The organizations signed a cooperation agreement. The document is aimed at joint work in various areas, as well as the implementation of projects for environmental protection, science, environmental education and tourism. The parties agreed to exchange information, interact, cooperate and provide each other with assistance in the field of protection of the territory, compliance with the norms and rules of environmental legislation. The cooperation is planned in the field of research, tourism and environmental education. The document also provides for joint events, projects, meetings.
Joint activities under the agreement are non-commercial, do not pursue the goal of making a profit in any form and are carried out on a mutually beneficial basis.The territories of the Sochi National Park and the Caucasian Reserve border. The two protected areas are interconnected - wildlife has no borders, animals move from the national park to the reserve and vice versa, trails move from territory to territory. For many guests and locals alike, there is no difference at all between the two natural areas. Therefore, it is obvious that every year the need for a document regulating the relationship between natural areas is only growing.
«This agreement gives us the opportunity to study together natural processes and objects. For example, the Shahe River: one bank belongs to the reserve, the other to the national park. Science studies the right bank separately, the left bank separately, and there are no joint activities, information transfer. And this is very important for science. And there is already an agreement on conducting joint surveys,» said the director of the Caucasian reserve Sergei Shevelev.
«The most important thing is the protection of animals and plants. Following signing the agreement, we are preparing an action plan for the next year and we will adhere to this plan. We will conduct joint patrols, and further work will be built not only in the protection, but also in other areas of the reserve and the Sochi National Park,» said Mikhail Lapin, director of the Sochi National Park.
The heads of the protected areas discussed the possibility of holding joint conservation measures and joint training in the near future. In particular, employees of scientific departments can conduct joint winter animal counts. The agreement will also allow the start of work in the field of tourism and environmental education. For example, organize a joint center for the training of guides and tour guides.
Previously, the two specially protected natural areas cooperated only within the framework of specific projects, for example, a program for the reintroduction of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus. The same document, covering almost all aspects of the work, is being signed by PAs for the first time. The agreement is valid until the end of 2022 with the possibility of extension.
Blogs
