The main goal of national parks is the preservation of natural complexes and objects in combination with the organization of environmental education of the population in the process of direct acquaintance with typical and unique landscapes, plants and animals. As in nature reserves, they protect the standards of natural complexes and the gene pool of typical and rare organisms. Like nature reserves, these parks protect animal and plant resources, valuable and unique landscapes, or individual components thereof. But at the same time, the specific tasks of national parks, which distinguish them from other categories of protected lands, are the preservation of unique recreational resources in relatively untouched nature and the creation of conditions for educational tourism and the organization of environmental education.
The idea of a national park dates back to the end of the 19th century. In 1872, the world's first national park, Yellowstone, was organized in the United States. Since then in different countries More than 2,000 parks have been created, and their total area is approximately 2% of the entire planet's landmass. National parks at the time of their formation, they embodied the first ideas about nature conservation, and at that time it was about preserving its most rare or unique specimens. The first parks, first in the USA, then in European countries, were created to prevent economic development of territories with outstanding natural values, be it the geysers of Yellowstone or the giant sequoia trees. Uniqueness was the most important attribute of any national park. In the second half of the 20th century. the attitude towards the tasks of the national park and its content has changed. This happened following a change in views on the goals of preserving nature as an environment for life. On the one hand, due to the manifold increase in human impact, the range of objects that began to be classified as unique has expanded. It began to include not only natural masterpieces, but also objects disappearing due to human fault - from individual organisms to zonal landscapes that have reduced their distribution. On the other hand, the idea of the importance of preserved areas of nature has changed. In addition to the functions of a natural museum and a place of recreation in the natural environment, parks began to fulfill the tasks of maintaining the ecological health of the planet, preserving its gene pool and representative samples, creating testing grounds for scientific research. They began to place the blame on them wide range tasks arising from new theoretical concepts in the field of nature conservation, including those that are solved by nature reserves in our country. Both in terms of area and importance, national parks foreign countries became the basis of national systems of specially protected natural areas. Linking the conservation objectives of parks with their use for “inspiration, enjoyment and education” or “for the benefit and recreation of the general public” is a mandatory requirement of any national legislation or relevant provisions of international conventions.
The question may arise why these objects were called parks, since many territories of current national parks have nothing in common with a park in our usual understanding. In 1960, Key Largo Bay in Florida was even designated as a national park. Now there are already more than 170 such marine parks. In the USA, a dune national park has been created in the Oregon Delta, and there are Arctic national parks in Alaska, which are also difficult to imagine as parks in the usual sense of the word. The fact is that the word "park" in English language has several meanings, one of which is high mountain valley. Perhaps that is why the valley of the Yellowstone River, flowing from the alpine lake of the same name, was called a park. They are called national in order to emphasize their public, national, and not private affiliation.
Initially, the preservation of the nature of the national park was associated with the withdrawal of its territory from any economic use other than recreational. Recreation did not pose a threat to nature in the 19th century. This cannot be said about the modern period, when recreation has become a very aggressive industry. Visitor interest in pristine, untouched natural landscapes has increased many times over, and national parks in all countries are feeling the pressure of this interest. Therefore, legal provisions and management decisions include language limiting recreation in the national park to “special visiting conditions” or “specially designated areas.”
Unlike a nature reserve, the national park is open to the public throughout most of its territory. Acceptable types of recreation are those associated with travel in nature - hiking, water tourism, ski tourism, short excursions. Mass spectacles, entertaining games, and sports competitions are not permitted in the national park.
At the First World Conference on National Parks (Seattle, 1962), it was noted that national parks provide visitors with a wide variety of services and generate large incomes. Sometimes they exceed the income that can be obtained from the exploitation of natural resources available in the parks. For example, in the USA, income from recreation in redwood forests is 10 times higher than from timber harvesting there. The return on investment in the development and operation of national parks turned out to be higher than that of mining and manufacturing enterprises. Returns on invested capital, of course, contributed greatly to the creation and development of national parks. In some places, territories that were not sufficiently remarkable in natural terms began to be brought under their sign. As an example, we can name 17 national parks in Japan, created in the period 1934-1950, which later did not receive international recognition. The same fate befell some parks in Holland, Great Britain, Ethiopia, Italy and other countries. To prevent the possible exploitation of the popularity of existing national parks and the devaluation of the very idea of their creation, representatives of the international environmental community - members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) created in 1948 - appealed to the UN with a request to resolve the current situation. IUCN developed, and the 10th General Assembly adopted, a resolution which states: Considering the importance attached by the UN to the idea of a national park as a wise use of natural resources, and considering the increasing use in recent years in a number of countries of the term "national park" to designate areas with completely different tasks and status, the Xth General Assembly of the IUCN, held in New Delhi in November 1969, recommends that all governments retain the term “national park” only for areas that meet the proposed criteria. A national park is comparatively large territory, in which one or more ecosystems have not undergone major changes as a result of human activity, where plant and animal species, their habitats, and geomorphological areas are of scientific, educational or recreational interest, or which contains a natural landscape of exceptional beauty.
The following administrative actions are allowed on the territory of the park by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources:
- construction of visitor service facilities, as well as a road and path network, however, such facilities should be concentrated in specially designated areas in limited areas;
- construction work necessary for park management, including the construction of service roads and service buildings;
- biotechnical measures aimed at preserving desirable species of flora and fauna; such activities may include shooting or trapping animals to control their numbers, removing unwanted vegetation, and using controlled burning or grazing to maintain specific plant communities.
A national park that meets international requirements may consist of the following zones or combinations thereof:
- areas of untouched nature;
- zones of untouched nature in combination with a natural zone of strict regime and (or) a managed natural zone;
- any or all of the listed zones in combination with the tourist-administrative zone;
- any or all of the above zones in combination with one or more zones classified as anthropological, archaeological or historical.
A national park is an environmental educational institution in which the goals of preserving natural complexes and objects are combined with the interests of organizing environmental education of the population. It is designed to fulfill a range of environmental objectives common to those of other protected areas. If the reserve serves as a natural standard for obtaining scientific information, then the national park is a standard of educational information about nature for all citizens. When introducing this category into the system of protected areas, experts discussed the possible advantage of any of the functions over others, and the point of view about the dominance of recreational purposes and functions in their overall set was very widespread. This understanding brought the national park closer to a regular recreation area or other similar recreational areas. It would mean that the park does not have an independent environmental load and only recreational resources are protected in it. The idea of a park as a recreational institution impoverishes its natural and educational content. In addition, it contradicts the world understanding of the essence of a national park, as enshrined in international documents. The interests of nature conservation and educational recreation in the park are territorially delimited by zoning its territory. The Standard Regulations for Russian National Parks provide for the allocation of four zones with different modes of use: reserve regime, regulated recreational use, visitor services, and economic use. The main burden of educational tourism and excursion visits is borne by the zone of regulated recreational use. In it, vacationers move along pre-prepared paths of multi-day tourist or one-day excursion routes. For rest or overnight they stop in specially designated places. The routes are laid out so that the visitor can see all the diversity of the nature of the park and get acquainted with remarkable places, without experiencing unpleasant psychological overload from being close to other vacationers. In the park, a person gets the opportunity to communicate with nature, and a preliminary visit will help him understand it better information center or a nature museum, specially published reference literature, educational and ecological trails, and sometimes the help of a guide.
The park may also include developed agriculture land, mainly in order to ensure the integrity of the territory and compliance with the necessary requirements for the exploitation of resources on lands adjacent to specially protected areas of nature. They are allocated to a special economic zone. These territories remain under the jurisdiction of the previous land users, but management there is conducted in such a way as not to conflict with the environmental interests of the national park. At the same time, the task is to create environmentally friendly agricultural production and a harmonious agricultural landscape worthy of being a model. One of the important problems is related to the organization of recreational services in the national park. It offers the visitor a fundamentally different type of recreation than in conventional recreational areas. Man is allowed into nature as a guest, and his presence should not leave any traces in it. Adaptation of the recreational environment is limited to minimal intervention.
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National (natural) park- a protected area of territory (water area) with an intact natural complex, often with unique objects (waterfalls, canyons, picturesque landscapes, etc.). Combines the protection of landscapes with the admission of visitors for recreation. Considering that their purpose is mass tourism, natural parks have a significant area.
Currently there are more than a thousand national parks in the world.
The largest national park in the world - Greenlandic- located in the northeast of the island of Greenland. Its area is about 70 million hectares. This unique park in Greenland is also the northernmost of all national parks in the world. The park is home to 40% of the world's musk oxen population. Among the protected animals there are also polar bear, walrus, arctic fox, ermine, lemming, arctic hare, various types of seals, seals, narwhals, whales, etc. Reindeer disappeared from the park back in 1990. Wolves often visit the park.
The world's first national park was opened in 1872 in the USA. It was Yemstone National Park, located on the Yellowstone Plateau. The area of the park is 898.3 thousand hectares. This is one of the oldest parks in the world. First of all, it is famous for its hot springs. Geysers emit jets of hot water and steam to a height of up to 90 m. Eruptions occur regularly at regular intervals. The water of geysers and hot springs, rich in calcium and silicon, forms bizarre sinter terraces rising to a considerable height.
The park is home to 1,870 plant species, eight of which are coniferous. 80% of all forest areas are occupied by lodgepole pine. From deciduous trees More often than others, aspens, willows, and birches are found (mostly in the undergrowth). Of the flowering plants in the park, it is worth noting Abronia sand-loving, or Yellowstone sand verbena. This plant is found in the wild only within the boundaries of the park. The park is home to about 60 species of mammals, including rare ones: wolf, lynx, grizzly bear, American bison, black bear (baribal), wapiti deer, elk, black-tailed deer, bighorn goat, pronghorn, bighorn, puma, etc.
Yellowstone National Park is a wonderful tourist destination. It receives up to 3 million visitors per year. All conditions have been created for them, various excursions and routes have been organized. But areas of untouched nature still remain. They have no roads and access is strictly limited. The park is considered a biosphere protected area. Thanks to Yellowstone National Park, the bison population has been preserved and restored.
One of the most interesting national parks in the world - Komodo National Park, which is located on several islands that make up the Lesser Sunda Islands archipelago (Indonesia). It is home to the world's only population of the world's largest lizard, Komodo dragons. They are covered with strong scales and have a rather long tail. Komodo dragons have five toes on their feet. According to some reports, it was these lizards that became the prototype of the dragons about which Chinese sailors created legends.
The national park currently operates as a strict biosphere reserve. The monitor lizard's habitat is also fully protected.
The world learned about the existence of this huge lizard in 1912, when one of the European pilots made an emergency landing here and told about what he saw in his homeland. The Indonesian monitor lizard really makes a terrifying impression: its length is about 3.5 m, its weight is up to 150 kg, it has a huge mouth with many teeth. The appearance of the lizard is in many ways reminiscent of extinct dinosaurs. Monitor lizard is a predator. It hunts wild deer and pigs, runs fast and swims well, is extremely gluttonous, and easily eats 6 kg of meat in one go. The animal is undoubtedly unique, having no analogues in the world.
In the zone African savannah enjoys special fame Serengeti national park in Tanzania. He owes this to the famous biologist, ecologist, writer, and documentary filmmaker Bernhard Grzimek(1907-1986). B. Grzimek wrote about the Serengeti: “Tourists are attracted to Africa only by its virgin nature with its wild animals. If the wild fauna disappears here too, as happened almost everywhere, then there will be no reason for tourists to come here.” Huge herds of various ungulates are typical of the Serengeti. In the vast expanses of the savannah, wildebeest graze along with zebras, gazelles and giraffes, and Cairo buffalo are found in the dense thickets. All these animals are characterized by mass movements (migrations) following the rain front throughout the year. Predators also follow the herds of ungulates. The number of ungulates currently within the park is estimated at hundreds of thousands of individuals, there are several thousand elephants, hundreds of lions, hippos, and rhinoceroses.
In Europe, the first national park was created in the canton of Grisons. It's called Swiss national park. The park was founded on August 1, 1914 on an area of 172.4 km2. It includes the Alpine area at an altitude between 1400-3174 m above sea level on the border with Austria and Italy. The park is famous for its unique and diverse flora and fauna, as well as its absolutely untouched nature. The predominant landscapes are mountain coniferous forests and alpine meadows. Roe deer and chamois live here, less often - alpine ibex and fox; There are also deer, marmots, partridges, wood grouse and several species of birds of prey.
Corbett- the oldest national park India, it was founded during British colonial rule in 1935 and occupies about 52 thousand hectares in the valley of the Ramganta River, flowing down from the southern slopes Himalayas. The park's hilly plain (altitude ranges from 400 to 900 m) is covered with forests. During the wet monsoon, vast reservoirs often form in the valley, overgrown with aquatic vegetation. This is the habitat of the giant gharial, or swamp crocodile. The crocodile family has lived on Earth for about 150 million years. For many years, these reptiles were actively exterminated in order to obtain valuable skin. Nowadays crocodiles are bred for industrial needs in special nurseries, but in nature they are protected almost everywhere.
The main conservation site in the national park is tiger. Number of tigers in India in the 1930s-1950s. sharply decreased due to uncontrolled shooting by both colonialists and local poachers. Back in the 1960s. The Indian government launched a large-scale Operation Tiger aimed at preserving and restoring the number of this animal. The main events were held in Korbst Park. Now the number of tigers is close to optimal.
The park is also home to several species of Asian deer, sloth bear, and more than 400 species of birds. For a long time, the park was rarely visited by tourists due to difficult transport accessibility.
At the end of the 1970s. A modern highway has been built from the capital of India, Delhi, and the park is visited by thousands of tourists from around the world.
In the desert zone we will call the Central Kalahari Nature Reserve in South Africa. It was founded in 1957. Its area is 5 million hectares. Unlike national parks, which tourists can visit, nature reserves are only open to scientists. In the Central Kalahari Reserve live local Bushmen tribes who lead their traditional economy. The main object of protection in the reserve is a unique plant - Velvichia.
Velvichia has a thick woody trunk 30 cm long and looks like giant flower with huge petals that are actually the leaves of this plant. In the hot desert, where water is life, Velvichia absorbs moisture from the air with its huge leaves, collects dew, and “drinks” the fog.
Yosemite National Park was created in USA in 1890, has an area of more than 300 thousand hectares, located on the western slopes of the mountains Sierra Nevada. The mountain peaks rise here to almost 4 thousand meters. There are many waterfalls on the mountain rivers. With abundant rainfall, ancient dark coniferous forests consist of many species of spruce, pine, and fir. More than 250 species of typical taiga mammals and birds are represented. But the main glory of the national park came from the preserved areas of the giant sequoia. Individual trees of this species, several thousand years old, reach a height of 150 m with a trunk diameter of 10 m. Sequoia wood is reddish in color, very light, but at the same time hard, durable, and slightly susceptible to rotting. It is believed that in the Tertiary period, sequoia was widespread throughout the Earth, but now, after many years of predatory extermination, areas of virgin forests are very rare and are strictly protected. It is found in botanical gardens almost all over the world.
On South Canadian Rockies there are two large national parks Banff And Jasper. Banff Park, with an area of about 700 thousand hectares, was created in 1885. To the north of it begins Jasper Park (an area of more than 1 million hectares), founded in 1907. The height of the Rocky Mountains within the parks reaches 3700 m. This is a region of harsh mountain taiga. In the strongly dissected Slope Mountains there are glaciers, snowfields, and frequent waterfalls and hot springs (they began to be used for bathing in the 19th century).
Coniferous forests are dominated by mountain spruce, maritime pine, and Douglas fir (up to 45 m in height). The most common large animals in mountain forests are deer, black bears, black-tailed deer, mountain sheep, and many birds.
One of the most unusual animals of the Rocky Mountains is the bighorn goat, found only here. It is an animal with a thick, long white six, similar to a domestic goat. Lives in the alpine belt, rarely descending into the forests. Well adapted to life in the mountains, capable of jumping 6-7 m on barely noticeable mountain ledges. The animal is very rare; work is currently underway to increase its numbers and, in the future, to domesticate it. Both national parks are biosphere reserves and successfully combine wildlife conservation with tourism.
Almost in the very center of Africa, right on the equator, is located Virunga National Park. It was created in 1915, covers an area of more than 20 thousand hectares and is located in the north-west of a small African state Rwanda, on the southern slopes of the volcanic mountains Virunga. The park is home to several cones of extinct volcanoes up to 4,500 m high. Virunga is located just south of the equator, and its landscapes are dominated by humid equatorial and mountain forests and shrubs. The main object of protection is the mountain gorilla - the largest ape.
northwest of Sydney, on a mountain plateau dissected by deep gorges, one of the largest national parks in the southeastern Australia - Blue Mountains Park(“Blue Mountains”) with an area of 200 thousand hectares. It was created in 1959. The “Blue Mountains” are part of the Great Dividing Range, the highest altitudes here do not exceed 1200 m. In some places, tower-shaped columnar remains of sandstone have been preserved, and waterfalls are not uncommon on small rivers. Along the river valleys there are dense forests of blue eucalyptus, acacia, mint trees, and tree ferns.
Platypuses, possums, giant gray kangaroos are preserved here, among the birds are Wong's pigeon, lyrebird, fantail, and yellow flycatcher. It should be noted that the flora and fauna of Australia is not rich, but very unique: 9/10 of the flora and fauna of the continent cannot be found in any other area of the globe. It is this uniqueness that arouses great interest among scientists and requires the most stringent protection measures. Blue Mountains Park has done just that. There are many places left there that are inaccessible, completely untouched, where no tourist has ever set foot.
Rancho Grande- the first national park Venezuela- was created in 1937. It occupies an area of about 90 thousand hectares on the spurs of the Venezuelan Andes, facing the Caribbean Sea, absolute heights are up to 2500 m. The altitudinal zone with an abundance of diverse tropical forests is well represented here. High humidity (about 1700 mm of precipitation per year) determines the richness of fauna, especially dwarf palms, orchids, ferns, and lianas. The national park is famous for its rare birds: more than 30 species of hummingbirds (the weight of the largest individuals of these tiny birds does not exceed 5 g), parrots, guajaros (a rare bird of the nightjar family, usually nest in deep caves in numerous colonies, active at night). The largest venomous snake on Earth is found here - the giant rattlesnake, reaching 3.5 m in length. Among mammals, peccaries, sloths, capuchin monkeys (so named for the black crest on their head), raccoons, and jaguars are common.
Galapagos Islands located directly on the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of South America and owned by the state Ecuador. All islands with a total area of about 10 thousand hectares were declared a national park in 1934. The archipelago has about 15 volcanic islands, of which there are five large ones, the highest points of which rise to a height of 1700 m. Volcanic activity continues to this day. The islands are washed by a cold current, and the water and air temperatures here are relatively low for the equator +21...+25°C. The vegetation is poor: mainly cacti and thorny bushes. Nevertheless, the Galapagos are extremely interesting for science, and it was here that he began to conduct his research Charles Darwin in 1835
There are many amazing animals on the islands: penguins that came here from Antarctica thanks to the cold current; flightless cormorants, giant turtles, marine iguanas, Galapagos sea lion.
Galapagos tortoises - huge animals with a shell length of up to 1.5 m and a weight of 200 kg - were exterminated by humans for their tasty and nutritious meat. Now the turtles are under protection, their numbers are increasing.
The marine iguana is the only species of lizard whose entire life is associated with a narrow coastal zone of shallow water and a strip of shore. This large reptile, up to 1.5 m long, swims well, feeds on algae and more.
Galapagos National Park has a strict regime: tourists are prohibited from visiting the islands, any economic activity, import of foreign plants and animals. The International Biological Station has been operating here since 1964. Thus, the Galapagos Islands are more correctly considered a biosphere reserve.
Such parks can cover vast areas with impassable forests, islands, coastal waters, and even mountain ranges and volcanoes. Unlike nature reserves and reserves, the protection regime in natural parks is the least strict. And these parks are also a great opportunity for tourists to get acquainted with the natural resources of a country or region. And here is a list of the most beautiful and impressive national parks in the world.
The park, located southwest of Tokyo, is one of Japan's most popular parks. The park contains the active Fuji volcano with its five lakes, the Izu Peninsula and islands near it, as well as waterfalls, hot springs and ancient temples. The volcano is especially beautiful with its most symmetrical shape, shrouded in clouds in spring and summer - its grandeur is immortalized in the works of many poets and artists.
It is probably the most famous national park in the world, and as a result, the most photographed. The Grand Canyon in Arizona achieved national park status in 1919, three years after the founding of the US National Park Service. About five million people visit this park every year to see with their own eyes the amazing beauty of the canyon that the Colorado River has carved over millions of years. The southern edge of the canyon is the most visited; the most numerous observation platforms are located here. The northern edge of the canyon, located 300 meters higher, is much less crowded, but it is beautiful with its wild flowering meadows, spruce and aspen groves. The rest of the canyon is remote and difficult to access, although some areas are accessible via hiking trails and back roads. 
Located in southeast China, the park is famous for its karst and limestone natural formations and beautiful hills with colorful names like "Elephant's Trunk" and "Dragon's Head". The nature of the park has inspired many Chinese poets and artists, and some parts of the park have even been depicted on local banknotes. To see all the beauty of Guilin, it is best to take a 50-kilometer cruise along the Lijiang River, from Guilin to Yangshuo. 
It is Canada's oldest national park, created in 1885 in the Canadian Rockies. Lonely Planet describes Banff Park this way: “Mountains, high mountains, mountains are everywhere. Fast rivers carry their waters between beautiful hills. Huge glaciers slide down from the peaks and practically touch the ground. Lakes with turquoise water shimmer in the sun - so rich that it seems as if the water has been tinted.” 
The oldest and most popular national park in Tanzania is a World Heritage Site. The Serengeti is known throughout the world for its annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles, while buffalos, elephants, giraffes, topis, impalas, lions and leopards run between the amazing acacia trees. And here, probably, the most enchanting sunsets in the world. 
According to many, this is the most spectacular national park in South America. Situated on the edge of the continent, the park is known for its granite peaks and emerald forests, sparkling blue glaciers and azure lakes. Many tourists come here for walks and hikes.
Founded in 1914, the Swiss National Park is the oldest national park in the Alps and central Europe, as well as the only national park in the country. It is famous for its unique alpine plants - in particular, edelweiss, which grows only high in the mountains. This park is also home to alpine animals - chamois, deer and marmots. An 80-kilometer network of trails runs through the park, making the area a paradise for hikers. 
The region, which inspired artist William Turner and writer Beatrix Potter, became a national park in 1951. The park consists of valleys with granite boulders and 16 strikingly beautiful lakes resting in the lowlands. These places are chosen by cyclists and lovers aquatic species sports - windsurfing, kayaking and fishing. 
Located in the South Island, the park is the country's largest national park. It spans rugged mountain ranges, 14 stunning fjords and world-famous waterfalls. Two of the park's most famous attractions are Milford Sound, which Rudyard Kipling called "the eighth wonder of the world", and Doubtful Sound, which can only be approached by boat. People come to the national park to watch birds, go boating, kayaking, mountain biking and hiking. 
The first national park in the world, today it is one of the smallest national parks in Costa Rica. But, despite its size, it displays gorgeous nature to the world - lush tropical forests, beaches and rocky headlands. The jungle is home to sloths, iguanas and squirrel monkeys, colorful fish swim in the waters, bright butterflies flutter in the air - a real idyll! 
Everyone knows what a nature reserve and national parks are. Perhaps they just don’t quite clearly understand the difference between one concept and another. Let's try to figure this out.
To understand what a nature reserve and national parks are, you need to know the exact definition of these concepts. So, national parks are special natural areas on land or water where human activity is completely or partially prohibited. The main goal is security environment, i.e. preservation of valuable natural complexes, flora and fauna. These places are open to free visits by nature lovers and tourists.
In addition to their environmental purposes, they are research institutions and also perform an environmental and educational role. It is important to understand that the territories and individual real estate objects that belong to these natural complexes are of special environmental, aesthetic and historical value for the state. In addition, these are excellent places to organize international regulated tourism.
All national parks in our country are property of the Russian Federation. Historical and cultural real estate objects are assigned to them with the right of operational management. The territory of national parks is limited to a protected zone with an orderly regime of environmental management and visits.
Nature reserves are distinguished by the fact that not only any economic activity is strictly prohibited on their territories, but also the presence of people there. According to the law of the Russian Federation, these territories are transferred to nature reserves for indefinite use. Our country is famous for its large number of state protected areas, while there are only a few of them in the world.
Nature reserves and national parks of Russia exist in almost all regions, and therefore are distinguished by their specific landscape, unique representatives of flora and fauna, most of which are listed in the Red Book and are carefully protected by the state.
Nature reserves are objects of federal significance, so funds are allocated annually from the country's budget for their maintenance. and national parks can be understood based on the main tasks they perform. Thus, the objectives of the reserve are:
The territories of Russian nature reserves exclude the use of subsoil, water, plants and hunting of animals, since they are of particular value for world science. They are examples of wildlife, typical for a particular region, and contribute to the preservation of the genetic pool rare representatives flora and fauna.
The main objectives of national parks are:
Nature reserves and national parks are objects of federal significance, financed from funds allocated from the federal budget.
What a reserve and national parks are is clear. How do so-called natural parks differ from them? The fact is that in their status and tasks they are similar to national ones. The main difference is that they do not have federal status and are under the jurisdiction of the republic, territory or region in which they are located. Accordingly, financing is provided from the local budget. For example, in the Urals “Taganay” is a national park, and “Chusovaya River” and “Olenyi Ruchii” are already unique natural parks.
Currently, there are more than 40 national parks in Russia, each of which is distinguished by special natural attractions, be it animals, birds, unique plants or historical real estate.
The championship in the number of national parks rightfully belongs to the Northwestern federal district Russia, especially Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region. There are unique parks here: Vodlozersky, Kenozersky, Kalevalsky, Russian Arctic, Valdai and many others.
More than 38 nature reserves occupy vast, many-kilometer territories of Russia. These include: Altai, Baikal, Bashkir, Barguzin, Darvinsky, Zavidovsky, Kandalaksha, Ilmensky, Komsomolsky, "Kedrovaya Pad", Kronotsky, Pechoro-Ilychsky, Sayano-Shushensky, Caucasian and many others.
Of these, there are nature reserves and national tundra parks: Kandalaksha, Pechora-Ilych, Taimyr, Big Arctic, Yugyd Va, Lapland. Scientists are studying typical tundra ecological systems, as well as observing rare birds (arctic partridge, peregrine falcon), a unique population of wild reindeer, arctic fox and representatives of aquatic fauna (whitefish, salmon, etc.).
In Siberia, the tundra stretches along a narrow coastal strip and reaches a maximum width of 500 km (from northeast Russia south to the northern part of Kamchatka). The large northern part of Sweden is also occupied by the tundra strip of Swedish Lapland. Small areas of tundra are found in the territories of Finland, Norway, and Iceland. Therefore, controlled environmental facilities were also created here.
Famous nature reserves and national parks of the world that protect the flora and fauna of tundra ecosystems: Urho-Kekkonen and Lemmenjoki, belonging to Finland; "Abisko", referring to Sweden; Norwegian "Hardangervidda".
The idea of creating national parks arose more than 120 years ago in the United States. This term was based on the desire to emphasize that this territory belongs to the entire people, the entire nation. The system of national parks in Russia arose in the 80s. The first national parks were formed in 1983. These are “Sochi” on the Black Sea coast and “Losiny Ostrov” on the territory of Moscow. Currently in Russia there are 35 national parks with an area of 7 million hectares (0.41% of the country's area), located in the territories of 13 republics, 2 territories, 20 regions and 1 autonomous district.
National parks are environmental, environmental, educational and research institutions, the territories (water areas) of which include natural complexes and objects that have special ecological, historical and aesthetic value and are intended for use for environmental, educational, scientific, cultural purposes, as well as for recreation and tourism. Their special significance lies in the fact that, by preserving areas of nature as a reserve of national heritage, they serve effective means environmental education, dissemination of environmental knowledge. National parks take on some of the functions that were previously performed by state reserves.
National parks have three interrelated tasks: environmental(protection of natural ecosystems), recreational(providing tourism and recreation for the population) and scientific(development and implementation of scientific methods of nature conservation and environmental education). The recreational function has acquired particular importance in recent years due to the emergence of such a phenomenon as eco-tourism (2002 was even declared by the UN as the year of eco-tourism). Considering the increased demand for such environmental services in developed countries and the enormous capabilities of Russian unique natural territories to provide them, we should expect further involvement, first of all, of national parks in this process.
Earth, water, subsoil, plant and animal world Cultural and other real estate objects located on the territory of a national park are provided for use (ownership) to national parks on the rights provided for by federal laws. Buildings, structures, historical, cultural and other objects are assigned to national parks and transferred to them under the right of operational management. National parks are legal entities, financed from the federal budget and other funds not prohibited by law. The combination of environmental and recreational objectives determines the allocation within the territory of the national park of a number of functional zones with a special environmental and legal regime:
A protected area within which any economic activity and recreational use of the territory is prohibited;
A specially protected zone, within which conditions are provided for the conservation of natural complexes and objects and strictly regulated visits are allowed;
Educational tourism zones intended for environmental education and familiarization with the attractions of the park;
Recreational area intended for recreation. Providing regulated tourism and recreation in the territories of national parks is carried out in accordance with approved projects on the basis of licenses;
Protection zones for historical and cultural objects, providing conditions for the preservation of complexes and objects of cultural heritage;
Visitor service area intended for accommodation, overnight stays, and everyday information services for visitors;
Economic zones within which necessary production and economic work is carried out.
In national parks located in areas inhabited by indigenous people, it is allowed to designate zones of traditional environmental management. The ratio of the sizes of each functional zone in different national parks varies markedly - the protected area can constitute the largest percentage of the area in national parks: Elbrus (73%), Transbaikal (41%), Sochi (37.5%), and maybe the smallest - “Meshchersky” (0.1%), “Russian North” (1%), “Lower Kama” (7%), etc.
In the territories of national parks, any activity that may cause damage to natural complexes and objects of flora and fauna, cultural and historical objects is prohibited; contradicts the goals and objectives of the national park, including: exploration and development of mineral resources; activities that entail disturbance of soil cover and geological outcrops; activities that entail changes in the hydrological regime; provision of gardening and summer cottage plots in the territories of national parks; construction of main roads, pipelines, power lines and other communications, as well as construction and operation of economic and residential facilities not related to the functioning of national parks, etc.
National parks are established by a resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, adopted on the basis of a proposal from government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the federal executive body in the field of environmental protection. The regulations on the national park are approved by the federal executive body in the field of environmental protection. A protective zone with a limited regime of environmental management is being created around the national park.
The provision of regulated tourism and recreation in the territories of national parks is carried out in accordance with approved projects on the basis of licenses to carry out activities for the provision of regulated tourism and recreation provided by the directorates of national parks. The proposed services for organizing visitor services should not contradict the goals of the national parks and not cause damage to natural complexes and objects of historical and cultural heritage. If the appropriate licenses are available, its owners may be granted lease of land plots, natural objects, buildings and structures on the terms determined by the relevant agreements concluded with the directorates of national parks.
Legal status natural parks has similar and different features to the situation of national parks. The tasks facing national and natural parks are similar, namely creating conditions for recreation (including mass recreation), developing and implementing effective methods of nature conservation, and maintaining ecological balance.
However, in difference from national parks, natural parks:
1. They are environmental recreational institutions, decisions on the formation of which are made by the authorities state power constituent entities of the Russian Federation on the proposal of federal executive authorities in the field of environmental protection. Thus, in the Volgograd region, several laws have been adopted regulating the creation of natural parks of regional significance: Eltonsky Natural Park, Nizhnekhopersky Natural Park, Donskoy Natural Park, etc.
2. Natural parks are under the jurisdiction of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and their activities are financed from the budget of the corresponding constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
3. Unlike national parks, the internal structure of which is clearly established in the law, the list of functional zones of natural parks is not formulated as exhaustive, i.e. The solution to this issue is left to the discretion of the state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Moreover, if several natural parks are created on the territory of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, their internal structure may not coincide.
