UNDP/GEF
Conservation of Biodiversity on Kamchatka's 4
Protected Areas
Best Practices in Kamchatka Ecotourism
Kamchat Kayaking Club
The Kamchat Kayaking Club is a registered regional non-commercial organization dedicated to furthering the sport of sea and river kayaking on Kamchatka. The club has put all of their efforts into learning skills of sea kayaking, and has already staged a number of challenging expeditions along Kamchatka’s wild coastline. The club’s main offering for fellow kayakers is one to 3-day trips to Starichkov Island. They offer lessons in sea kayaking for local people and visitors and also can stage trips with the kayaks for visitors who then make a donation to the club.
Principle:
- Respects and involves the community.
- Supports the conservation of nature.
- Operates in an environmentally responsible manner.
We at the KamchatKayaking Club start each tour by familiarizing our guests with local cultural traditions, and rules for behavior on the tour. To visit Starichkov Island we receive the necessary permits including those needed to visit this natural monument. As well we receive the required permit for non-Russians to visit this area as a special security area. The club takes active part in protecting nature and operating in an environmentally responsible manner when we provide tours to Starichkov Island. We educate participants in the protected status of the island. While at the island and en route they conduct informal monitoring, noting any ecological damage they see. Also we pick up lots of trash that is found washed ashore on the island. Of course we also abide by all the environmental laws of the area and practice “leave no trace” camping. We also try to watch wildlife and birds without disturbing them, maintaining a distance of at least 100 meters from them. We try to be quiet and don’t use any music players or radios or instruments around the animals and wild places. Camping places are very carefully chosen with the goal of minimizing human impacts or traces of visitors on the areas we visit. We do this by:
- Setting up our bivouacs on sandy beaches without vegetation.
- Our camps are set up in scenic areas
- Our washing area and toilet are set up no less than 70 CM from the waterline.
- We respect local people and caution our visitors about ethics of asking to photograph a person.
Principle: Provides safety and quality in all practices.
We provide safety in trips to wilderness, inform tourists about safety rules. We are also concerned with both the recreational carrying capacity of the place we visit as well as the psychological comfort of our guests. Therefore we do not have groups larger than 7 participants.
Principle: Supports the local economy.
- We buy local produce whenever possible including vegetables, milk products, meat, and fish. We use local delivery services, guides, and of course hotels.
- Also we try to motivate our guests to buy local souvenirs, accenting the visitors’ attention to the unique materials and characteristics, for example Kamchatka’s mineral and bottled water, and other local foods that have received many awards for their quality like sausages and other meat products. We also tell them about the aboriginal souvenirs that our local cultures make, but alert them to the laws against marine mammal products.
Principle: Operates in an environmentally responsible manner.
When we prepare for a trip we try to use certified quality and ecologically clean materials.
We try to use environmentally clean transport for example we cooperate with a sailing yacht for transport to different areas.
No disposable dishes or utensils are used on our routes and we try to avoid unnecessary packaging.
We also bring back our unburnable garbage and properly dispose of it.
For firewood we only use driftwood or deadfall and don’t cut or gather firewood from living trees.
We try to maintain awareness to avoid environmental damage in all that we do.
Because we get a permit for visiting the territory we kayak to, we keep in mind the protected status and the recreational carrying capacity of this area.
We offer our help and services to research and enforcement agencies for wilderness and marine science studies and actively look for ways to collaborate. We often return from our trips with data and information that is helping them to make decisions about the development and management of ecotourism and sustainable development of the area.Principle: Supports the conservation of nature.
* We follow the local laws.
As well we inform our visitors of how they can make financial or practical contributions to support local conservation initiatives, give them information about these organizations.
We directly participate in conservation ourselves by:
* Monitoring the conditions of the ecosystems we visit.
* Cleaning the beaches or areas of garbage.
* Help the protected areas with particular tasks
* Inform the protected areas of any illegal activities we see.
* We have helped several of the main marine research organizations on Kamchatka with transportation to their research areas.
* Under their instruction we have gathered data.
* We have started our own research about the recreational carrying capacity of the places we visit to avoid damaging them from overuse.Principle: Promotes joy and knowledge on the tour.
Principle: Safety and quality on the whole tour.
We start the tour by giving information about the local culture, history, route, and of course rules for behavior. We also send them a recommended reading list.
With us on the tour we carry first aid kit, satellite telephone, flares for scaring bears. All of our guides annually go through training in ethnography, biology, geography, history, ecology, first aid, and prior to the summer season refresh their rescue and emergency kayaking skills with 3-day courses at a swimming pool. We work with the federal rescue service aquatic division for safety and rescue training on the water.
Also prior to a trip we register our trip plan with the rescue service and receive frequent weather information.
All clients must be insured and prior to the trip fill out a “medical condition form” that not only tells of any special conditions but also of any dietary requirements.
Following the tour we ask clients to fill out a written evaluation about the trip and we use this to learn how to improve how we work.
Contact: Regional Kamchat Kayaking Club
Mstislav Sokolovskiy and Anna Zavadskaya
info@KKclub.ru www.KKclub.ru