First UNESCO Geopark in Russia may appear in northeast of Bashkortostan

UFA, 9 October 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Alfiya Agliullina/. The Bashkir branch of the Russian Geographical Society conducted a study of potential tourist routes in the Salavat district of Bashkortostan. To date, a possibility of creating the first geological park in Russia under the auspices of UNESCO is discussed in the republic.

The north-eastern territories of the region are of great value from the geological point of view. An important cultural heritage is the history of the Salavat region - the birthplace of the national hero of the Bashkir people, the poet Salavat Yulaev, who praised the Urals in his poems.

Specialists of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society believe that a natural monument of Bashkortostan, a stratigraphic section of international significance - "Mechetlinsky" can become the main attraction of the future Geopark. In this geological section the fossil fauna and flora of the Kungurian stage of the Permian system, which inhabited for more than 280 million years the bottom of the world ocean Tethys, is represented. More than 100 species of fish, algae and mollusks have been identified. An analogue of the section exists only in America.

However, this local landmark is of interest to a very narrow circle of scientists. Therefore, to justify the creation of the geopark, it was decided to pay attention to the ethnic characteristics of the area - national crafts, monuments of Bashkir culture, ethnographic features, folklore, epic, agricultural tourism.

The group composed of the executive director of the Bashkir branch of the Russian Geographical Society Rimma Galeeva worked in search of these directions in the villages of Lakly, Kalmaklerovo, Nasibash, Urmanchi, Lagerevo, Turnali, Ahunovo, Mechetlino, Bishevlyarovo, Alkino, Idirisovo.

As a result of the trip, photo, video and text materials will be selected for an application to UNESCO for the geopark creation in the territory of the Salavat district of Bashkortostan, the local branch of the society reported.

A geopark is a territory with a special protected status, a kind of open-air museum, where the main exhibits are mountains, geological sections, minerals, paleontological remains, caves, landscapes. The main goal of its creation is implementation of cognitive and educational activities and development of tourism.

Today there are 119 geoparks in 33 countries. In Russia at the moment there are no geoparks under the auspices of UNESCO, their creation has a great potential for cultural, scientific and economic development of the country.