Environment and Well-Being Expertise into Business Activity in the Arkhangelsk Gateway
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The goal of the project was to increase and strengthen business activities based on nature in the Kenozero and Rokua regions by identifying and strengthening the possibilities of environment and nature entrepreneurship and by creating new products.

Main activities

• Identifying the entrepreneurs and actors planning entrepreneurship in industries that support Rokua and its nearby areas, arrangement of a meeting to discuss Rokua area’s opportunities and future plans for closer cooperation • Developing information Centre Suppa into an environmental information point for entrepreneurs in the region, constructing an exhibition to attract tourists • Gathering and summarizing environmental education material from protected areas in Finland and Russia • Design and publication of a Rokua book in cooperation with another project.

Achievements

The project identified the entrepreneurs and actors planning entrepreneurship in industries that support Rokua and its nearby areas and arranged a meeting for them. The Rokua area's opportunities were discussed at the meeting and future plans were made for more close cooperation. Similarly, discussions were engaged in with entrepreneurs potentially coming to the Rokua region. Information Centre Supa was developed into an environment information point for entrepreneurs in the region. An exhibition was constructed in the centre, which supported tourism in the region. In addition, work was started for gathering information for its information bank. By gathering and summarising environmental education material from both Finnish and Russian protected areas, a project was started to assemble and publish the best guide and learning materials from the Green Zone and Baltic Sea countries. Metsähallitus will produce the material for distribution using the environmental Green Zone education material gathered in the project. In addition, a Rokua book was designed and published together with another project. The project has promoted the strategy to develop Rokua and has increased the international networking of the region. Cooperation between the Rokua region and Russian environmental protection areas was started during the project. The cooperation worked rather well. The cooperation with the Kenozero National Park is presumed to continue also in the future. In addition, the cooperation with other Russian protected areas has continued, as will the environmental education cooperation between Rokua and Metsähallitus, too. Rokua area’s possiblities for inclusion in the international Geopark network were also assessed. The main goal of the network’s cooperation is to preserve geological heritage and to promote sustainable development in the regions. Rokua finally became part of the network in 2010. The activities initiated in the project will be continued by the municipalities in the region and Humanpolis Rokua.