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A Value-Based Approach in Managing the Human-Geosphere Relationship: the Case of Lake Turgoyak (Southern Urals, Russia)

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Abstract

We describe what we term a “geoethical dilemma” around Lake Turgoyak (Southern Urals, Russia) utilizing semi-structured interviews, oral stories, field visits and a literature review. Lake Turgoyak is a protected natural monument and a place sacred for Old Orthodox Believers and the Bashkirian people in the Southern Urals (Russia), where recreational activities have a negative environmental impact on the lake. Our research addresses how credibility and leadership affect the human-environment relationship, broadening the perspective that social learning and participation are key to addressing challenges in natural resources governance. The results suggest that a consideration of leadership and geoethical dilemmas can contribute to the body of geoethics and natural resource governability.

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Notes

  1. https://vk.com/saveturgoyakhttps://vk.com/saveturgoyak

  2. Source: “The Miass people who bathed in Turgoyak are covered in strange spots.” https://miasskiy.ru/20190720-miasczy-iskupavshiesya-v-turgoyake-vnov-nachali-pokryvatsya-strannymi-pyatnami

  3. Source: https://vk.com/saveturgoyak

  4. Source: “Conservation versus Preservation” https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2016/03/22/conservation-versus-preservation

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mrs. Svetlana Podkidysheva for translating the Russian interviews into English. The authors also thank an anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

    Francesc Bellaubi

  2. Independent Consultant, Ministry of Ecology, Chelyabinsk Region Miass, Chelyabinsk, Russia

    Alexander Lagunov

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  1. Francesc Bellaubi
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Correspondence to Francesc Bellaubi.

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Bellaubi, F., Lagunov, A. A Value-Based Approach in Managing the Human-Geosphere Relationship: the Case of Lake Turgoyak (Southern Urals, Russia). Hum Ecol 48, 599–608 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-020-00174-0

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