WWF-Russia will help to enhance protection of the Kamchatka Volcanoes Nature Park

Scientists say Kamchatka ecosystems can provide for about 15 thousand snow sheep maximum. Half a century ago this many sheep probably lived on the peninsula. However, for the last 30 years, the snow sheep population has been declining rapidly because of unsustainable trophy hunting and poaching.

In 2021, the grant funds provided by WWF-Russia will support the work of counting animals, mapping snow sheep range on the peninsula, setting camera traps, and monitoring the animal population on a regular basis. Aside from scientific activity, area protection measures are needed as well.

Additionally, for environmentally responsible tourists, an Environmental Education Center will appear on the Avacha pass at the bottom of the same-named volcano before the end of 2021. The Center will hold exhibitions on volcanoes, flora, and fauna of Kamchatka. There will be a space for lectures, thematic workshops, and conferences in the Center. The Nature Park Administration also plans to landscape the surrounding territory. All these measures are aimed at alleviating the anthropogenic impact on the Avacha pass ecosystems which are a World Heritage site.

A part of the grant funds provided by WWF-Russia will be used to co-fund this project as well.