2008 Alaska Park Science Symposium
October 14, 2008
Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage Resources in a Time of Rapid Transformation of the Economy and the Environment in the Kamchatka Region of Russia
Bill Overbaugh1, Peter Fix2, Linda Kruger3, Dan McCollum4, David Ostergren5, Alan Watson6
1Bureau of Land Management, USA, Bill.Overbaugh@ak.blm.gov
2University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA, ffpjf@uaf.edu
3USDA Forest Service, PNW, USA, lkruger@fs.fed.us
4USDA Forest Service, RMRS, USA, dmccollum@fs.fed.us
5Northern Arizona University, USA, David.Ostergren@NAU.EDU
6Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, USA, awatson@fs.fed.us
Sustainable ecotourism development is often described as having four basic aspects requiring in-depth understanding and consideration: visitation, economics, financing, and the environment. There were widespread effects on many aspects of Russia’s Far East after the Russian government economic default in 1998. Russian citizens struggled on limited income through 2002, though estimates ranked Russia third in the world for the number of billionaires. An emerging part of society has been the managers in Russian industry that receive high wages and demonstrate increased interest in travel and tourism within Russia and across Europe. The national government is paying off debt ahead of time, consumers are reporting very low debt, and new growth in the economy is anticipated. Russians have a long tradition of nature-based activities near home, including hiking, cross-country skiing, viewing nature, and relaxing at spas or dachas. The Kamchatka Peninsula, however, is emerging as a nature based vacation destination in Russia. Federal and regional protected areas are attracting and host Russian and international tourists. A cooperative study in 2007 and 2008 brought Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife Service managers and scientists in Alaska together with university scientists, Kamchatka managers and UNDP representatives to better understand the visitation and economics aspects of sustainable tourism development in Kamchatka. In a survey of over 1300 tourist visitors to Kamchatka, over half were from Russia, followed by the U.S., Germany and France. In economic terms, however, visitors reporting in euros or dollars spent over $3,000 per trip, while those reporting in rubles spent an average of $1125 per trip. Where these expenditures were made obviously varied by country of origin, also. In the near future, Russia expects a breakthrough in economic gains, with a potential significant rise in consumption and personal income. Current and anticipated spending patterns of discretionary income among Russians could greatly influence transition of this relatively low density frontier in the Far East of Russia.
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