435 million rubles will be spent on infrastructure, museums, parks, sports facilities of Yangan-Tau Geopark

Today, the Head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, held a videoconference on the Yangan-Tau Geopark development in the Salavatsky region.

“Our working group, with the participation of the heads of municipalities in the north-east of the republic, works in such areas as attracting investments, developing roadside services, building glamping - mobile tourist houses. We propose to assign the name “Geopark No. 1” to the Yangan-Tau Geopark. This brand will contribute to improving the image and investment attractiveness of the project, ” First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economic Development and Investment Policy of the Republic of Bashkortostan Rustam Muratov said.

In addition to natural objects, the Geopark will include the Golden Nail Geology Museum, the Caravanserai Ethnographic Complex, the Salavat Yulaev Park, an organic farming center, a campus for students of an international geo-school, and a ski complex. The approximate amount of expenses will be 435 million rubles. In the future, this will help to attract extra-budgetary investments according to preliminary calculations of 30 billion rubles until 2024.

The Head of Bashkortostan instructed the Minister of Transport and Roads, Alan Marzayev, to report on roads in the Yangan-Tau Geopark territory and plans for their repair and construction new ones, taking into account the growth of the tourist flow. In the near future, the Ministry of Transport, together with relevant departments, will determine the priority directions for road construction.

Radiy Khabirov instructed to develop a detailed roadmap for the development of the Yangan-Tau Geopark by December 10.

A particular UNESCO program to support creating a worldwide network of National Geoparks has existed since 2002. In 2004, with UNESCO's support, the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) was created, which includes 161 Geoparks in 44 countries of the world. The main goal of the Global Geoparks program is to create a model of sustainable economic development of the territory based on the use of geological sites of international importance in their direct connection with nature, culture, and other aspects of human life, which is its fundamental difference from the UNESCO World Heritage Program, aimed only at protecting unique sites.

Besides, UNESCO Geopark status is awarded for only four years. An additional check should be passed to renew it.

The Yangan-Tau Geopark, created in 2017, is located in the Salavatsky region of Bashkortostan. It is a complex of geological, biological, historical, and cultural heritage sites. Geological objects of international importance are located in its territory: the Mechetlino, Bolshaya Luka, Lakly sections, and Yangantau mountain.

On July 10, 2020, at the 209th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, the Yangan-Tau Geopark was the first in Russia and the entire post-Soviet space to be included in the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks.