The agenda: Expanding the Yakutia priority development territory; developing ecotourism in specially protected natural areas.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Viktoria Abramchenko’s report on the development of ecotourism in specially protected natural areas
Excerpts from the transcripts:
Mikhail Mishustin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
The Government continues to take measures aimed at the accelerated development of the regions of the Far East. The President set this task as a state priority.
The government will expand the Yakutia priority development territory. Its residents enjoy attractive business conditions, including tax breaks, insurance premiums, technical capabilities for connecting to all utility networks, and a number of other preferences.
New neighborhoods will be built on the land plots of the city of Yakutsk, which will be part of the priority development area, and there will be a high-tech house-building plant, where a wide range of private houses will be created.
The total volume of private investment for these goals may amount to about 70 billion roubles.
It is important that high-quality and up-to-date housing will be more affordable. Many people will be able to resolve their housing issues faster.
During a business trip to Yakutia, we saw the current state of affairs in the republic, how the infrastructure is being updated, and employment is growing. Of course, much remains to be done, primarily to improve people’s quality of life.
Now to the development of the tourism industry.
The President has repeatedly emphasised that every year more and more tourists want to visit the most beautiful places in our country. This includes national parks. We have more than 60 of them, and of course, they have special protection oversight, primarily to preserve the fauna and flora in their natural environments.
This means that everything in these protected areas must meet the strictest environmental requirements. This applies to accommodation facilities, hotels and campsites and to sports grounds, as well as to the many other facilities located there.
Therefore, the Government has prepared a resolution by which we are introducing a form of agreement for businesses that intend to invest in recreational infrastructure in national parks.
These documents must contain obligations and liability for businesses for the careful conservation of nature and compliance with the relevant requirements. A ban on the construction of residential buildings is also included, as well as a number of other conditions for investors.
Ms Abramchenko, what other measures are being taken to develop national parks so that people and their children can take holidays in nature without disturbing the ecological balance?
Viktoria Abramchenko: Mr Mishustin, colleagues.
Pursuant to the President's decisions, the Government is preparing a large package of regulations governing the development of eco-tourism in specially protected nature areas.
On 1 September, the basic federal law on the development of tourism in specially protected nature areas came into force. Six Government acts have already been adopted under the law, in particular, the list of major and minor new facilities that will be allowed in the national parks. By the end of the year, we will adopt eight more legal acts.
Our task is to comply with the balance of interests for the tourism industry and the environmental bloc when approving rules and regulations.
As you said, any facilities built in national parks must comply with strict environmental requirements. After all, the demand from tourists to visit specially protected nature areas is growing every year. At the end of last year, the number of visitors to specially protected nature areas increased by 40 percent to about 14 million. As of 1 September, this year, we already recorded about 10 million people.
The top-five most popular nature areas among tourists include Kislovodsk and Sochi national parks, the Curonian Spit, Krasnoyarsk Pillars, and also Prielbrusye national park.
Together with the development of ecotourism and the creation of safe and comfortable conditions for staying in these areas, we must ensure reliable protection of the unique natural eco-systems of Russia and minimise the anthropogenic load.
According to the new regulations, recreational activity will not be carried out at random but in line with the approved plans and in compliance with environmental requirements.
Thus, the legal document you talked about clearly envisages the rights and responsibilities of investors when carrying out recreational activities. Another Government act envisages the content of a specific recreational activity plan for the national parks. This is an essential document, because it will be used as a foundation to develop tourism in specific national parks.
When drafting the plan, territories will be defined where it is permitted to carry out recreational activities, as well as specific land that is suitable for construction, and it will determine permitted building projects.
It is important that the construction of any facility not be allowed in protected and specially protected areas in national parks.
Stricter environmental requirements will be developed for the construction of hotels, health resorts, visitor centres, sports grounds, restaurant facilities, ski lifts and cable cars, that, for example, forbid storing waste or discharging untreated wastewater.
I would especially like to note that the regulations will not allow clear-cutting when building facilities, or for residential buildings in unique natural areas.
The development of the parameters in a recreation plan for a specific national park will be strictly controlled by the federal Ministry of Natural Resources.
It is essential to consider, as much as possible, the anthropogenic load when developing ecotourism. The term “recreational capacity” was specially introduced into the law for this purpose. It will determine the maximum permissible load capacity of a national park and the maximum possible anthropogenic impact without causing damage to specially protected nature areas.
We will establish the procedure for determining the recreational capacity of each national park and the parameters for calculating the fees under investment agreements, as well as the rules for bidding on them.
This will all be completed by the end of this year.
Mr Mishustin, the entire range of measures taken by the Government will make it possible to protect our natural heritage, and visitors to unique nature areas will be able to enjoy their vacations in a comfortable and safe environment without damaging it.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you.
Ms Abramchenko, it is very important to approach the improvement of recreation opportunities and tourism in national parks comprehensively, and this includes the creation of new jobs. And, of course, we must consider how to do this while preserving an environmental balance and at the same time meet people’s needs. We have to use the unique opportunities for tourism and family recreation that exist in every region. And do all this subtly, especially now when we have high demand for domestic tourism. This will allow us to resolve everything properly.
Please keep all issues of this development under your personal control.
