style='font-size:16.0pt;text-transform:uppercase'> 

style='text-transform:uppercase'>The style='text-transform:uppercase'>Kamchatka style='text-transform:uppercase'> Roundtable on Protected Area Management

style='text-transform:uppercase'>May 11- 13 style='text-transform:uppercase'>Petropavlovsk style='text-transform:uppercase'> – Kamchatsky

lang=EN-US style='text-transform:uppercase'> 

Introduction

 

The UNDP/GEF lang=EN-US>Project "Demonstration of sustainable conservation of
biodiversity in four Russian Kamchatka PAs” is now in its third year of
implementation.  The main goals of the project are to strengthen PA management
capacity, develop infrastructure for nature protection and tourism, review environmental
legislation, create alternative livelihoods for local population, raise the professional
level of PA staff, and increase public awareness of Kamchatka lang=EN-US>'s biodiversity values.  Implementation of the Project to date has
been highly successful, but the Project is now at an important juncture, with
new implementation challenges and opportunities to address as it enters into
its second phase, which is scheduled to last four years. 

 

Two of the central elements of the
Project's second phase will be to build capacity for managing lang=EN-US>Kamchatka's PAs, especially by providing
more intensive training of PA staff, and to raise awareness of the need for
biodiversity conservation in Kamchatka lang=EN-US>.  In particular, the Project seeks to establish a training center
in Kamchatka that would conduct permanent educational programmes for the whole Russian
Far East region, with the participation of both Russian and international PA specialists. 
The Training lang=EN-US>Center will also provide training for
tourism companies specializing in ecotourism in the PAs.   

 

To help meet the
Project's essential objectives of capacity building, ecotourism development,
and awareness raising, the Project has decided to host a Roundtable discussion
in the Spring of 2005.  The Roundtable will bring together experts from lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Russia style='color:black'>, the United
States, and potentially lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Australia style='color:black'> who have a high degree in protected area and wilderness/zapovednik
management.  Among the Roundtable's specific objectives are to generate
technical input and recommendations for developing the training center,
planning for awareness raising events in Kamchatka in the Fall of 2005, and
developing recommendations for ecotourism development.

 

This Roundtable will be
very timely in that it will provide technical support at an early stage of the
Project's second phase, and also because it will help position Kamchatka's
conservation community for the 8^th World Wilderness Congress, which
will be held in September-October 2005 in Anchorage Alaska. The Congress will
bring together experts in wilderness and protected area conservation from lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Alaska style='color:black'>, and from around the world, including a lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Kamchatka style='color:black'> delegation that will make presentations about lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Kamchatka style='color:black'>'s biodiversity and conservation activities.  The Congress
will include state of the art information on wilderness and wildlands
conservation and will present excellent opportunities for training, and technical
exchanges.  The Congress' Alaska location will make it especially relevant to
the Kamchatka delegation, and the awareness raising events planned in Kamchatka
in 2005 will include presentations and reports from the Kamchatka delegation's
activities in Alaska during the Congress.

 

The Project is
partnering with The WILD Foundation (U.S.A.) to help implement the Roundtable. 
The WILD Foundation has significant experience developing wilderness management
training sessions, and strong partnerships with style='color:black'>U.S. government
agencies with expertise in wilderness management.  The WILD Foundation is also
the organizer the 8^th World Wilderness Congress and will be
contributing funding to facilitate the participation of the lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Kamchatka style='color:black'> delegation at the Congress. 

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The Roundtable

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style='color:black'>Participants and Speakers will be drawn from several
organizations, including: The Administration of Kamchatskaya oblast, Kamchatka
Project UNDP/GEF, staff from Kamchatka lang=EN-US style='color:black'>'s PAs, style='color:black'>Kamchatka
environmental NGOs, “Zapovedniki” Environmental lang=EN-US style='color:black'> Education lang=EN-US style='color:black'> Center lang=EN-US style='color:black'>, Phoenix Fund, Kamchatka Ecotourism Operators,
the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (USA), The Aldo Leopold
Wilderness Research Center (USA), and the Bureau of Land Management (USA).

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style='color:black'>Goals of the Roundtable:

lang=EN-US style='color:black'> 

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>       
Develop recommendations for Kamchatka
PAs in the field of management and guard work, in particular with respect to
capacity building and developing a staff training center in lang=EN-US style='color:black'>Kamchatka style='color:black'>;

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>       
Develop recommendations for
further ecotourism promotion in Kamchatka lang=EN-US style='color:black'>;

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>       
Develop a plan for environmental
awareness raising events in Kamchatka lang=EN-US style='color:black'>;

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>       
Further exchange/networking
between national and foreign experts.

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style='color:black'>Main subjects for discussion:

lang=EN-US style='color:black'> 

• History
  and current state of the Kamchatka PAs;


• Review
  of results of the first phase of the UNDP/GEF Kamchatka Project;


• Review
  of system of management and ranger service organization in the PAs;


• Next
  steps in capacity building for Kamchatka lang=EN-US>'s PAs: establishing and operating a staff training center;


• Where
  and how to develop  ecological tourism in Kamchatka lang=EN-US>;


• Training
  for Kamchatka PA's and local tourism companies' staff;


• Raising
  ecological awareness and work with local communities;


• Building
  regional ties to Kamchatka's
  PA system and presentation of the 8^th World Wilderness Congress
  in Anchorage lang=EN-US>Alaska, Sept.-Oct. 2005.

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style='color:black'>Russian and international specialists will be invited to
take part in the further development of the Roundtable's agenda and its
implementation, and offers to participate and help organize the event will be
accepted until March 1, 2005 lang=EN-US style='color:black'>.  Please send applications for participation in
the Roundtable and requests for more information to:

style='color:black'> 

Office 400, lang=EN-US>29/1 Karl Marx Ave., lang=EN-US>Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, lang=EN-US>Russia, 683031

Telephone
number: +7 (415-22) 9-19-70, telefax
number +7 (415-22) 9-08-24,  

 E-mail addresses:
office@unkam.ru lang=EN-US>, stukalov@unkam.ru

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Detailed information on
the Roundtable logistics will be mailed to the participants after March 15, 2005 style='color:black'>.