This decision has been announced by Evgeny Larin, the Minister for tourism and entrepreneurship of Gorny Altai Republic on 14 of October.

This idea has been proposed to Republic’s administration by “Boge” Geopark’s president Mr. Andre Geras, who is now visiting Gorny Altai. He believes that this territory has necessary geological capacities for the geopark to be established here. The will of local people to show their culture is very important here, because it is one of the requirements of the World Geopark Association.

Today there is no geoparks in Russia and there are 87 of them in the world. Mr. Larin claimed that being a part of the world’s network of geoparks will become another brand for Altai Republic. Sending an application in UNESCO is a very important step towards the development of tourism industry.

Now the specialists are working on technical side of this question, studying the requirements and standards of UNESCO. According to these standards it will be determined which part of the territory is able to get a status of geopark.

Modern geological park is a picturesque natural area with the square of hundreds km², within which there are geological monuments and other objects of national or world importance.  Establishing of geopark can not only attract new tourist to Gorny Altai and improve local infrastructure, but also will help to protect and save the unique heritage of this region.