The Ministry of Natural Resources said that the construction of the resort will not harm the ecosystem of Kamchatka

(govoritmoskva.ru ) - The allocated funds will also be used to develop the infrastructure of the region, Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Alexander Zakondyrin said on the radio station Govorit Moskva ("Moscow Speaks").

The resort will be located near the protected area, not on it. A large flow of tourists is expected. Zakondyrin commented on UNESCO's proposal to add the Volcanoes of Kamchatka to the list of World Heritage sites under threat.

"Any construction, any additional anthropogenic load on the ecosystem can have a negative impact. Here, it is necessary to see which territories specifically we are considering. There is a part of the reserve, which is located in specially protected areas of federal significance: this is both the Kronotsky Nature Reserve and our nature reserves. There are no plans to build anything there. This is the territory adjacent to the territory of the protected zones.

There is a project, it is quite well-developed. Colleagues from the company subordinated to Interros have been trying to implement it for more than one year. It was amended based on comments from scientists. It is adjusted as much as possible. Plus, this company has experience working on the territory of Krasnaya Polyana. They are professional people. All factors of maximum reduction of anthropogenic load for the unique ecosystem of Kamchatka were taken into account. This is a fairly balanced the project that is planned to be implemented in 2027. Its cost will be about 40 billion rubles. This is a lot of money that is invested in the development infrastructure of Kamchatka. And we are planning to have a large amount of eco-tourism."

Zakondyrin considered UNESCO's claims to be politicized.

"There was a claim from some UNESCO experts. It should be understood that this is not all UNESCO, but a certain so-called inspection group that deals with all this, from some regions. These are just representatives of not very friendly countries for the Russian Federation. For example, the Baltic States are actively engaged in all this, Ukraine. And this applies not only to Kamchatka. This is Lake Baikal and the unique virgin forests of Komi."

Earlier, UNESCO proposed to add the natural object "Volcanoes of Kamchatka" to the list of World Heritage sites under threat. The reason is the plans to build resorts near volcanoes. UNESCO will make the final decision in September at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh. Environmentalists warn that getting on such a list will be fraught with image losses for Russia.