As a Russian living in Ukraine as well as ornithologist, nature-tour guide, Arctic expedition team member and conservationist, I am interested to get involved in projects of Linking Tourism & Conservation. I was born in the Far East of  Russia in the city of Artem near Vladivostok, but lived most of my live in the Ukraine and studied biology at the university of Melitopol. My dissertation in progress focuses on “The impact of feeding recourses on the distribution and numbers of tundra waders at the migratory stopovers of the Azov-Black Sea coast of Ukraine”. As a member of the first Soviet-German Taimyr expedition in 1989 I got already interested in Arctic waders, and participated later in many international scientific expeditions, particular to Taimyr and other North-Sibirien destinations, including the Kolyma delta in Yakutia.

I had got my education at the Melitopol Pedagogical Institute as teacher of geography and biology and worked two years in a common school. I have also degrees in hydro-technical fields from my time at the Fishery Technical Training School [Rybopromyshlenny tekhnikum] in Dmitrov, Moscow region, Russia.

Kuyal’nitskiy estuary (the Black Sea region)

This way I am discussing LT&C initiatives and potential projects with the public research organization “Bukovynian Society of Nature Investigators” (BSNI) in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. They are since long time directly and professionally involved in the development of protected areas (nature reserve fund) and ecotourism (tourism in protected areas),  including the mountainous areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians in the context of the implementation of the Carpathian Convention. The President of BSNI is Vitalii Korzhyk, who has a Ph.D. in geography and is the Deputy Director on Science of the Khotynskiy National Natural Park. Vice President is Illia Chorney, D.H. in biology, professor, Chief of botany, forestry and garden-parks economy department at the Chernivtsi National University.