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Russia, Europe & Eurasia:
Croatia  Georgia - Protected Areas Development Project Georgia - Integrated Coastal Management Project Russia - Endangered Species Conservation Russia - Kamchatka Peninsula Return to 'Where We Work' Page Croatia - Completed Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning:  Croatia is endowed with internationally recognized natural and cultural assets, though after regional conflicts in the early 1990s threatened their economy and security, many of their natural resources were at risk and were not centrally managed. Since 2000 when the current government came into power, Croatia has, for the first time, a Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning with a Nature Conservation Division that has responsibility for protected areas. DOI-ITAP and the Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning signed an Agreement to cooperate on the management of protected areas and the training of their growing professional staff of park managers. In FY ‘01, a practical training program focused on parks interpretation, education and management was designed in Plitvice and Paklenica National Parks by DOI-ITAP. The program implemented critically needed park programs and provided job skills training and temporary employment (the country’s current unemployment rate is 22 percent) to 20 interns of diverse ethnicity from war-affected regions. In FY ‘02, DOI-ITAP continued its work at three additional parks: Mjlet National Park, Krka National Park, and Lonjsko Polje Nature Reserve. Critical equipment and supplies were also provided to the parks, including audio-visual technology for visitor centers, telescopes, microscopes, binoculars, and natural history field guides. Permanent employment was offered to several interns at the parks. Funding: USAID/Croatia For a more detailed understanding of this program, please refer to the DOI-ITAP Quarterly Report. Georgia - Active Protected Areas Development Project:  DOI-ITAP has established a long-term working relationship with the Republic of Georgia to foster a national system of protected areas in Georgia. The working relationship was formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1999 which created a general technical assistance program and a specific sister park relationship.With funding from USAID/Georgia, DOI-ITAP is providing broad technical assistance at the headquarters level on establishing a national training center and a national training program focused on issues of park system management, administration, and personnel management. DOI-ITAP is also providing field-level technical assistance and training. Funding: USAID/Georgia For a more detailed understanding of this program, please refer to the DOI-ITAP Quarterly Report. Georgia - Active Integrated Coastal Management Project:  DOI-ITAP has launched a second working relationship with the Republic of Georgia to provide targeted technical assistance in interpretation under the World Bank/Global Environment Facility’s Integrated Coastal Management Project. The majority of the technical assistance has been focused on Kolkheti National Park, located in West Georgia, which covers an area of 28,571 ha of land and 15,742 ha of marine territory. The park was established in 1999 and incorporates the Kolkheti State Reserve established in 1947 (500 ha) and the adjacent wetlands, as well as the Paliastomi Lake. Kolkheti is a designated Ramsar site.DOI-ITAP technical assistance is focused on various aspects of interpretation, including:
For a more detailed understanding of this program, please refer to the DOI-ITAP Quarterly Report. Russia - Completed Endangered Species Conservation: 
DOI-ITAP provided technical assistance to regional and national Russian conservation agencies on the conservation of endangered species such as the Siberian (Amur) tiger and their critical habitat. DOI-ITAP provided training to Russian parks and customs stakeholders on CITES implementation related to inspections techniques, permit processing procedures, and the role of the Scientific Authority in support of permit issuance. In support of this training, a manual on CITES implementation and biological identification of wildlife species in the Russian Far East was produced. DOI-ITAP also provided critical supplies to the Primorskiy Krai-based Amba Patrol, including winter hunting boots, night vision binoculars, 35mm film, ranger berets and microcassette recorders. These federal Russian anti-poaching rangers were also participants in a five day seminar on wildlife law enforcement at Ussurisk Zapovednik. A joint report was produced with the Russian State Committee on Environmental Protection and Global Survival Network to the June 1997 CITES Conference of Parties on the positive impact of joint US and Russian, government and non-governmental, anti-poaching efforts in the conservation of the Siberian tiger.Funding: USAID/Global Bureau For a more detailed understanding of this program, please refer to the DOI-ITAP Quarterly Report. Russia - Completed Kamchatka Peninsula: DOI-ITAP worked with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to provide technical assistance to selected protected areas in the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Historically, Kamchatka’s vast natural resources, including over 2000 species of plants and approximately 10,000 Kamchatka brown bears, was protected by its remoteness, rugged landscape, and later by its strategic military importance. During the recent years of economic reform and societal upheaval, with local populations experiencing economic hardships, and protected area budgets sharply declining, there are significant and increasing threats to Kamchatka's biodiversity and protected areas. In support of UNDP’s comprehensive conservation and development efforts in the region, DOI-ITAP provided training in concessions contracting for protected areas in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Funding: UNDP For a more detailed understanding of this program, please refer to the DOI-ITAP Quarterly Report. | |
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