In Russia, the concept of eco‑trails will be enshrined in law by mid‑September

The regulatory framework will help develop tourism in the country and preserve the environment by protecting it from wild tourism.

The concept of eco-trails will be legislated in Russia. Rosturizm will elaborate necessary documentation by September 15. The corresponding order was given by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during the meeting on tourism development held in Gorno-Altaisk, reports the newspaper “Parlamentskaya Gazeta”.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology Vladimir Burmatov clarified that the creation of a regulatory framework for the organization of eco-trails contributes to the development of centralized tourism in the country, and will help preserve wildlife and protect it from spontaneous tourism.

“Such an initiative can only be welcomed. In terms of specifying the conceptual apparatus, it will only benefit the cause. It will avoid misuse. Ecotropes are sometimes called anything. They appear where they are not supposed to be. Sometimes, trees are even cut down under the plausible pretext of organising ecotropes,” explained the parliamentarian

Nature trails are commonly referred to as walking or hiking trails in natural areas such as nature reserves and national parks. They are designed so that people can get acquainted with individual objects of nature and entire ecosystems, according to the definition on the website of the Verkhovye Nature Conservation Fund.

Often such routes include man-made historical and cultural and other attractions — architectural monuments, ancient constructions, homestead parks and so on.

The main objective of eco-trails is to help people better understand the living world around them, to show the beauty and diversity of nature. During the trip, people expand their knowledge about the nature around us, who inhabits it, the processes and amazing phenomena that take place in it.

People learn not just to look, but to notice the variety of natural phenomena everywhere and, most importantly, to see how human activity affects the environment. Many people are encouraged to learn more about the world around them.

An eco-trail helps to regulate the recreational pressure on ecosystems: it creates conditions in which the main flow of people moves along predetermined ‘corridors’ without spreading out over a large area. This helps to reduce damage to the land cover of vulnerable ecosystems and reduces the disturbance factor for animals.

One more important task of organizing eco-trails is to educate people in the culture of careful behaviour towards the natural environment. In the modern world, this is an essential part of the entire culture of a civilized and responsible member of society.

Cover photo: Alania National Park