TASS, January 27. The number of ecology tourists to the Nenets Autonomous Region almost doubled in 2022 against year 2021, the regional administration's press service said. As many as 1,519 tourists visited the region's parks and nature reserves in 2022.
"In 2022, the regional special nature reserves welcomed 1,519 visitors," the press service said. "This is a 45.5% growth year-over-year."
The Severny Timan, which welcomed 766 tourists, is the leader. The Vaygach nature reserve also reports growing numbers of visitors. To that Arctic island tourists travel by yachts to watch walruses.
During a meeting with the Nenets Autonomous Region's Governor Yuri Bezdudny, the region's head of the department of natural resources, ecology and agriculture Albert Chabdarov said in the coming summer the nature reserve would organize a module monitoring station. Specialists in natural resources and environment will observe the tourists to make sure the walrus population is safe. This measure is reasonable, since the number of visitors is growing, the official said.
The region has built up the environmental protection work. The Nenets Region's governor has ordered to organize an interdepartmental group, which features representatives of the Russian FSB border department for the Western Arctic region, the department of state control, supervision and protection of aquatic biological resources of the national fishery authority, Rosrybolovstvo, and the Arkhangelsk Department of the Russian Interior Ministry. The authorities work jointly to eradicate industrial poaching.
Following inspections the authorities initiated 69 administrative proceedings in 2022, which is 59% more than they opened in 2021, as well as three criminal proceedings. Inspectors confiscated 167 nets (growth by 3.3 times year-over-year). "We are for civilized tourism, for the tourists who do not harm our fragile nature," the press service quoted Governor Bezdudny as saying. The Nenets Autonomous Region has 12 specially protected areas. These are eight nature reserves, one complex nature park, and three nature monuments.