Korablekk Nature Park to be created in Murmansk Region
© RIA Novosti. N. Delvin

Korablekk Nature Park to be created in Murmansk Region

A protected area of regional importance, Korablekk Nature Park, covering an area of 8,300 hectares, is to be established in the Murmansk Region in 2017. The Murmansk Region government took the decision to this effect at its meeting, said the regional government's press department.

According to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Murmansk Region Elvira Makarova, the Korablekk project will be of crucial importance for environmental protection. The nature park will also be a pilot ground for joint eco-tourism projects, eco-monitoring and education. Korablekk will also be an important practical step in developing cooperation between the federal and regional and also international nature reserve territories.

"Protected areas should not only protect the environment but also seek to become centers of attraction and provide a new impetus for municipal entities development," said Makarova. "Hence, our task is to make the protected areas comfortable for people, preserving the unique nature and maintaining the unity of the environmental, economic and social components of the projects."

The minister said all the steps required by law as preparation for a protected area had been completed.

"The appearance of the new protected area on the map of the region will be a significant event of the Year of Protected Areas and reflect our efforts to preserve the biodiversity of the Russian Arctic zone and to pursue the course set by the federal authorities," said Governor Marina Kovtun.