National parks around the world are actually quite interconnected due to a number of similar natural and cultural phenomena. They have similar natural resources and ecosystems, pursue same goals and implement similar strategies, conduct ongoing research, and face identical threats and challenges. Having a common historical past, protected areas also often take care of sites of cultural and historical heritage of other nations. Nature has no borders. The task of all mankind is to preserve it for future generations.
The Sister Parks program of the US National Park Service is an excellent opportunity for our Park to establish cooperation with national parks in the United States and other countries around the world. The program itself aims to convey its environmental protection mission of the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through the active involvement of local residents, public, governmental organizations, and other stakeholders.
The partnership is based on an agreement that allows national parks staff to share experience and best practices in conserving biodiversity, valuable nature sites, and monuments. Activities within the framework of the Program also include an exchange of information and personnel, as well as implementing different researches and programs.
More than 30 US national parks have found their counterparts in 32 countries around the world.
We represent a Ukrainian model of a national park, that is unique to the whole world. It is based on three closely related components:
nature – a beauty and uniqueness of natural landscapes
history – unique features of historical and ethnographic environment
religion – sacredness of local architectural monuments.
Our key task is preservation of the Carpathian forests through the introduction of a sustainable economy focused on ecotourism and the economy of ecosystem services.
There are 15 national parks within the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain ranges.
The Rocky Mountains are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The Rocky Mountains National Park is the most popular among visitors. Along with its peaks, which are famous for the most spectacular views on our planet, the park also includes huge forest areas and alpine tundra. Flora and fauna are also abundant here. This area is known for a highly-developed network of hiking trails and a large number of campsites, as well as various summer and winter activities.
Although the Appalachians are more than 8,000 km away from the Ukrainian Carpathians, both mountain ranges have a lot in common. Fulbright scholar Professor Christopher Miller, professor of world culture at the University of Berea, Kentucky, writes about this similarity:
«Both massifs are densely populated, small towns and villages, scattered along the ridges and slopes, prevail. In both regions, people live from farms. Weaving, embroidery, carving, and woodworking are crafts common to the inhabitants of the Carpathians and Appalachians. Both territories have preserved unique patterns and techniques that are interesting for tourists».
Cooperation with the most successful national parks in the world belongs to our priorities. The Sister Parks program is an excellent tool for its implementation.
