Project title

Enhancing biodiversity and ecotourism in Russia

The overall purpose of the project is to improve biodiversity conservation and to promote ecosystem services provided by protected areas (PAs) through education, capacity building and sustainable tourism development in PAs in Russia.

The main objectives of the project are:

1. to enhance environmental protection efforts and to stimulate local economies through sharing knowledge, transferring know-how, initiating collaborative partnerships and networks;
2. to spearhead the effective development of sustainable tourism initiatives in Russian PAs by providing practical support and capacity building;
3. to educate and train managers of protected areas in modern STD management, and in the application of economic and financial tools with direct benefits to both the environment and local communities living in and around PAs;
4. to help identify market opportunities for PAs as an attractive tourist destination and build a common platform for promoting them at the international level;
5. to enhance the role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation in Russia.