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Challenging Destinations   199



                     emergency  evacuation  of  visitors  and  national   Because Kronotsky is not really a national park,
                     park  personnel  (Rianovosti,  2007).  A  mound   access for the general public is limited. The special
                     covered by snow collapsed ‘within seconds’ and   status  of  the  reserve  places  the  value  of  its
                     caused a huge landslide engulfing two-thirds of   wilderness and its preservation and research as its
                     the valley park. Millions of cubic metres of mud   highest  priority,  above  public  use.  The  reserve
                     and stones were dumped in the landslide’s path,   does, however, have designated recreational zones
                     destroying most of the geysers and springs. The   allowing limited human use. Tourism management
                     Far  East’s  main  tourist  attraction,  Geyser Valley   is  focused  on  using  ecotourism  practices.  It  is
                     reopened for tourists on 1 July 2008, over a year   required  that  one  of  the  preserve’s  inspectors
                     after  the  series  of  devastating  landslides  which   accompanies  each  tourism  group  to  point  out
                     severely damaged the site. Enquiries from tourists   important  conservation  efforts  and  to  provide
                     wanting to visit the region rose sharply after the   safety  and  security  in  case  of  encounters  with
                     two  mudslides  buried  nearly  two-thirds  of  the   bears (Kamchatka Explorer, 2009).
                     valley on 3 June 2007. The mudslide dammed the
                     Geysernaya  River  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,   Conclusions
                     creating  a  thermal  lake.  However,  despite  fears
                     that the site would never be restored to its former   Of highest interest in the reserve’s management is
                     grandeur, the region is beginning to recover with   joint  scientific  research  as  well  as  working  with
                     some 30 geysers surviving intact, while only 10   volunteers  who  have  expertise  in  protected  area
                     have been lost forever. And although the rest are   management  or  in  the  field  of  natural  resources
                     underwater, they are expected to recover as flood   available in the reserve. Scientists also are interested
                     waters gradually subside. In addition, all the bears   in the geothermal features in Kamchatka because
                     who  left  the  area  following  the  disaster  have   they differ from other geothermal areas like those in
                     returned to the valley, which features some 200   Yellowstone National Park. The pristine nature of
                     thermal  pools  and  90  erupting  geysers  across  a   Kamchatka  gives  scientists  access  to  a  variety  of
                          2
                     6.5km  area (Kamchatka.name, 2008).        recently formed and untouched geothermal features.
                                                                In  addition,  Kamchatka’s  hot  springs  are  at  a
                     Risk management                            relatively  low  elevation,  unlike  the  hot  springs  of
                                                                Yellowstone. This allows the water in the hot springs
                     Since the site was opened to the public in 1991,   to reach a higher temperature before boiling, and
                     about 3000 visitors a year have visited the remote   just this few degrees more can make a significant
                     geyser field, one of only five in the world where   difference in particular microbiological studies.
                     the  spectacular  eruptions  of  steam  and  boiling
                     water  can  be  observed.  And  despite  its  relative   References
                     inaccessibility, there have always been more than
                     enough people willing to pay up to USD600 for   EWP Ecotourism (2009) ‘Geyser Valley – Kamchatka’,
                                                                  www.ewpnet.co.uk/kamchatka/geyser.htm,
                     a four-hour visit (Kamchatka.name, 2008). As the   accessed 6 May 2009
                     Valley of Geysers is a state guarded area included   Kamchatka Explorer (2009) ‘Kronotsky State Biosphere
                     in  Kronotsky  State  National  Park,  it  can  be   Preserve’,  www.kamchatkatourism.com/protected-
                     accessed by organized tourists only – such travellers   kronotsky.htm, accessed 6 May 2009
                     can follow a special route equipped with footpaths   Kamchatka.name  (2008) ‘Kamchatka’s  Geyser Valley
                     and wooden coverings. The Valley of Geysers can   reopens  for  tourists’,  www.kamchatka.name/
                     be  dangerous;  even  a  small  event  may  cause   content/view/46/32/, accessed 6 May 2009
                     scalded limbs as the most dangerous areas in the   Krever, V.,  Dinerstein,  E.,  Olson,  D.  and  Williams,  L.
                     valley are covered with harmless looking grass. A   (1994)  Conserving  Russia’s  Biodiversity: An Analytical
                     person  utterly  unaware  of  the  scalding  slush   Framework and Initial Investment Portfolio, World Wide
                                                                  Fund for Nature, Washington, DC, p207
                     hidden  under  the  attractive  grass  blanket  can   Rianovosti (2007) ‘Mudflow destroys unique Geyser
                     hardly  imagine  that  legs  may  simply  be  sucked   Valley  on  Kamchatka’,    www.en.rian.ru/russia/
                     down by the hot springs.                     20070604/66619912.html, accessed 6 May 2009







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