Eco-tourism seen as key to future of north shore of Lake Ladoga

Decade-old nature park project revived

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By Riku Jokinen in Sortavala
     
      Ship designer Tanya Naumova from St. Petersburg stirs the kettle of porridge boiling on the open fire at the rowing camp set up on the island of Riekkalansaari in Sortavala on the northern shore of Lake Ladoga.
      "There are people who go to the Canary Islands, but I spend all of my holidays here."
      Naumova and her son Svjatoslav are taking part in the Finnish-Russian rowing event on Lake Ladoga for the seventh time. Her husband has enjoyed walking in this area for more than 20 years.
     
Eco-tourism is seen as a possible salvation for the cause of nature conservation on the northern shore of the lake.
      "Nature conservation and well-planned nature tourism can work together. Tourism is a lure which can help conservation gain a better foothold", says Pertti Siilahti, chairman of the Council of the Finnish League for Nature Protection. He has been arranging these rowing expeditions since 1990.
      Siilahti feels that the islands off Sortavala need to be saved from rampant tourism, which is already running wild on the southern shores of the lake. In that area, litter, forest fires, motorboats, and the blocking off of shoreline as the private domain of luxury villas being built there are all on the increase.
      Further north there are also signs of an increase in upmarket tourism. A local businessman has leased the island of Kojonsaari in the northwest of Lake Ladoga from the Russian state for 25 years, and built a bridge from the mainland. His aim is to build fancy dachas on the island that is famous for its sandy beaches.
     
An effort to protect the archipelago outside Sortavala has been underway for more than a decade. The City of Sortavala has been planning the establishment of a national park since 1992. The Republic of Karelia made a decision in principle to set up such a park in 1995, but no agreement has been reached on details.
      In the past ten years there have been efforts to promote the project through the EU’s Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) programme. Camping facilities have been set up with the funding, but there has been no regular maintenance, because Sortavala has lacked the money.
     
Last Monday a meeting was held with concerned Finns and Russians to discuss the state of the northern part of Lake Ladoga. Taking part were scientists, officials, and environmental authorities from both Finland and Russia.
      The seminar, called the Parliament of Lake Ladoga, churned out declarations, including a call to celebrate July 25th as Ladoga Day. The concrete results of the seminar remain to be seen.
      "There is much talk in Russia about nature conservation, but nothing happens", says Vladimir Chvetkov, an expert in lake areas at the Russian Academy of Science.
     
The problem is not so much a negative attitude on the part of officials as a simple lack of money. Now there are efforts towards getting the business community of the area interested in eco-tourism as a means of putting together more money and resources for nature conservation.
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat - first published in print 10.8.2005

More on this subject:
 FACTFILE: Unique lake archipelago

RIKU JOKINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
riku.jokinen@hs.fi