008 The Project supported set-up and installation of two GIS-laboratories in Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve and Nalychevo Nature Park. Now the staff of the protected areas can avail themselves of state-of-the-art digital technologies to facilitate decision-making.

09.07.2008 Supported by UNDP/GEF Project, Bystrinsky Nature Park administration organized and rigged out an inter-agency anti-poaching brigade consisting of representatives of the park, Forestry, Militia and Federal Service for Fisheries Control(Rosselhoznadzor). During a short period from 24 to 26 April the brigade made raids into Bystrinsky nature park territory. The brigade stopped several instances of unauthorized wood chopping.

05.06.2008 The Project initiated the development of mid-term management plans for Nalychevo Nature Park, Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve and South-Kamchatka State Sanctuary.

07.04.2008 March 26, 2008, a presentation of a preliminary report on Kamchatka Visitor Survey Program was held in the cultural centre of the Krasheninnikov Regional Library.More ››

06.04.2008 The studies of protected areas organization and operation international experience is a very important component in the trainings for the stuff of protected areas. In March 2008 the representatives of Kamchatka’s nature protecting system were given the next opportunity to communicate to their foreign colleagues More ››

18.12.2007 Establishment of Kamchatka Krai PA Association announced. Each and every year is filled with memorable events, but only a few events shape history. Such a historical event was the merger of Kamchatka Oblast and Koryak Autonomous Okrug to form Kamchatka Krai, a new constituent part of the Russian Federation. So great a change in the region couldn’t help but trigger other similar changes. Namely, merger trends gave a push to multilateral stakeholder discussion which eventually resulted in the decision to establish Kamchatka Krai Protected Areas Association (KKPAA) whose place in future would be among other commendable community initiatives aimed to strengthen protected areas (PAs) management and demonstrate their social value. Thus, KKPAA was officially established on 3 December 2007. More ››

24.08.2007 A unique, year-long visitor survey is currently being undertaken by a team of Kamchatka University and high school students along with experts from Kamchatka, Russia, and the USA. Project experts agree that this is the first comprehensive study of this kind in Russia. The Kamchatka Visitor Survey project, sponsored by the UNDP/GEF project “Demonstrating Sustainable Conservation of Biological Diversity in 4 Protected Areas, Kamchatka Region,” the Kamchatka Regional Foreign Economic Relations and Tourism Division, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport, and international partners including US Forest Service, Universities of Alaska, and Northern Arizona, began surveying visitors to Kamchatka July 15, 2007.More ››

14.08.2007 July 26, 2007 UNDP/GEF Project “Kamchatka biodiversity conservation” applied to the Kamchatskaya Oblast Internal Affairs Office with the suggestion to establish the joint anti-poaching group (see the text of the letter in PDF) but faced with the full incomprehension of the importance of this work by state instances and the lack of interest in the effective cooperation in the activities held against illegal nature-use (see the response from the Kamchatskaya Oblast Internal Affairs Office in PDF). The questions, why state instances of the Kamchatskiy Krai do not want to adopt the methods practicing in the Republic of Altai for the effective counteraction to poaching, and why the effective cooperation in anti-poaching activities can not be set, still remain open.

09.08.2007 UNDP/GEF Project “Demonstrating sustainable conservation of biological diversity in four protected areas in Russia’s Kamchatka Oblast” carry on the programs for ecotourism support into all selected protected areas of Kamchatka. At present almost all selected protected areas have the ecological itineraries for tourists.

08.08.2007 August 9, the first ecological festival “Birds of Kamchatka” financially supported by UNDP/GEF Project “Demonstrating sustainable conservation of biological diversity in four protected areas in Russia’s Kamchatka Oblast” will start in the Bystrinskiy District in the Evens camp of nomads “Menedek”. The program of the festival includes the folk dances of the Bystrinskiy District dance-groups “Nulgur”, “Oryakan”, “Nurgenek”, and the national folk-dance group “Ilkiv”.

01.08.2008 Reindeer breeding problems in Kamchatka’s Bystrinskiy District More ››

26.07.2007 July 19, 2007 there was held the 3-d meeting of the Bystrinskiy Nature Park Public Council. The agenda included the questions of the park activities. There was considered the Bystrinskiy Nature Park Mapping Project. All attachments and replacements to the Project will be presented to the Kamchatskaya Region Department for Nature Resources and Environment Protection. There was also presented the information about poaching in the Bystrinskiy District. The meeting adopted the resolution to establish the anti-poaching working group in the Administration of the Bystrinskiy District. The meeting of the Public Council also made a decision about the distribution of two WWF radio stations among the patrimonial communities inhabiting the territory of the Park.

25.07.2007 July 19, 2007 in the Kamchatka Exhibition Center of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy City during the regional scientific-practical conference “Business community in Kamchatskiy Krai social and economic development” there was held the exhibition-fair of bank and finance services for urban and regional population and businessman.

02.07.2007 UNDP/GEF Project was handed the Resolution of the 55th Session of the Kamchatskaya Oblast People’s Deputies Council №2396 from June 19, 2006. One of the important agenda’s questions was the consideration of the Deputies’ Hearings Recommendations Project “Execution of World Culture and Nature Heritage Protection Convention on the territory of the Kamchatskaya Oblast – the site of world heritage ‘Kamchatka’s volcanoes”.

03.07.2007Banff Park is an illustration to the situation when the territory originally explored by a man as an industrial area (coal extraction and timbering) was transformed into Park, where people do not interfere into the natural life of animals. Peaceful co-existence of humans and animals is, first of all, the result of the people’s right behavior which allows avoiding the conflicts and needless victims from both sides. In May 2007, Mikhail Repin, the researcher from the Kronotskiy Preserve visited Banff National Park located in the Canadian province of Alberta as a participant of the scientific exchange program for brown bare population research and conservation. This program is financed by several organizations: WCS, IBA, UNDP/GEF, Canada parks, and Kronotskiy State Preserve.

02.07.200702.07.2007 The first volume of “Red Book of Kamchatka” (animals) appeared in the Internet. This action is a very important event for the conservation of the peninsula’s fauna. The Internet-version is placed and available for the users on the site http://www.kamchatsky-krai.ru/red_book_kamchatka/soderzanie.htm. The book gives the description for 126 fauna samples. Among them are: 12 insects, 1 double-folded gastropod, 30 fishes, 60 birds, 23 land and marine mammals. 272-page edition contains colorful illustrations; rare species distribution maps; information about state, quantity, distribution, biological parameters and measures for protection of rare animals.

28.06.2007 Kamchatka Ecotourism Society Participates in the Global Ecotourism Conference 2007. Martha Madsen, Vice President of the KES was invited and funded by The International Ecotourism Society to participate in the conference held in Oslo, Norway May 14-16, 2007. Her presentation was together with Tobias Luthe, of Germany, who came to Kamchatka with the TelemarkZone group of "sustainable skiers" in 2006. Their program was under the section "Innovations in Conservation and Ecotourism."More ››

10.06.2007 Valley of Geysers - what actually happened. On June 3, 2007 the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka was seriously damaged by a landslide. During the first few days contradicory news were received, even that "mudslide has destroyed geyser valley". Fortunately situation is not so tragic as media reports. The main geyser field "Vitrazh" (Stained glass) and the largest geyser Velikan (Giant) have not suffered. At the same time, several beautiful geysers lost forever, including Pervenets (Firstborn) and a group of Troynoy (Triple). Details, schemes and photos follows. More ››

05.06.2007Асcording to the most recent news a scale of the natural cataclysm that took place in the Valley of Geysers is somewhat less than it was reported initially but obviously is large enough to destroy this natural site. The mudflow that filled the valley is still watered to a great degree – it feels as if you are walking on swamp. The mudflow has totally covered 700 meters of the Valley in length, of which 300 meters constitute the most elevated and consolidated part. A total width of the mudflow is 250 meter and thickness is 60 meters (an 18-storey building). A total estimated volume of the mudflow is about 4,5 million cubic meters.

05.06.2007 A massive slide of boulders, gravel, snow and ice choked the Geyser River which runs through the world-famous Valley of the Geysers in Kamchatka’s Kronotsky Nature Preserve. Within hours, most of the valley’s geysers were submerged under waters that steadily rose behind the blockage.More ››

11.03.2007 The UNDP/GEF Project «Kamchatka’s biodiversity conservation» has again attracted the public attention to the problem of reindeer breeding in Bystrinsky district.More ››

05.03.2007 In the framework of the 14th Competition of Small Grant Program of SMESF «Sodruzhestvo» the sitting of the Advisory Council took place in the settlement of Esso on the 26th of February 2007. The members of the Council considered 9 grant projects to the total amount of 560 800 rubles. Two of these projects to the amount of 150 000 rubles are presented in the framework of the trend «Private enterprise development» and seven projects to the amount of 410 800 rubles – in the framework of the trend «Pulic society formation». The consideration of the projects was profound and continuous. As a result of the sitting 5 grant projects to the total amount of 305 200 rubles were passed to the second round of the competition. It is necessary to note that many of them require modification. The sitting of the Expert Comission, that will make the final decision about financing, is to take place at the end of March 2007.

22.02.2007 On the 21st of February 2007 after the meeting that was conducted in the office of KOGU Nalychevo Nature Park , the city of Elizovo, the UNDP/GEF Project directed the draft decision of the working wrap-up meeting on developing environmental monitoring Programs in four PAs of Kamchatka Oblast to all the participants. The draft decision was directed to the participant for the purpose of making motivated remarks and recommendations. The UNDP/GEF Project was sent the following recommendations (DOC1, DOC2 в PDF…). All the remarks and recommendations were considered and included into the Decision of the working wrap-up meeting on developing environmental monitoring Programs in four PAs of Kamchatka Oblast . (DOC3 в PDF…)