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Duration: 30 days; of which 18–20 days — excursions and lectures, 8 days — transfers, 2 days — cultural programme trips.
Number of People in the Group: 12–18.
Staff: Group Leader; 3 tutors (ecology/botany; zoology; environmental/soil science); facilitator/interpreter (one of the tutors); security officer; driver.
Working Language: English.
Health Insurance: Medical aid provided on request based on the insurance.
Goal of the Zone Practice Trip:
We provide students from outside Russia with an exceptional opportunity to observe the model sequence of the temperate natural zones in the environment unaffected by the human activity, within the boundaries of a number of protected areas on the Russian Plain.
Objectives of the Zone Practice Trip:
1. Getting familiar with the untouched European nature.
2. Studying and analyzing the mode of the latitudinal and altitudinal temperate zones sequence on the Russian Plain and in the West Caucasus.
3. Getting applied knowledge of how to distinguish and describe species in their habitats.
4. Obtaining skills of ecosystems exploring in the course of a field trip.
5. Running individual and/or mini-groups projects.
6. Working out the environmentalist approach to nature.
7. Giving insight into working skills in protected areas for environmental specialists.
8. Supervising the students’ development towards the ability of the international teamwork.
Teaching Methods of the Zone Practice Trip:
1. Lectures.
2. Excursions.
3. Discussions.
4. Collecting samples.
5. Releves compiling.
6. Project work.
Skills to be obtained in the course of the Zone Practice Trip:
1. Listening to lectures outside the classroom.
2. Discussion skills in the international team.
3. Ability of compiling biological collections and releves.
4. Watching animals and plants in their natural habitats.
5. Project work skill.
6. Protected area management.
7. Elementary skills in environmental economics analysis.
This project is a way to introduce under- and postgraduate students to the sequence of the temperate natural zones in a mode, which does not exist in mountainous Europe as there the latitudinal zonality is complicated by altitudinal.
It has become possible because certain protected areas of the European part of the Russian Federation are now open for the conducting of educational practices in a variety of educational disciplines related to natural sciences. Among them are Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve, Tsentralno-Tchernozemny Nature Reserve, “Galichiya Gora” Nature Reserve, Rostovsky Nature Reserve, Teberdinsky Nature Reserve and other protected areas.
Draft Itinerary of the Model Zone Practice Trip:
- I. Southern taiga — 6 days
Day 1. Arrival in Moscow (airport or railway station). Transfer to the Zvenigorod Biological Station.
Day 2–4. Zvenigorod Biological Station.
Day 4. Sightseeing tour of Moscow.
Day 5. Transfer to the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve (Zapovednik).
Day 6. Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve.
- II. Broadleaved forests — 5 days
Day 7. Transfer to Tulskie Zaseki Forest Estate (130 km).
Day 8. Tulskie Zaseki.
Day 9. Tulskie Zaseki.
Day 10. Tulskie Zaseki. Transfer to Spasskoye-Lutovinovo (120 km).
Day 11. Spasskoye-Lutovinovo (Day off studies).
- III. Forest-Steppe and northern (meadow) steppe — 6 days
Day 12. Transfer to Tsentralno-Tchernozemny Nature Reserve (220 km). Tsentralno-Tchernozemny Nature Reserve.
Day 13. Tsentralno-Tchernozemny Nature Reserve.
Day 14. Tsentralno-Tchernozemny Nature Reserve.
Day 15. Transfer to “Galichia Gora” Nature Reserve (250 km).
Day 16. “Galichia Gora” Nature Reserve. Transfer to “Khrenovskoy Bor” Forest estate (220 km).
Day 17. “Khrenovskoy Bor”.
- IV. Middle and southern steppe — 3 days
Day 18. Travel through the Cossack’s Land. Transfer to Novocherkassk (480 km).
Day 19. Novocherkassk. Transfer to the Rostovsky Nature Reserve (220 km).
Day 20. Rostovsky Nature Reserve.
- V. Mountains (North-West Caucasus) — 4 days
Day 21. Transfer to Teberdinsky Nature Reserve (520 km).
Day 22. Teberdinsky Nature Reserve.
Day 23. Teberdinsky Nature Reserve.
Day 24. Teberdinsky Nature Reserve.
- VI. Mediterranean ecosystems and coastal areas at the Black Sea — 6 days
Day 25. Transfer to Gelendjik (580 km).
Day 26. Gelendjik (Day off studies).
Day 27. Gelendjik.
Day 28. Gelendjik.
Day 29. Gelendjik.
Day 30. Transfer to the airport for a return flight to Moscow. |
