The Paper Park Tempest of Sochi: Describing Analyzing and Strategizing Protection of the Complex of Protected Natural Areas in the Greater Sochi Region of Russia
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1994 The paper park tempest of Sochi: Describing analyzing and strategizing protection of the complex of protected natural areas in the greater Sochi region of Russia Kurt Martin Menning The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Menning, Kurt Martin, "The paper park tempest of Sochi: Describing analyzing and strategizing protection of the complex of protected natural areas in the greater Sochi region of Russia" (1994). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 8564. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/8564 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. /MEjvvJlVyo- Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY TheM University ontana of Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** * * Please check "Yes” or "No ” and provide signature Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission c_ Author’s Signature Date: Z L . < n < / ; for commercial purposes or Gnancial gain may be undertaken i author’s P.vnlirif rnncf^nt- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Paper Park Tempest of Sochi Describings analyring and strategizing protection of the complex of protected natural areas in the Greater Sochi Region of Russia By Kurt Martin Meaning B.A. The University of Colorado— Boulder, 1990 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science University of Montana 1994 Approved by: y Chair. Board of ^ aminers Dean, Graduate School Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP39365 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI’ Dissertation Publishing UMI EP39365 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author, Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC, 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Preface Ecocentrists believe that natural systems are the basis of all organic existence, and therefore possess intrinsic value: humankind is an element within rather than the reason to be of natural systems, and is hence dependent upon intrinsic value; ethical human actions (actions which promote the good life for humankind) necessarily promote all life on earth (preserve such intrinsic values as diversity, stability, and beauty). (Oelschlaeger, 1991. p. 294) From an Ecocentric point of view, human impacts on the environment can sometimes be baffling. 1 stood on a pier at midnight looking out across the Black Sea and bent low to examine the gurgling flow coming from the end. Raw sewage poured out, offering explanation for the pea-green water which contrasted the crystal shores a hundred kilometers away and the frequent outbreaks of hepatitis and gastro intestinal disease in the city. The sight and smell justified my repulsion at sw imming in the murky water. And it answered my curious questions about why so little sea life flourished along those well-visited beaches. The Black Sea is now 90% biologically dead —largely due to human activity. Nearby. Caucasian bison are gone forever from the Caucasus Mountains. Restricted to a small population in a narrow belt of the Caucasus earlier this century the bison were wiped out in wholesale slaughter by hunters —in their place are modem hybrids from Europe. The Caucasian snow leopard is gone as well. Forever. Thirty-five hundred year-old endangered and projected trees in a protected forest in a protected r\aX\ox\ 2à park are being knocked down by bulldozers in pursuit of fine wood. This is our legacy, our treatment of our world. We have been short sighted stew ards. It is easy to get lost in a short time-scale. to see only how people are acting and being affected now, while more important is a larger vision of what we can create into the future —for our own species and for many others. One is compelled to do no less than right for the intrinsic right of every other species to have a niche tree of impending doom—even as human population and consumption continue their diverse and unwieldy rise. There is a movement afoot in some countries to create regional-w ide ecological protection schemes that sustain intact vast systems of habitat, corridors, and sanctuary for other species ("The Northern Rockies." 1994; Foreman, 1993). When the economic benefits of such long-term, landscape-ecosystem level approaches to land management are explained, such approaches seem imperative. After all, we have taken so much. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Il altered so many landscapes, decimated too many species, and tinkered, ignorantly and dangerously, with our own life-support systems. It is time for repair. Somewhere along life's path and sundry work promoting the value of the w ild. I realized that attempts to protect biodiversity might be more effective if 1 didn't restrict myself to state or national boundaries. About that time 1 had the fortune of meeting a young Russian whose mind grappled with the same issues, hopes and concerns. This story, then, is of the work that grew out of that partnership and the work that is being done to help protect a small corner of Wild Earth. The complication, of course, is that "conservation is far more a social challenge than a biological one ' ( McNeely, 1989. p. 137 —his emphasis). Managing resources means managing people instead of controlling the wild, its denizens, rocks, trees, minerals, air and water. This work faces this social challenge head on. Acknowledgments The work done in the complex of natural areas near Sochi. Russia, would have been little more than a dream had it not been for the timely arrival and gracious assistance of Olga Yurievna Maiboroda, a young Russian linguist with budding interests in the environment of her homeland. Through her efforts I was able to secure a visiting position with the Institute for Mountain Forestry and Forest Ecology in Sochi. Russia. Gennady Constantinovich Solntsev and his staff welcomed us royally, guided and assisted our research, provided transportation into the mountains and arranged visits with other institutions. A number of other Russians were helpful during the first summer of w ork in Russia. Mikhail Vasilivich Pridnja deserves special mention. A busy scientist at the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve. Mikhail cleared his schedule, met with us regularly, took us into the reserve and invited us into his home. On the American homefront. my parents have long been an inspiration with their love of the wild, intrigue with people and cultures, and adventurous travels. Bruce Jennings. Professor in Enivironmental Studies, bravely leapt into the unknown by agreeing to advise me in my pursuit. Professors Jill Belsky. Steve Siebert and Bill Cunningham rounded out my committee by contributing challenging and useful questions, offering feedback and enduring my travails. A research scholarship from the B. and B. Daw son Fund aided mv summer abroad. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Ill I extend a note of appreciation to the mass of Russian people themselves who are coming out of an authoritarian system and entering a brave new world, in the midst of the economic and political turmoil they are extraordinary hosts. Lastly, and ultimately, as it should be, I give thanks to Wild Earth and whatever makes it tick. hum. burgeon, slide, slip, swell, pour, grow and heal. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. IV Table of Contents List OF T a b l e s ..................................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS...................................................................................................... vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................... 1 Biogeographical and cultural setting................................................................................................ 4 Managing Wild Lands............................................................................................................................6