Sustainability Under Pressure: Environmental Resilience in natural and cultural heritage areas with intensive recreation (KA5033)
Funded by Karelia CBC 2014-2020

Objective of the project

Improving environmental resilience of the target areas of the project.

Main activities

• Conduct environmental monitoring to outline case specific problems. -Identification of main environmental problems, the natural setting and potential solutions -Development of a DPSIR framework for each site (including conceptual model and risk assessment); -Outline of cost-efficient solutions and remediation options. -Raising efficiency of environmental monitoring • Implementation (construction) of pilot cases. -Waste management pilot project improvements in Kizhi and Vodlozero; -Place warning and awareness-building signs in important sites; -Landscapes support measures • Capacity building of the target groups enabling participatory sustainable development of the territories. -Benchmarking measures to find out best practicies in environmental management. -Educational actions to raise environmental awareness and professional competences (study-tours, meetings and events, publications). • Management, communication, dissemination and project assessment.

Achievements

The project SUPER: «Sustainability Under Pressure: Environmental Resilience in natural and cultural heritage areas with intensive recreation» (SUPER) has lasted over two years (October 2018 – January 2021) and was aimed at creating conditions to improve the environmental resilience of the pilot areas: Kizhi State Open Air Museum and its buffer zone with more than 20 villages, Vodlozersky biosphere reserve and national park, including Kuganavolok village, North Karelia biosphere reserve in Finnish – Russian border region (National parks Koli and Petkeljarvi) and Rokua Geopark located 100 km from Oulu and Kajaani cities. The partners’ network united research institutions, protected areas representatives and stakeholders of the environment management sphere: Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, Forest Administration Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland, Kizhi State Open Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography, National Park “Vodlozersky” and Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for North Karelia, Finland; whole processes were supported and coordinated by the Lead Partner – Association «Centre for Problems of the North, Arctic and Cross-border Cooperation». During the project implementation, the comprehensive approach to the identified issues was adhered. . Three main directions were: research, infrastructural improvements, and communication and visibility actions. Within the research direction, it was aimed at conducting environmental monitoring and figuring out case-specific problems. The research work was done within 3 stages: 1 – in summer 2019 the united team of the Russian and Finnish researchers visited Russian pilot areas – Kizhi Island and Vodlozersky National Park to collect the materials for soil, hydrological and plant cover analysis; 2 – despite the inability to hold second unite expedition to pilot areas in 2020, in the late summer Russian researchers participated in the additional field works on soil and plant cover research; the new direction of the research was the microplastics contamination analysis; 3 – the research and analysis findings resulted in the 190 – pages DPSIR report.  In order to build up protected areas resilience, the infrastructural improvements were made:1 – in Kizhi skerries the 3 stations for the temporary storage of the sorted waste were installed, the composting station was constructed, waste containers were purchased and the metheostation for environmental monitoring was set up (all these actions led to the 9-times increase in the effectiveness of the waste management system, for example, in 2018 - 598 kg of glass was collected, by the end of the project the amount of glass was 5137 kg); 2 –  in Vodlozersky National Park waste treatment facility with the sorting station, premises for press and glass crusher was organized, waste containers were purchased and installed; in Koli National Park 2 toilet renovation works were done, containers and ashtrays were purchased and installed, more than 20 info-boards and signs with sorting waste instructions and hiking rules were installed in Koli and Petkeljärvi National Parks.