Pristine Nature Research Articles

Adapting to Change: The Impact of Climatic Shifts on Tourism Destinations and Tourist Mobility in Northern Pakistan

Pakistan aims to showcase its authenticity, pristine nature, and unique cultural heritage from its northern valleys. Mountain tourism in Pakistan is popular during the summer, with tourists enjoying pleasant weather and scenic landscapes. The northern valleys of KP, GB, and AJK are favored destinations, as visitors generally have positive impressions of their interactions with the mountains and local people. Pakistan, an agricultural country, has tourism as a growing sector with significant economic potential. However, both agriculture and tourism are heavily affected by climate change. However, in the past decade, climate change has led to increased natural hazards such as floods, rockfalls, debris flows, rockslides, and avalanches specifically in northern areas of Pakistan. These events frequently cause road blockages and trap tourists, especially during the monsoon season. Such extreme conditions not only endanger local communities but also disrupt transportation infrastructure and damage tourist facilities. The resulting communication network disruptions and road blockages increase tourists' anxiety and fear, leading to unpleasant experiences. This study examines how climate change affects tourist mobility and hinders the tourism industry. It explores how increasing natural hazards, such as floods and landslides, disrupt travel, damage infrastructure, and create safety concerns, ultimately impacting tourist experiences and industry operations.

Global trends in tourism development in the era of globalization

Globalization, characterized by the growing mobility of capital, people, ideas and information on a global scale, has become an urgent topic in the modern world. It is obvious that tourism and related economic activities are not protected from such a broad context of the global economy. Over the past decade or two, there has been a steady increase in international tourist flows, interregional and inter-organizational alliances, as well as foreign direct investment. These trends are especially prevalent in developing countries, mainly due to their pristine nature, diverse culture, inexpensive goods and services, cheap labor and other resources. However, some scientists warn that tourism is an industry run by richer, more powerful countries and their respective multinational corporations. The article presents a detailed study of the essential nature of the category "tourism" from the point of view of economic and social activities. It is proved that the basis of tourism as a multidimensional economic and social category is determined by two groups of principles: fundamental and desirable. It is concluded that tourism, as an important component of the modern world economy, inevitably becomes involved in the process of globalization. New opportunities for exotic travel are opening up for tourists, offering authenticity and uniqueness, and this in turn forces the tourism industry to look for new alternatives to classic tourism.

Stable isotopes (O, H) and quartz geochemistry provide insight to melt source and subsolidus fluid:rock interaction in the Cretaceous Little Nahanni LCT Pegmatites (NWT, Canada)

Previous studies of the mid-Cretaceous (ca. 85 Ma) LCT-type Little Nahanni Pegmatite Group (LNPG; Northwest Territories, Canada) document disequilibrium textures and pervasive metasomatism associated with rare-metal (e.g., Ta, Nb, Sn) mineralization. As in other pegmatite settings, the source of the melts and the nature and origin of pervasive metasomatism remain enigmatic. To resolve these latter issues, an integrated study of bulk O and H isotope analysis of mineral separates (quartz, K-feldspar, albite, muscovite, garnet), in situ Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) isotopic (O) analysis of quartz and albite, and in situ Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace element analysis of quartz was done in concert with cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and petrographic observations. Quartz with elevated δ18O values (δ18Oquartz = 10 to 16.3‰) also have high Ti-in-quartz temperatures (551 ± 17 °C to 603 ± 16 °C). These data along with their pristine nature from CL imaging suggest some localized melt-wall rock (WR) exchange occurred at the time of pegmatite melt emplacement. Furthermore, the elevated δ18O values indicate a crustal source (i.e., S-type granite) for the LNPG parental melt, which also overlaps with δ18Oquartz data for granitoids of the mid- to Late-Cretaceous Selwyn Plutonic Suite of this area. In contrast, the large range for δ18O values for metasomatic minerals, such as albite (−3.0 to +18.3‰) indicate a complex evolution involving multiple oxygen isotopic reservoirs, in particular incursion of meteoric water previously equilibrated with metasedimentary wall rocks. Finally, the large range for mineral pairs (e.g., Δquartz-albite = −5.1 to +14.3‰) and abundance of dissolution features in late-stage assemblages unequivocally indicates that sub-solidus fluid:rock interaction was responsible for such large spreads in δ18O and values δD values, although other processes (e.g., disequilibrium crystallization, thermal gradients, rapid cooling) might have also contributed, but to lesser extents.

The Development Strategy of Cross-Border Tourism as Halal Tourism in Sambas Regency

Tourism is a pivotal economic sector with significant development potential in Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan. The Aruk Cross-Border Tourism Festival serves as a strategic gateway for attracting foreign tourists to the region. This study aims to identify strategies for developing halal tourism through cross-border tourism at the Sebedang Lake in Sambas Regency. Employing a qualitative approach, data were collected through interviews and observations. The IFAS and EFAS analyses revealed opportunities rated at 2.100 and strengths at 2.179, which surpassed weaknesses rated at 1.089 and threats at 1.250. The recommended development strategy is the Strengths-Opportunities (SO) strategy, which involves leveraging the unique, pristine nature of Sebedang Lake as a tourist attraction, enhancing facilities, obtaining halal certification, and fostering cooperation with stakeholders. These measures can facilitate the transformation of Sebedang Lake into a premier halal tourism destination in Sambas Regency via a cross-border tourism program. The findings of this research are anticipated to significantly contribute to the advancement of halal tourism at Sebedang Lake.

Ecological Legacies and Ethnotourism: Bridging Science and Community in Ecuador’s Amazonia

This paper offers paradigmatic insights from an international workshop on Ecological Legacies: Bridge Between Science and Community, in Ecuador, in the summer of 2023. The conference brought together foreign and local scholars, tour operators, village community, and Indigenous leaders in the upper Amazonia region of Ecuador with the goal of developing a vision for a sustainable and regenerative future of the upper Amazon. The conference offered three epistemological contributions to the existing literature in the emergent field of Montology, including addressing issues of (a) understanding the existing linguistic hegemony in describing tropical environments, (b) the redress of mistaken notions on pristine jungle environments, and (c) the inclusion of traditional knowledge and transdisciplinary approaches to understand the junglescape from different perspectives and scientific traditions. Methodologically, the conference bridged the fields of palaeoecological and ethnobotanical knowledge (as part of a wider conversation between science and local communities). Results show that local knowledge should be incorporated into the study of the junglescape and its conservation, with decolonial approaches for tourism, sharing language, methodology, tradition, and dissemination of the forest’s attributes. Our research helped co-create and formulate the “Coca Declaration” calling for a philosophical turn in research, bridging science and ethnotourism in ways that are local, emancipatory, and transdisciplinary. We conclude that facilitating new vocabulary by decolonial heightening of Indigenous perspectives of the junglescape helps to incorporate the notion of different Amazons, including the mountainscape of the Andean–Amazonian flanks. We also conclude that we can no consider Ecuador the country of “pure nature” since we helped demystify pristine nature for foreign tourists and highlighted local views with ancestral practices. Finally, we conclude that ethnotourism is a viable alternative to manage heritagization of the junglescape as a hybrid territory with the ecological legacies of the past and present inhabitants of upper Amazonia.

Low Bacterial Diversity and Nitrate Levels in Cores from Deep Boreholes in Pristine Karst.

This study investigates the nitrate gradients within the deep biosphere of karst carbonate rocks and their resident microbiota. Samples were taken from borehole cores at depths down to 350 m below the surface, collected during geological site investigations for proposed railway tunnels and analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis revealed relatively low microbial diversity, which can serve as a reliable indicator of the pristine nature of deep karst. However, some local hotspots of diversity are independent of depth. Pseudomonadota dominated the samples, with Gammaproteobacteria dominating at the class level. The low nitrate content in deep karst, in contrast to higher values closer to the surface, serves as an additional marker of its undisturbed and unpolluted status. Based on the prediction of functional profiles from 16S rRNA sequencing data, nitrates remain low due to indigenous microbial denitrification and assimilatory nitrate reduction. Pathways related to nitrogen fixation, ammonia assimilation, and nitrification were not confirmed. When elevated nitrate levels are observed in karst, they are most probably related to anthropogenic activities. Environmental factors other than depth and nitrate content play an important role in shaping bacterial communities.

“The trash is ruining the picture”: social media, sustainability, and the semiotics of pristine nature

ABSTRACT Images of improperly-discarded waste offer a case for examining the broader politics of “pristine nature.” As a global visual register in which the environment is depicted without human impact, an historicization of pristine nature reveals how it was enregistered through the Romantic and Transcendental movements as well as colonial ideologies of the wilderness. Informed by fieldwork in Oman and 300 Instagram posts collected between 2021–23, “untouched nature” and the “self-in-nature” are identified as two genres of pristine nature. Yet their citation in Oman spurs a question: does history always implicate a contemporary sign? The identification of a third genre, “anti-litter,” pursues this question by investigating what happens when the camera is turned upon trash. Despite the association of anti-litter with sustainability, the genre was similarly enregistered through a complicated history. Its citation in Oman, however, demonstrates that actors wield genres in response to sociocultural and political-economic context, suggesting the grounds from which a semiotics of sustainability might emerge.

Survey of a snow petrel nesting site in a remote high mountain region to inform designation of an Antarctic Specially Protected Area

Despite the sensitivity of ecosystems in extreme conditions, only 0.029% of the Antarctic continent is currently granted special protection as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA). Additionally, protected areas are unevenly distributed and unrepresentative of the biodiversity of Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties are thus striving to establish a more coherent network of protected areas. In this context, the Otto-von-Gruber-Gebirge was identified as an area highly worthy of protection due to its unique ecosystem including one of the largest snow petrel breeding sites, and relative pristine nature. However, in the process of designation, an update of knowledge, particularly of the population status of snow petrel in the area, was recognized to be needed. This study was aimed at estimating a population census of snow petrel breeding pairs in the Lake Untersee catchment, an important subarea of the potentially protected area. Investigations were severely limited by the remoteness and harsh conditions of the area, enabling only a short fieldwork period with limited resources. Thus, a combination of remote sensing and traditional methods was applied. We conducted a ground survey of a smaller reference area, including locating nest sites and assessing nest site characteristics. Snow petrels usually nest in the cavities of large boulders and we thus classified habitat suitability based on boulder presence. To do so, the study area was remotely surveyed by unpiloted aerial vehicles to gain orthophotomosaics in sufficient resolution to distinguish on-ground conditions for breeding. We then calculated nest site densities for the reference area. We also studied nest site data such as nest cavity depth, orientation, and attendance to gain basic knowledge of the characteristics of the breeding site. Finally, we measured a sample of four live snow petrels to determine which morph was present at the site. We were able to obtain nest site data and to extrapolate it, which produced population numbers of 11,765 breeding pairs for the whole study area. This underpins the size of the breeding site and thereby its importance for the species.

The hydromorphological effects of dams in an extreme desert environment - The Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Arid ecohydrology relies on sporadic rainfall and flooding to sustain linear river oases, crucial for supporting flora and fauna during the long dry season and drought years. Growing water demands have led to large reservoir constructions, severely impacting the fragile arid ecosystems. We analyse the hydro-geomorphological impacts of the large Neckartal Dam (completed in 2019) on the Fish River oasis based on existing dams, regional studies, field surveys, hydrological data, and modelling. The Neckartal Dam, along with three smaller dams, impounds 80 % of the desert oasis basin (1235 Mm3, 55,870 km2), exceeding the average annual runoff threefold. A gradient of dam-induced changes was identified, varying with distance from the dam wall. Immediate downstream, hydromorphological impacts include channel narrowing (⁓15 %) and reduce mean annual sediment yield (⁓20 %). Also, water distribution losses create chronic low flows, favour for invasive flora and fauna to spread, significantly disrupting the pristine nature of the desert ecosystem. This phenomenon has been observed over a 70 km stretch below the Hardap Dam. This situation is irreversible, as the invasive flora can withstand even large floods. As the distance increases, the dam suppresses low to moderate annual floods and prolongs droughts from months to years or even decades. Based on our flood routing model, only the largest floods (recurrence interval, RI >25 years) can exceed the dam storage, continue downstream, transport sediment and maintain the pool-bar morphology along 245 km of the oasis. The lack of significant flows between major floods means that sediment from smaller, lower arid basins accumulates in the Fish River valley, filling pools and further reducing water availability during dry periods. The Neckartal Dam's impact assessment demonstrates potential changes in arid river systems globally.

ГОРОЖАНИН И ПАРК: ПОВСЕДНЕВНЫЕ ПРАКТИКИ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ С ПРИРОДОЙ НА ПРИМЕРЕ СОВЕТСКОГО ЧЕЛЯБИНСКА

The article considers the formation of urbanized practices in green spaces using the example of soviet Chelyabinsk. In the 1930s–1960s, Chelyabinsk was a fast-growing industrial city, where a large relict pine forest was preserved. For soviet managers and new city dwellers, the forest became a “testing ground” for mastering new practices of interaction with nature in conditions of accelerated urbanization. Especially when in the 1930s a part of the forest was repurposed into the Park of Culture and Recreation. Based on archived and journalistic materials, it is shown that the semantic and functional distinction between the park and the forest led to the formation of two types of practices of interaction between city residents and nature. Contrasting the park with the forest, party leaders insisted on the development of infrastructure for the “cultural”, “organized” recreation of new Soviet citizens, while the forest became a space for interaction with the natural world unregulated by the authorities. During the 1960s the forests public image transformed, from a wild suburban forest to a fragment of pristine nature, miraculously surviving in an industrial city, with the Park of Culture and Recreation forming the “grand entrance”. It is concluded that urban practices of interaction with nature developed in two ways. The first is the “acculturation” of the forest area through political actions to establish an ideologically approved recreation for new citizens. The second way was constituted by the formation of citizens’ ecological consciousness in the context of a greenery deficit in the industrial areas of the city.

Estimating mortality of small passerine birds colliding with wind turbines

As demand for renewable energy is rising, wind power development is rapidly growing worldwide. In its wake, conflicts arise over land use changes converting pristine nature into industrial power plants and its associated adverse biodiversity effects, crowned by one of the most obvious and deadly consequences: bird collisions. Most post-construction studies report low levels of avian mortality, but the majority of these studies are conducted primarily on larger birds. However, the diversity and abundance of small passerine birds are rarely reflected in the carcass surveys, although they in numeric proportion to their abundances should be the most numerous. The assumption that surveys find all carcasses seems thus rarely fulfilled and passerine mortality is likely to be grossly underestimated. We therefore designed an experiment with dummy birds to estimate mortality of small-bodied passerines and other small-bodied birds during post-construction surveys, tested in a medium-sized wind farm in western Norway. The wind farm was surveyed weekly during the migration periods by carcass survey teams using trained dogs to find killed birds. The dogs in the carcass surveys were more successful in locating the large than the small dummy birds (60–200 g), where they found 74% of the large dummy birds. Detecting the smaller category (5–24 g) was more demanding and the dogs only found 17% of the small dummy birds. Correcting the post-construction carcass survey outcome with the results from the experiment leads to an almost fourfold increase in estimated mortality rates, largely due to the low detection rate of the smallest category. The detection rates will naturally vary between wind farms, depending on the specific habitat characteristics, the efficiency of the carcass surveys and the search intervals. Thus, implementing a simple experiment with dummy birds to future post-construction surveys will produce more accurate estimates of the wind turbine mortality rates, and thus improve our understanding of the biodiversity effects of conforming to a more sustainable future.

Representation of Identity and Land in Waubgeshig Rice’s Legacy

This research study attempts to explicate the aspiration of returning to pristine nature in Waubgeshig Rice’s novel Legacy by applying the theory of eco-criticism. As Indigenous texts represent the symbiotic relationship between culture and nature, which serves as an essential feature of the Indigenous people being their attempt to reconnect to nature through land. The purpose of this is gaining Indigenous identity, which has its origins in peace among all living things. This writing has been analyzed based on nature-centered concepts, traditional and cultural practices, environmental respect and knowledge, and dependency on nature and its resources as portrayed in certain important excerpts. The study will demonstrate how Rice conveyed nature awareness by a simple depiction of the character’s harmony with their surroundings and how they find healing through nature. He demonstrates how the human’s connection with nature sheds light on postmodern themes such as identity and ethical decline. Rice promotes the idea that the environment plays a significant role as well as being a central factor in the Indigenous existence and how it has a direct influence on them. Discussing discrete characters and their various attributes, as well as the parts these characters are assigned in connection to the world around them through nature, is crucial to understanding the notion of man-environment interaction.

Romantic Narratives on Nature and Environment in Meat-Focused Food Documentaries

ABSTRACT The article looks at the discourses of five selected Western food documentaries released in the last decade that deal with meat production and animal agriculture and their impact on the environment, animal welfare, and nature. The article finds that the documentaries employ discourses about nature that involve highly romanticized notions of nature, the environment, and animals that nostalgically harken back to the pre-modern, pastoral, artisanal, and peasant ethos. In the studied documentaries, nature is portrayed as a victim of modern technologies, but also as an avenging and self-restoring entity. Although the Romantic visions of pristine nature and natural meat and food production are grounded in the late eighteenth century, they remain an important source of skepticism and critique of capitalist, industrial, scientific, and technological forms of food- and meat production. By applying the method of multimodal critical discourse analysis, this study reflects on the nature of Romantic representations and the potential meanings of visual, auditory, and linguistic features in the selected documentaries, as well as the potential of Romantic thought to trigger paradigmatic shifts in the way nature is affected by the meat system.

Infrared absorption spectra from organic matter in the asteroid Ryugu samples: Some unique properties compared to unheated carbonaceous chondrites

AbstractThe infrared spectral characteristics of organic‐rich acid residues prepared from Ryugu samples returned by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission generally match those from unheated carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, but the residues from Ryugu are richer in methyl and methylene functional groups and have higher CH2/CH3 ratios. Moreover, two distinct outlier carbonaceous phases are found; one with spectral characteristics of N‐H functional groups, likely amides, and a second phase containing less nitrogen. Such infrared characteristics of Ryugu organic matter might indicate the pristine nature of the freshly collected samples and reflect the near‐surface chemistry in the parent asteroid.

Study on the cleanliness of super clean coal prepared by water-only cyclone

Maintaining clean and pristine nature is the key to the use of super clean coal (SCC) for coal-based materials or energy combustion. Herein, SCC is prepared by a new water-only cyclone method, and compared the surface characteristics with the SCC products obtained by conventional chemical deashing method. The results indicate that: FTIR analysis revealed that the chemical method changed the original functional group of coal; BET analysis revealed that the SCC products prepared by the water-only method maintained the micropore volume of the raw coal and yielded a uniform and concentrated distribution of pore sizes, however, the chemical method destroying the original pore structure in the coal; SEM-EDS analysis indicated that the surface of SCC particles that were deashed using the water-only cyclone method was smooth and neat, whereas those obtained using the chemical method were seriously corroded, had a rough surface, and the SCC particles were prone to acid residues and precipitates. This study opens an innovative, simple, and clean method for the preparation of SCC, which further expands and enhances the potential application value of SCC.

Microbial Transport by a Descending Ice Melting Probe: Implications for Subglacial and Ocean World Exploration.

Ocean Worlds beneath thick ice covers in our solar system, as well as subglacial lakes on Earth, may harbor biological systems. In both cases, thick ice covers (>100 s of meters) present significant barriers to access. Melt probes are emerging as tools for reaching and sampling these realms due to their small logistical footprint, ability to transport payloads, and ease of cleaning in the field. On Earth, glaciers are immured with various abundances of microorganisms and debris. The potential for bioloads to accumulate around and be dragged by a probe during descent has not previously been investigated. Due to the pristine nature of these environments, minimizing and understanding the risk of forward contamination and considering the potential of melt probes to act as instrument-induced special regions are essential. In this study, we examined the effect that two engineering descent strategies for melt probes have on the dragging of bioloads. We also tested the ability of a field cleaning protocol to rid a common contaminant, Bacillus. These tests were conducted in a synthetic ice block immured with bioloads using the Ice Diver melt probe. Our data suggest minimal dragging of bioloads by melt probes, but conclude that modifications for further minimization and use in special regions should be made.

Diversity, distribution, and conservation status of fish species in Kallar Stream, Achankovil River, Western Ghats of Kerala, India

The current study presents the findings of fish species inventories conducted at 12 locations in ‘Kallar’, the perennial tributary of the undammed Achankovil River that flows through the Achankovil Reserve Forest in Kerala State. A new checklist of ichthyofauna is prepared, by adding the updated scientific names, which comprises 35 species from 27 genera, 13 families, and eight orders. In order of abundance, Opsarius bakeri, Salmostoma boopis, and Garra surendranathanii were the most prevalent species in the Kallar tributary. Eight of the total species documented are listed as threatened on IUCN Red List. The study reports the presence of a poorly known smiliogastrin cyprinid, Dawkinsia lepida for the first time in the Achankovil River as well as the range expansion of the threatened catfish, Batasio travancoria, and the Malabar Spiny Eel Macrognathus guentheri to the Kallar tributary. The study also reports a species of Balitora from Kallar, distinct from its congeners in several morphometric and meristic characteristics. The absence of any non-native fish species in the study area revealed the pristine nature of the stream habitat. A comparison of diversity indices with the available pre-flood study revealed that the fish species composition in Kallar stream has not altered as a result of the 2018 catastrophic flood. The main existing threat is the practice of destructive fishing at high levels by local communities adjacent to but outside the forest area during the dry season by damming the streamlets and then applying plant-based piscicides. It is recommended that fishing be banned during dry season because this is the time of year when the majority of the upstream fishes breed. The existing environment and fisheries acts should also be strictly enforced. For the sake of future conservation, the competent authorities should see to it that the last remaining natural forest cover in the Kanayar and Kallar ranges are safeguarded from being converted to forest plantations.

Identification, prioritization, and management of biodiversity hot specks: a case study of Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India

The Western Ghats are globally recognized as a hotspot of rich, endemic, and threatened biodiversity. Within this hotspot of biological diversity, there are islands of natural landscapes that can be termed as ‘hot specks’. These hot specks require careful prioritization and specific management strategies as they vary in objectives and ownership. Conserving hot specks of biodiversity is of great relevance because creating new protected areas with wildlife corridors between them has become relatively impossible in the present context of intensive land-use change in this rapidly developing region. Management strategies, however, must be based on scientific assessment and using a set of prioritization criteria for selecting the most appropriate forms of management. The conservation action plan for the Western Ghats has become a controversial issue based on the findings in the report submitted by the Western Ghats Expert Ecological Panel and the High Level Work Group on Western Ghats. In the present context of rapidly changing land-use patterns, economic development, forest fragmentation, isolation of habitats, linear intrusion, neo-urbanization and industrial growth are threats to the pristine nature of the ghats. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify, prioritize and manage the smaller fragments of biological importance within the larger ecologically sensitive landscape. A prioritization model for different types of hot specks is essential so that it can be easily replicated by training frontline forest staff, community-based organizations, Biodiversity Management Committees, and non-government organizations for implementing a strategy and action plans for the sites by using the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Support of the local Biodiversity Management Committees and the State Biodiversity Board is essential for the conservation management of these biodiversity-rich sites. This study presents an innovative approach to prioritize areas outside the formally notified boundaries of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to assess the conservation value of hot specks of diversity through a rapid biodiversity assessment tool. This can lead to a rational conservation strategy that conservation planners and practitioners can use.

The Structure and Functions of the Chronotope
 in Oleg Ermakov's Travelogue Novel «The Song of Tungus»

The subject of the study in the article is the chronotope and the features of its functioning in Oleg Ermakov's travelogue novel «The Song of Tungus» (2017). The purpose of the study is to identify and classify the types of chronotopes characteristic
 of the author's work, to show their structure and role in the representation of the author's picture of the world. Oleg Ermakov's travelogue is based on the opposition
 of the event and historical and cultural chronotope associated with the ancient traditions and rituals of the Evenks. Аt the event level, the novel «Song of Tungus» represents two parallel developing storylines: the wanderings of a hereditary Evenk,
 later a «fugitive criminal», Mishka Malchakitov and the story of a young forester Oleg Shustov, who escaped from the army and the world of civilization to the edge of pristine nature. However, the historical and cultural chronotope is above the event chronotope, which is based on the idea of finding a homeland-paradise and its true purpose. It is he who represents the spiritual journey of the hero. Oleg Ermakov's novel is polyphonic. Different types of characters are shown here, and many of them have their own journey, their own path to the cherished goal, either inscribed in the mythopoetic tradition, or existing separately from it. For example, Dmitriev's goal – to become the director of the reserve – is fundamentally different from the goal of Shustov and similar young ascetics who seek to create a model of an ideal reserve.
 This line is especially vividly demonstrated in the third part of the novel, where the author renounces monosubjectivity and a «chorus of voices» sounds.

A Mighty Cooperative

A Mighty Cooperative