Opportunities to deliver sustainable management of protected areas and special landscapes

1. Opportunities to deliver sustainable management of protected areas and special landscapes Paul Goriup Director, Fieldfare International Ecological Development plc

2. Fieldfare International • A public, PBB company established in 1996; 25 shareholders including WWF and Doen Foundation • Invests in small PBB enterprises in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania • Operates via a subsidiary in Odessa, JV in Bulgaria and partner in Romania

3. PAs and Revenue Sources • Certified sustainable forestry and agriculture • Natural resource harvesting • Gene banks • Ecosystem service maintenance • Carbon sequestration & offset • Renewable energy • Low impact tourism

4. Renewable Energy

5. Forestry – bulk wood and chip • Micro-hydropower • Briquette & pellet production Renewable Energy Examples

6. Wind farms • Barrages • Biofuels Renewable Energy: Potential Threats

7. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

8. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

9. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

10. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

11. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

12. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

13. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

14. Wetland Management and Renewable Energy, Ukraine

15. Ecotourism

16. Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples. What is Ecological Tourism?

17. What is Ecological Tourism? • Conscientious, low-impact visitor behaviour • Sensitivity towards, and appreciation of, local cultures and biodiversity • Support for local conservation efforts • Sustainable benefits to local communities • Local participation in decision-making • Educational components for both the traveller and local communities

18. Low numbers, quiet (electric powered) boat in wetlands • Photo-hunting; watching • Involving local people Good Practice Examples

19. Uncontrolled access = erosion • Poor waste management, unsightly hotels • Definitely not good ecotourist behaviour Not Good Practice

20. Protected Areas • Accommodation • Guides • Tour companies Certification (Quality Control)

21. Provide a sense of place of an area or region • Help protect an area and enhance its identity • Provide a tourism resource and promote sustainability Visitor Centre Functions

22. Location is crucial – access and link to local community • Construction must be local, sustainable and low maintenance • Interpretation must be appropriate, tell a story and use different media Visitor Centre Design

23. Ecotourism in Ukraine • This is a completely new sector in the country with very unclear legal situation. • Most companies just take people to the countryside for picnics, with no interpretation of their surroundings • Companies do not share benefits with nature and local people

24. Ecotourism Challenges • Protected Areas are not prepared for ecotours – guides are used to school parties and have a poor level of special knowledge • Public have low demand for specialised tours • No certification schemes • General lack of infrastructure, information and viewing facilities

25. FIED Ecotourism Approach • FIED works to attract visitors as a market for local business partners in sectors such as crafts, angling, private accommodation, traditional cuisine, biofuel and organic farming • In return, our business partners help to raise environmental awareness, protect valuable habitats and maintain local culture

26. Ecotourism ~ Basic Services • Sanitation, security, safety • Personal attention (small groups) • Contact with nature and local people; daily variety of experiences • Appropriate accommodation and food • Honesty, reliability, integrity

27. Ecotourism PBB Benefits • A private hotel owner has leased a nearby Nature Reserve to manage it for biodiversity conservation & ecotourism • Donations made to improve management / communications at three Biosphere Reserves • Assistance for formulating local Green Tourism policies • Counterweight to mass tourism development

28. Ecotourism Business - Unpredictable

29. Monitoring Outcomes

30. Gross Natural Product • A pro-biodiversity business investment should be able to demonstrate (with independent expert verification) at a minimum no Net Ecological Loss, and preferably a Net Ecological Benefit, and that this is a direct product of the investment itself over time. • The ecological product should be audited in parallel with the financial audit of net profit, at the cost of the business.

31. Indicator-based Ecological Audit • Appropriate indicators must take account of: • the business activities of the company; • locality of the business and adjacent environmental conditions; • whether benefits will be arise from use, restoration or set aside; • presence of habitats or species of conservation concern; • Feasibility of monitoring and potential for autonomous data collection by the company itself.

32. Some Potential Indicators (from EEA SEBI)

33. FIED Reedbed Monitoring

34. Many Thanks!