The White Sea Biological Station of Moscow University and Neighboring Coastal Settlements: 90 Years of Complex Interaction

The White Sea Biological Station of Moscow University began in 1938 as a small offshore internship base for students on the uninhabited Kindo Peninsula. Since then, it has evolved into a large marine station visited by over 1,000 students and scientists each year. Over the past 90 years, the nearby coastal villages have faced a severe fisheries crisis, job losses, and near-extinction, only to be revived as recreational zones. Several aspects of the interaction between the station and the coastal community are noteworthy: 1) the biological station as an employer; at various times, it has been the only available source of employment for coastal residents; 2) the biological station as an active participant in nature conservation and sustainable coastal development—protected coastal areas, established and approved at the initiative of the station's scientists, have proven vital to the development of the recreational industry; 3) the biological station as a community whose members are interested in purchasing real estate and homes in the surrounding coastal villages, thereby influencing the intellectual and informational landscape of the area; and 4) the biological station as a source of active human resources for organizing educational tourism. Currently, companies in neighboring villages offer educational tourism programs, primarily in the field of marine biology, with more than 1,500 children and adults participating in summer and winter programs each year. A significant number of teachers involved in these programs are university graduates or students who have completed courses at our biological station.Interaction with local communities has varied in intensity over the years. Interestingly, this engagement has occurred and continues to take place independently of the plans or activities of the local administration, which, until now, appears to have never acknowledged the concept of sustainable coastal development.