Law on geoparks adopted in Bashkiria

As the speaker of the Bashkir parliament Konstantin Tolkachev explained, the law establishes the legal concept of "geopark", and regulates the procedure for creating and determining the boundaries of geoparks in the republic. In addition, the document specifies the main tasks and directions for the development of geoparks. In particular, they involve the preservation of natural and cultural heritage sites, environmental education, and the development of social and rural tourism.

According to the law, a geopark is a territory that includes objects of special geological, biological, and environmental value, representing scientific, educational, cultural, historical, and tourist interests.

By the way, it was the Bashkir Geopark Yangan-Tau that was the first in Russia and throughout the post-Soviet space to receive international recognition and be included in the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.

“Today, the Global Network includes 169 geoparks from 48 countries,” said Konstantin Tolkachev. — The most important condition for the development of global geoparks is to maintain a balance of economic interests and environmental protection. World experience shows that the development of a natural area in the format of a geopark significantly increases its tourist attractiveness. At the same time, the concept allows both budget accommodation of tourists in campsites and glamping, as well as comfortable conditions in hotels.”

The costs of implementing the law will be financed from the republican budget for 2022 and for the planning period of 2023 and 2024.

Author: Galina Bakhshieva