Project's IRN: AP08855888

Priority: Scientific research in the field of natural sciences

Sub-priority: Fundamental research in the field of environmental protection

Implementation period: 2020-2022 (27 months)

Customer: State Institution “Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan”

Research adviser: Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor A.S. Aktymbayeva

• Relevance and idea of the project:

In conditions of instability of the world economy, increasing environmental risks, additional efforts are needed to find and implement mechanisms to reduce the environmental load on the environment, alternative, “sparing” methods of spending irreplaceable natural resources, that is, the use of “green” technologies. This approach is implemented by many developed countries that consider tourism as an alternative. At the same time, one of the effective measures for the preservation and restoration of the natural environment is the activation of ecotourism and the strengthening of environmental education.

In Kazakhstan, there are various types of specially protected areas: from nature reserves to wildlife sanctuaries, natural monuments, etc. The system of specially protected natural areas as a whole is huge, complex and delicate structure. Of all the types of protected areas, national parks are the most accessible for carrying out recreational and other types of economic activities, that is, they are the place where nature is most exposed to human activity. National parks are nature conservation, environmental education and research institutions, the territories of which include natural complexes and objects of special ecological, historical and aesthetic value, and which are intended for use in nature conservation, educational, scientific and cultural purposes and for regulated tourism.

Thus, the main idea of the project is to ensure the sustainable development of national natural parks through rational planning of ecotourism activities, taking into account the norms of the maximum permissible recreational loads on the geosystems of protected natural areas, regulating the flow of tourists, optimizing the infrastructure and logistics of routes, as well as implementing innovative approaches to environmental education of the population. based on digital technologies.

• Project goal:

Ensuring sustainable development and territorial organization of ecological tourism in state national natural parks of Kazakhstan (on the example of national parks in Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions) based on a scientifically grounded assessment of tourism carrying capacity and permissible environmental load on geosystems, taking into account the multiplier effect of recreational activities and using GIS technologies.

• Expected and achieved results:

– for 2020:

conducting a systematic analysis of the scientific apparatus of indicators of sustainable development of ecotourism; analysis of the current state of Kazakhstan's national parks in order to identify indicators of sustainable tourism development and monitoring of environmental objects; development of indicators, that is, management and monitoring tools for the geosystems of national parks; compilation of a register of tourist and recreational resources for the development of ecological tourism in Kazakhstan, taking into account the cluster approach; analysis of existing methods and practices for assessing the sustainable development of national parks in the world on the basis of a literature review in order to select the optimal indicators for the sustainable development of national parks in Kazakhstan; selection of a methodology for assessing sustainable development of national parks territories, planning and a management system for tourist and recreational resources, taking into account positive domestic and foreign practices.

– for 2021:

conducting in-depth interviews and/or surveys of stakeholders in order to identify factors that hinder the sustainable development of the territories of national parks in Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions; determination of potentials, limiting factors and threats for ecotourism products of national parks of Almaty region and East Kazakhstan region; study of the possibility of development and territorial organization of types of modern ecotourism in national parks of Kazakhstan (on the example of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions); assessment of the tourist, recreational and ecological capacity of national parks territory of Kazakhstan (on the example of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions); determination of the maximum allowable recreational loads on various types of ecosystems in national parks; identification of ecologically stressed areas of the territories under consideration, development of recommendations for the standardization of eco-routes; drawing up a map of the tension of the national parks of the East Kazakhstan region and the Almaty region; development of interactive cartographic materials based on GIS technologies for graphical presentation of the distribution of anthropogenic load and identification of areas of a tense ecological situation based on the results of assessing the ecological, tourist and recreational capacity; determination and assessment of the maximum permissible norms of the recreational load of the territories of the national parks of the East Kazakhstan region and the Almaty region for the purpose of sustainable ecotourism; conducting cognitive modeling of the structural components of the tourist complex at the level of national parks in Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions; creation of a model of a tourist complex at the level of national parks of the East Kazakhstan region and Almaty region.

– for 2022:

development of a concept for the development of species and territorial organization of ecotourism in national parks of the Republic of Kazakhstan (on the example of national parks in Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions); assessing the multiplier effect of recreational activities to account for economic income from related activities in order to expand the provision of services by employees of national parks; development of a data collection mechanism with subsequent forecast and ways to reduce financial costs for the rational management of the park's resources, an action plan / plan for the development of a national park in a sustainable context; development of a mobile application “National Parks of Kazakhstan” for the popularization of national parks and environmental education in order to prepare a generation with rational environmental thinking, also ensuring the environmental safety of the territory on the basis of expert models of stock, cartographic and statistical data; building a model of a comprehensive target function for zoning the territory of national parks of the Almaty region and East Kazakhstan according to the level of anthropogenic load impact on the general state of the natural environment for the modern period, as well as reflecting the most vulnerable areas of national parks from tourist and recreational activities for the subsequent introduction of eco-activities; development of recommendations for the activation and strengthening of the role of the local population (local communities) in the development of ecological tourism in the national parks of Kazakhstan, taking into account the use of “green” technologies (a closed system of water use, alternative energy sources, the development of ecological tourism, recycling of household waste, and etc.) in the territory national parks of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions for the purpose of rational nature management, expansion of environmental education, eco-culture and sustainable development of territories of national parks; methodological recommendations based on the results of the assessment and determination of the norms of the recreational load in the national parks of the Almaty region and the East Kazakhstan region; recommendations for regulating the flow of visitors in national parks of Kazakhstan, that is, the introduction of automatic systems for monitoring the number of visitors based on the foreign experience of national parks.

• Information for potential users:

Target consumers of the results obtained, including by subject composition: National parks of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Tourism Industry Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan; “Kazakh Tourism” National Company JSC; Kazakhstan Tourism Association; Tourism Administration of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions; tourists, local population, local communities, NGOs, tourism industry (travel agencies, tour operators), rural entrepreneurs, etc.

Applicability and / or commercializability of the obtained research results: the results of the study are applicable to other national parks in Kazakhstan. Research results are commercializable (for example: the development of effective actions for local communities and a scenario for the development of tourism in protected areas; assessment / economic planning materials for the effective production of tourist products in protected areas and regions; technological foundations for managing the development of tourist flows and the production of tourist products, geographic information maps, balanced a set of actions, decision support models for the development of tourism and related areas in protected areas; sustainable development of tourist and recreational activities in national parks of the Republic of Kazakhstan; introduction and dissemination of methods for assessing anthropogenic load on tourist routes and training of employees of national parks).

Expected social, economic, environmental results: provided the scientific organization, ecological tourism can play a significant role in resolving the current socio-ecological crisis, contributing to the protection of nature and traditional cultures. The increasing demand for this type of travel stimulates the creation of new specially protected natural areas, primarily national nature parks. For Kazakhstan, as a dynamically developing country, ecotourism is also important as a potential source of replenishment of the state budget.

• Research team members:

Publications for 2020-2021:

1. Iskakova, K., Bayandinova, S., Aliyeva, Z., Aktymbayeva, A., & Baiburiyev, R. (2021). Ecological Tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77462-2
2. Sapiyeva A.Z., Nuruly Y., Assipova Z.M. (2020). Evaluation of the multiplicative effect of ecotourism development in Kazakhstan (on the example of the «Buyratau» National Park). Central Asian Economic Review. (6):116-126. (In Russ.) https://caer.narxoz.kz/jour/article/view/282

Protection documents for 2020-2021:

1. Certificate of entering information into the state register of rights to objects protected by copyright (object of copyright: maps related to geography, topography and other sciences). No. 13053 of November 5, 2020. “Map of the Turgen branch of the Ile-Alatau SNNP” / Sakypbek M.A., Aktymbayeva A.S., Nuruly Ye., Assipova Zh.M., Sapiyeva A.Zh. Certificate.pdf
2. Certificate of entering information into the state register of rights to objects protected by copyright (object of copyright: work of science). No. 18631 of June 11, 2021. “Ecological tourism as a factor of sustainable development of national parks in Kazakhstan (on the example of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions)” / Aktymbayeva A.S., Nuruly Ye., Sakypbek M.A., Assipova Zh.M., Sapiyeva A.Zh., Kaliyeva A.B. Certificate.pdf

Reports to ISPC for 2020-2021:

1. Kaliyeva A.B., Aktymbayeva A.S., Sapiyeva A.Zh., Nuruly Ye. Opportunities for ecotourism development in Tarbagatay National Park // International Scientific-Practical Conference X Zhandayev readings “Geographical science of Kazakhstan in the modern world” – Almaty, Kazakhstan, December 11-12, 2020. – Almaty, 2020. – P. 38-39. (In Kaz.) Zhandayev readings Tarbagatay.pdf
2. Kaliyeva A.B. Opportunities for ecotourism development in Tarbagatay National Park // Materials of the International Scientific Conference of Students and Young Scholars “Farabi world”. Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 6-8, 2021. – Almaty: Kazakh University, 2021. – P. 146. (In Kaz.) Farabi world Tarbagatay.pdf
3. Artemyev A.M., et al. On the regulation of tourist and recreational load in the national park “Kolsay lakes” // IX International Conference on Education and Research in Tourism and Hospitality. – 18-19 November, 2021. (In Russ.)
4. Aktymbayeva A., Kozak Metin Akoĝlan, Razdobudko О. Impact of carrying capacity on national park management system: the case of Altyn-Emel State National Park // IX International Conference on Education and Research in Tourism and Hospitality. – 18-19 November, 2021.
5. Aktymbayeva A.S. Assessment of tourist and recreational loads in the tourist routes of “Katon-Karagay” SNNP // Round table on “30 years of Independence: Current issues in the field of education, land and environmental science” dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Independence of Kazakhstan. – November 23, 2021. (In Kaz.)