“Slightly cash spoils the physique, and some huge cash spoils the soul. A person is in nice bother… What’s he going to maintain his soul in if he corrupts his physique? And what ought to he maintain in a wholesome physique if he’s left and not using a soul?”
This aphorism by a well-known Serbian author and radio host, Dushan Radovic, got here into my thoughts after I visited Katon Karagay in Jap Kazakhstan and talked to the folks growing tourism there.
Katon Karagay is a area within the Altay mountains, one of many longest mountain chains in Asia that stretches for 2 thousand kilometres by way of Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Mongolia.
In contrast to most of Kazakhstan, which is scorched in summers and frozen stable in winters, Katon is inexperienced with picturesque forests on decrease mountain slopes and everlasting glaciers on the upper peaks.
These glaciers soften to create an entire internet of pristine, even drinkable creeks and rivulets. There are lots of waterfalls and several other crystal-clear mountain lakes. In different phrases, a bit of paradise on Earth you could examine to locations just like the Swiss Alps or the American Rocky Mountains.
It’s also one of many few locations on the planet undisturbed by the vacationers who come to take pleasure in nature unmarred by the vacationers. And therein lies an issue.
Combating depopulation with training and ecotourism
Being so excessive within the mountains, the area is remoted from the remainder of the world. It takes six to eight hours by automobile to get there from the closest airport within the metropolis of Ust Kamenogorsk.
In recent times, Katon has seen vital depopulation. The variety of inhabitants fell from virtually 40,000 to 17,000. In lots of villages, solely previous folks stay, and the same old story is that 15 to twenty persons are dying in a village yearly, with solely 5 infants being born.
Individuals go away for larger cities primarily due to the shortage of academic, well being and transport infrastructure. A profitable businessman who was born in Katon organised a fund to assist reverse this pattern and develop Katon.
“The individuals who left have been saying they weren’t nervous about themselves however about their youngsters. They wished higher training and future for them. And so our venture appeared that was initially geared toward enhancing faculties,” says Fatima Gerfanova, the Director of the Fund for Sustainable Growth of Rural Areas.
“We secured the experience of the very best college within the nation, the Nazarbayev Mental Faculty, they usually got here to assist native faculties. If the colleges meet the circumstances, they’ll keep for 3 years and analyse them, discover out in regards to the stage of training in every topic after which practice academics and make curricula.
“And people three faculties in Katon now present progress and good outcomes. As an illustration, in 2019 we had solely three pupils collaborating in nationwide contests, in 2024, there may be 200.”
However the depopulation drawback goes past training. Educated youngsters are the primary to go away. It’s in regards to the monetary well-being.
The economic system of Katon Karagay is mainly promoting what nature gave: non-timber forest merchandise, deer herding, honey manufacturing, pure medication and surroundings, that’s, tourism. And tourism is what the native authorities needs to develop first.
“Tourism is among the key instructions of growth, particularly environmental, ethno-cultural, therapeutic sorts of tourism. In parallel, we’ll develop agriculture, together with bee-keeping and rising wild herbs. We’ll assist native entrepreneurship, previous crafts and social initiatives,” the governor of the East Kazakhstan Area, Nurymbet Saktaganov, confirms.
Locals cannot wait to get vacationers, however they’re afraid
Driving to Katon, we see a number of development. A brand new street is being constructed. And an airport that may prevent these six hours of torment on the street from Ust Kamenogorsk.
“The completion of the runway and connected infrastructure is deliberate for the top of the yr. The airport is strategically necessary because it opens new horizons for tourism growth,” says Governor Saktaganov.
“We’re actively negotiating with airline corporations, each nationwide and international, they usually already specific curiosity in introducing seasonal and constitution flights.”
So, the pristine, peaceable lakes Rakhmanovskoe and Karakol, whose glass-still waters mirror eternally white peaks of the Beluha mountain, might quickly be simple to get to. For me and for a lot of 1000’s of different individuals who admire nature however can’t assist however disturb it.
Will I have the ability to hear the decision of the moose from the opposite financial institution by way of the mist that floats on the floor of the lake at daybreak? Will there be any moose, wild goats, deer and snow leopards, or will they be scared away by the brand new resort and its nightclubs?
The locals can’t wait to get extra vacationers, however are afraid of them on the identical time. Everybody fears that mass tourism may spoil nature, disturb the peace and destroy the native lifestyle. However it’s this lifestyle that younger folks have been fleeing from. And so, there’s a debate.
“Yearly we organise a giant gathering of the native folks the place we inform them about our price range, our plans and the plans of the native authorities for the event of tourism and infrastructure. You will have seen the unhealthy state of the roads and we at the moment are attempting to enhance healthcare within the villages as a result of it’s troublesome to journey,” says Fatima Gerfanova.
“With regards to growth, we at all times face a number of criticism. Some folks need extra tourism, some don’t. We attempt to persuade them that we wish to organise sustainable tourism that won’t have an hostile impact on the character. We all know that we’re obliged to go away our land to our kids in a greater situation than we inherited it in.”
“Because of this now we have developed a plan for the inexperienced area of Kazakhstan, the one which can have zero emissions and minimal waste. On the identical time, with out tourism, there could also be nobody to go away our land to,” Fatima Gerfanova provides.
Locals are turning their houses into guesthouses
There’s already tourism in Katon Karagay. Tens of 1000’s of individuals, from Kazakhstan, Russia and the European Union, come yearly to benefit from the untouched nature.
Fatima Gerfanova’s fund and Tourism Kazakhstan have organised various workshops for the native folks to show them the best way to be part of the hospitality business. The provincial authorities prolonged grants.
Reluctant at first, the locals have now turned a lot of their previous conventional houses into visitor homes. Some have even erected ancestral yurts to accommodate friends. They promote home made meals, honey and different merchandise.
Conventional therapeutic is well-liked as nicely. Damir Kalikan has turned his remoted family right into a medical centre of a really distinctive variety. Like generations earlier than him, even throughout the Soviet Union, he herds deer. However in contrast to his ancestors, he doesn’t maintain them for meat however for his or her antlers.
“In spring, deer begin to develop new antlers. These recent antlers are known as “panty”. They’re delicate and stuffed with blood. They’re additionally full of drugs that enhance development, together with 13 completely different amino acids. Because of this they’ll develop 5 centimetres a day. These substances all have therapeutic powers,” explains Damir, who has constructed a standard medication spa.
In it, folks, a few of whom come from Switzerland and Germany, take baths in scorching tubs full of “panty” bullion. The physician within the spa claims it heals neurological problems, painful joints, pores and skin illnesses and prostate issues. The spa is presently within the strategy of changing the previous visitor homes with new, luxurious ones.
“In fact I would like vacationers and I would like it to be simple for them to return,” says Damir, providing his personal sustainability mannequin.
“We’re full as it’s, and I feel that we’ll merely enhance our facilities and repair, provide extra luxurious after which enhance costs, go in direction of unique tourism. In that approach, we’ll earn the identical however forestall mass tourism.
“As a result of mass tourism will create a large number, there will likely be no peace and relaxation, which is what the folks come for.”
Does Katon Karagay want tourism limits?
One other tourism employee, Anatoly Slavitchev, whose venture ‘Kat’n’Go’ focuses on particular person excursions for individuals who wish to shake off city stress, usually watches protests towards tourism in Venice, Barcelona and different European scorching spots.
“Our friends are folks from the massive cities. They arrive right here, as we are saying, ‘and not using a face’, drained and burdened. They consistently have the sensation that they’ve one thing to complete and that there’s some looming catastrophe ready to occur,” he says as we sway alongside the filth tractor street that’s difficult even for our sturdy off-road car.
“Right here, these forests, pastures and rivers unwind them, they decelerate, take a second to replicate on their lives and the world. Nobody would have the ability to do this with one other thousand folks making noise round them.”
I level out that the street is unhealthy and that they’re fortunate the brand new asphalt will likely be introduced quickly.
“Mockingly, that unhealthy street is what’s saving Katon Karagay,” he replies.
He believes that there ought to be some type of management over the variety of vacationers and thinks about on-line ticket gross sales or permits for entry into the nationwide park. However he fears that the choice is probably not left solely to the native folks. If infrastructure develops, there will likely be different gamers considering incomes from tourism.
“The massive business is just not within the native lifestyle. They don’t care in regards to the folks and what they want. They’re solely considering revenue,” says Slavitchev.
“Native tasks like ours, we embody native folks, we work with them, and we will allow them to earn cash. I imagine that the one approach for us right here is sustainable tourism, centered on conscientious shoppers who’re solely considering stress-free whereas respecting nature.”
‘We don’t attempt to have mass tourism’
The governor of East Kazakhstan assures the native inhabitants that they don’t have anything to concern as he’s on the identical web page with them.
“This can be a actually necessary situation. We all know how fragile the ecosystem of the Katon Karagay Nationwide Park is. And that’s precisely the rationale why our strategy is predicated on sustainable tourism,” says Governor Saktaganov.
“We intend to manage the variety of visits to the areas below particular safety with the system of permits. We may also educate vacationers and contain native inhabitants within the lively system of environmental safety.
“We don’t attempt to have mass tourism. Our aim is to save lots of the individuality of Katon and safe its attractiveness in the long term.”
Driving to the Rakhmanovskoe lake, we focus on the methods to restrict the variety of vacationers however nonetheless permit every little one in Kazakhstan to make use of their proper to go to this nook of their nation. Everyone seems to be constructive that that is doable.
However the dialog someway dies once we move by the massive Chinese language bulldozers felling the bushes to make approach for the brand new asphalt street resulting in essentially the most stunning lake.