Nature Conservation Sociology
I am engaged in the development and conduct of sociological researches, training seminars and consultations.
I have been working in this direction since 2006, when I became the head of the Polistovsky Reserve. My approach became truly scientific after taking courses in nature conservation sociology with Heidi Kretser, an NYU faculty member and leading WCS sociologist. In 2018, I was lucky to become a participant in the course, and in 2020 we led a program for employees of Russian protected areas in nature conservation sociology (Human Dimension in Conservation).
One of the latest projects (2022) is sociological research in the villages of the highlands of the Central Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan), located near the Sarychat-Ertash nature reserve and the Khan Tengri nature park. The main goal of the project is the conservation of the snow leopard. In the study, it was necessary to identify conflicts between the local community and large predators and outline the main ways to resolve them.
Sociological component in the environmental project (pdf-file of the report structure)
One of the popular areas is training seminars and lectures for both students and employees of the PAs-system.
Contents of the seminar "Modern Nature Conservation System in Russia" (pdf-file of the presentation structure)
Actual work is the involvement of the local community in the activities of protected areas, most often in tourism. I went all the way in the Polistovsky Reserve, which at the beginning of my work was in a serious confrontation with the local population. As a result, it was possible not only to resolve the conflict, but also to build long-term partnerships with the local community and the district administration. The involvement of residents in economic activities made it possible to lay the foundation for the development of tourism in the reserve and improve the life of the village.
History of partnerships of Polistovsky Reserve with the local community, 2016 (pdf-file of the presentation)
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