Green Solutions for Nature Protected Areas (KA5043)
Funded by Karelia CBC 2014-2020

Objective of the project

Enhancing living and working conditions of visitors and workers alongside with reduction of negative environmental impact at the territories of Protected Areas participating in the project.

Main activities

• Learning and capacity building measures. - Study tours to the places where eco-friendly technologies of energy supply and waste utilisation are already successfully used in Finland and Karelia and training seminars - Evaluation of economic benefits and ecological impact after the pilot projects completion. • Planning, designing and introduction of different green solutions (equipment and technologies) in selected pilot sites. - Site visits to PAs (in Karelia and Finland) - selection of pilot objects, identifying of corresponding green technologies, monitoring and supervision of pilot projects implementation; - Procurement of equipment, installation and commissioning of pilot infrastructural objects. • Dissemination and promotion of project results and readymade models to be applied in other Protected Areas of Finland and Karelia

Achievements

Nature Protected Areas (PAs) are the main large “nature protection systems” in Finland and Karelia created primarily for this purpose. Preservation of biosphere and biodiversity are the main tasks of these entities. At the same time all PAs should provide access to their territory for visitors. There are two contradictory tasks PAs face when providing access to their territories - to ensure comfortable conditions of visitors’ stay with the provision of high-quality services and, at the same time, to diminish anthropogenic impact on the environment (strict rules of PAs should be followed). Due to the remoteness of these areas there are no, as a rule, energy supply networks or this networks are not reliable. It means that heat supply and electricity are not available at all for the visitors and local staff of NPAs or not so stable. So, the main question that the project should answer was: “How to improve the living and work conditions of visitors and local staff without any harm for the nature?” Project Specific Objective is: Living and working conditions of visitors and workers are enhanced alongside with reduction of negative environmental impact at the territories of Protected Areas participating in the project. The following outputs were achieved during the project: Output 1: Latest know-how and innovative technologies in sustainable and eco-friendly energy supply and waste management are obtained by the target group. Output 2: Different green solutions are planned and implemented in the selected pilot sites in Karelia and Finland. Output 3: The achieved project results are disseminated and promoted as efficient models for other Protected Areas and relevant stakeholders. What have been done: WP1 Learning and capacity building measures: 2 study tours to Finland, training of PAs personnel in Petozavdosk, on-job training of local staff in Vodlosersky NP and in Kivach NR, study/promotion tour to Vodlozersky NP WP2. Planning, designing and introduction of different green solutions (equipment and technologies) in selected pilot sites: development of technical specifications, istallation and commissionning of equipment at the pilot sites: Arjansaari Island and Hossa NP - 4 solar power stations on Arjansaari, 4 heat pumps in visit-centre of Hossa NP, 1 ntoilet on Arjansaari and 2 dry toilets in Hossa NP (new wooden buidings with 1 or 2 bio-toilets), 1 waste collection point on Arjansaari (new wooden building) Vodlozersky NP - 3 solar powers stations, 3 heat pumps air-to-air, 1 solar collector and 1 ait-to-water heat pump Kivach NR - 1 solar power station, 3 air-to-air heat pumps, 1 solar collector with uninterruptible power supply, new eco-toilet (container type) with water supply and septic. Kostomukshsky NR - Three bio-toilets BIOLAN of 2 different types were installed in Art-residence and 1 solar power station near the same residence. WP3. Dissemination and promotion of project results and readymade models to be applied in other Protected Areas of Finland and Karelia: engaging other nature protected areas in Russia and Finland to transfer knowledge and solutions elaborated in the project. Russian partners prepared a brochure on the use of heat pumps and solar energy for the broad audience including visitors that was handed out at the entrance of Vodlozersky NP. A brochure on the achievements of the project was made in Russian and English and disseminated in print and digitally. A press tour to Vodlozersky NP took place in September 2020, a project movie in November 2020. Kenozersky NP from outside the Programme region took an active part in project capacity building and already works on adoption of project outputs on their premises.