Elena Zlenko
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Federation Committee for Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management
The state and prospects for the development of ecological tourism was among the issues discussed at the Nevsky International Ecological Congress held in St. Petersburg at the end of May. Elena Zlenko, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Federation Committee for Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management, told the EcoTourism Expert about the discussions held at the Congress.
- A lot of discussions at the Nevsky International Ecological Congress were about the development of ecotourism. What are the challenges for the legislators in this area?
- The year 2022 was a turning point in the development of ecological tourism in specially protected natural areas - the tourist flow increased by almost 40% last year. A new tourism infrastructure is already appearing in the protected areas, and the professional skills of the employees in the tourism sector in the specially protected natural areas are being improved for the development of ecological tourism in accordance with the national project “Ecology”.
The President of Russia has set the task of developing ecological tourism, while eliminating risks for unique and vulnerable ecosystems. The Federal Law adopted in the spring of this year that laid the legal foundations for the implementation of large-scale tourism activities in specially protected natural areas is aimed at achieving this task.
The Federal Law will come into force on September 1, 2023, and by that time, the state authorities and local governments should be ready not only to start its implementation but the breakthrough development of ecotourism in their regions as well. To do this, it is important to exclude possible legal, administrative, financial risks that hamper the effective implementation of the law and, in general, the development of this tourism segment.
- As for the very term of “ecotourism”, how it is defined, understood and integrated into the legislation?
- Currently, this term is used in a number of regulations, but the key Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism in the Russian Federation” adopted on November 24, 1996 does not contain such a notion as “ecological tourism”.
Obviously, a definition of ecotourism should be added to this law, which means the tourism that involves visiting natural complexes and objects to get acquainted with them, observe and watch the wildlife and familiarize the tourists with nature in compliance with the legal regime and the requirements in the environmental protection. The bill proposes to give the authority to the Government of the Russian Federation to establish requirements for the organization and implementation of this type of tourism.
By the way, the general content of the ecotourism concept has already been formulated in the “Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the Russian Federation for the Period until 2035”, the “Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the North Caucasus Federal District until 2035”, in the corresponding GOST R 56642-2021 “National Standard of the Russian Federation. Tourist Services. Ecological Tourism”. These documents define that “ecotourism is the activity of organizing travels, including all forms of nature tourism, when tourists are motivated to observe and watch the wildlife as well as to familiarize with nature and strive to preserve it.
- The forum discussed the positive experience in ecotourism gained by our partners, including those from the CIS countries. What our partners ’experience can we take? What are the opportunities for collaborative approaches in the field of legislation?
- Indeed, the successful experience gained by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the ecological tourism was highly praised.
For example, according to the National Development Strategy of Kyrgyzstan for 2018-2040, the tourism sector is one of the priorities along with mining, agriculture and consumer goods industries. The country is actively developing hiking, mountain climbing, boating down the mountain rivers, as well as skiing, wildlife watching, visiting national parks and nature reserves, visiting cultural monuments and historical sites, and acquainting with national traditions, customs and folklore.
There are 14 national parks in Kazakhstan with a total area of 2.4 mn hectares. The combination of various landscapes and natural zones like forests, glaciers, lakes, sands, as well as the ancient history, the abundance of archaeological sites create all the conditions for the development of various types of tourism in Kazakhstan. Appropriate master plans are being developed, ecotourism routes and trails are being equipped in the Republic.
In the Belarusian legislation, such a term as “agro-ecotourism” has been introduced. It is defined as an activity aimed at familiarizing tourists with the natural, agricultural and cultural potential of the Republic, as well as with the national traditions in the process of recreation, health improvement, temporary stay in agro-ecofarms.
I consider it important to take into account the experience of our colleagues from the CIS countries to continue our work on the harmonization of legislation in the field of eco-tourism. I would like to mention that the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly has already adopted a model law on the ecological tourism. This document is well structured, a number of its norms can and should be used in our national lawmaking.
