Ecotourism development concept was presented in the Kolsai Lakes National Park

The concept was presented to the public in the village of Saty, Almaty region. It is planned to build three modern visitor centers, campgrounds, ethnic villages and caravanserais in the national park. This was reported by MIA "Kazinform" with reference to the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  “At the same time, special attention is paid to the development of tourist routes and trails. There will be no capital construction. Lightweight constructions are used ” said the ministry's Telegram channel. Daniyar Turganbayev, director of the State Scientific and Production Enterprise "Kolsai Lakes", during the presentation noted that the infrastructure for ecotourism in the national park will be removed from the main lakes so as not to harm the environment. “No objects will be built in the area of Kaindy and Kolsai lakes,” D. Turganbaev said. - All buildings are located below, not in the gorge. This concept was developed taking into account the characteristics of the local nature. Its main goal is not to disturb the ecosystem. We need to be able to relax on foot or by bike without harming the environment. " “Another important goal of the concept is to provide employment for the population. Not only big business, but also the local population should benefit from tourism, ”he said at the presentation. According to the state program for tourism development, the state can get the first results from the development of ecotourism projects this year. “According to preliminary estimates, the number of tourist routes will increase, new jobs will be created for local residents, the hotel fund will expand, and places for tents and camps will appear. At the same time, the income will increase to 150 million tenge per year, ”said Daniyar Turganbaev, Director General of the Kolsai Lakes National State Natural Park during the presentation. In 2019, 87 thousand tourists visited the national park, which brought in an income of about 30 million tenge. In the future, it is planned to create a Public Council for the development of ecotourism in the Kolsai Lakes National Park. “We will submit the Development Concept to the Public Council, which will be created at the National Park. After careful study and discussion in the Council, we will continue to act in accordance with the law. The facilities will be created as part of a major investment project. We are developing a concept so that business representatives fully understand our requirements when they come tomorrow with an investment project. Entrepreneurs participating in the competition will be able to work here only if their ideas correspond to our concept, ”concluded Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Nysanbayev. Tourist associations, scientists, experts and public figures who took part in the meeting visited the national park itself and got acquainted with the places where infrastructure construction is planned in the future.

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Kamchatka: Pollution killing sea life in Russian far east

Many dead sea creatures have washed up on beaches in Kamchatka, in Russia's far east, in what is being treated as a major marine pollution incident.

Video and photos posted on social media show dead octopuses, seals and other dead sea life, as well as a large stretch of discoloured ocean. Local residents who used the Pacific beaches complained of vomiting, fever, rashes and swollen eyelids. Initial analysis detected oil products and phenol in the water. The environmental group Greenpeace has called it "an ecological disaster". Kamchatka is one of Russia's remotest regions, famous for its pristine nature and active volcanoes. "We began to see that something was wrong with the water because after an ordinary surf you come out feeling good, but this time it felt like we had burned eyes, we couldn't even see straight," local surfer Rasul Gadzhiev said. 

Another surfer, using the Instagram handle yola_la, wrote that "the seabed is all dead. Octopuses, fish, starfish and sea urchins - they're all dead from Cape Nalychev to Avacha Bay, and that's more than 40km (25 miles)". She said surfers in the area had first complained of feeling ill three weeks ago.

Water samples are being collected in Avacha Bay, Kamchatka

The Kamchatka administration website says Russia's emergencies ministry is investigating. Specialists are collecting samples from the beaches and rivers and using drones to help in their analysis. The website says there were reports in late September that the waters on Khalaktyr beach had changed colour and had a peculiar smell. It confirmed that dead octopuses, seals and other sea creatures had been washed up. Kamchatka governor Vladimir Solodov said volunteers were also helping the authorities in their investigation. "We cannot claim that the ocean is dying wholesale here, but now it's really important for us to assess the scale of this," he said.