Pacific Environment recently led a Russian ecotourism exchange in Northern California with key leaders in the Russian ecotourism field. In a two-week intensive training, the group learned strategies for crowd control, low-impact camping, and effective community development. Additionally, through photos and stories, the delegation shared the beauty of Russia's wildlands to people who had only heard about desolate landscapes and environmental plunder. Two of our guests, Anton Zvyagin of the tour agency "Milky Way" in the Altai (Siberia), and Tatyana Mikhailova from the Kamchatka Institute of Ecology and Nature Management are experts in this field. They both offer valuable perspectives on how ecotourism im

Ecotourism is nature tourism that actively attempts to minimize negative environmental impacts, while maximizing benefits to local people. Although many tourist companies market themselves with an "eco" label, true ecotourism requires a commitment from both tourists and tour companies to get educated about the people and places they visit and to think beyond quick profits. It is this type of conscientious tourism that most environmentalists support.

But does it work? From her experience in Kamchatka, Tatyana Mikhailova says yes, but it's tough without the necessary infrastructure. She cites Bystrinskii National Park in Kamchatka as an example. The park is home to the native Even people and is gaining popularity as a destination for cultural tourism. However, there are large gold deposits within the borders of the park. Mining companies and some Even want access to the deposits and are disputing the park boundaries. Tatyana suggests, "If tourism existed as a developed industry, the native people would not hurry to trust different gold mining companies which promise only $200 a year to each citizen as compensation."

Despite the continuing controversy at Bystrinskii, the park exemplifies aspects of "good" ecotourism. As a national park, Bystrinskii has distinct recreational zones intended for tourist use. In contrast, other types of Russian preserves are closed to the public as they are designed specifically for wildlife conservation and research -- not tourism.

Anton Zvyagin is also attempting to promote ecotourism. His company is using satellite technology to assess and control human impacts on sensitive environments. He is also joining two or three camping areas into a single tour base to decrease the number of wild places being impacted. In addition, Anton's goal is to limit the number of tourists visiting a region so that the tourist load balances with the size of the local population. Finally, Anton has been organizing a network of homestays within the community, which distributes the financial benefits directly to community members. Anton points out that having people stay with families in their homes will also decrease the impact on the land.

It certainly is a challenge to develop "real" ecotourism in Russia. Anton is disappointed at the lack of qualified people to develop ecotourism projects. He comments, "High quality ecotourism organizations must have solid experience in the areas of ecology, economics, finance, and tourism." Yet this is a rare combination of skills. "Nature preserve employees often lack experience in organizing commercial activities or private sector tourism. Meanwhile, tourism companies have absolutely no idea about ecological problems."