Tourism in Protected Areas
I have generalized and systematized various sources of information on the relationship between tourism and nature conservation, and reworked and adapted foreign experiences. The main objective is to ensure that visitors to protected areas not only do not cause damage to nature, but also contribute to its conservation; in other words, how to make tourism a tool for nature protection. Therefore, most of my projects are related to tourism in one way or another.
My most important experience comes from my years at Polistovsky Reserve, developing tourism, as they say, “from scratch”. There were opportunities to participate in the preparation of texts for excursions, lead test groups, work on quality of services and analyze feedback from visitors.
Now I have already taken part in the development of tourism in dozens of Russian protected areas and have a fairly good idea of both systemic problems and individual characteristics. Therefore, I am more often engaged in the work of the "top level" - the development of concepts and strategies for the development of tourism.
Also, over four years I developed more than ten design concepts for visitor centers and trails, at least three of which have been built and opened to visitors: in South Kamchatka Reserve, Taganay National Park, and Pasvik Nature Reserve.
Often there is a need to examine and analyze "what is wrong" with existing approaches to tourism from the point of view of conservation benefits, i.e., assessing its impact on conservation. I therefore conduct analytical work as necessary to understand how existing tourism facilitates nature conservation and what improvements can be made.
I also conduct seminars for Protected Areas staff on the topic, "Why is tourism needed in PAs?".
Examples of my work:
Concept and strategy for development of tourism in Kronotsky Reserve (pdf-file of document structure).
Concept of visitor center and "Semibratka" trail, Taganay National Park (pdf-file of document structure).
Assessment of excursion activities of Sikhote-Alin Reserve (pdf-file of document structure).
Nature conservation tourism seminar structure (pdf-file of presentation structure).
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