Assessment of the state and prospects of ecological tourism within the territory of the Kabardino-Balkar high-mountain reserve

Ecotourism in specially protected natural areas (SPNA) located in the mountains seems very promising due to their natural diversity and aesthetic attraction power. While planning ecological routes in such places, it is necessary to take into account the functioning of natural mountain landscapes, the priority of their environmental role and the combination of tourism with traditional types of environmental management. There are 16 protected areas in the mountainous part of the Northern Caucasus; each of them faces the task of both nature conservation and the development of sustainable tourism, which is the most effective in the form of ecotourism. The Kabardino-Balkar State High Mountain Reserve is among the most typical ones and has high potential for the development of ecological tourism. Three ecological and tourist areas were identified within the reserve, differing in natural conditions, landscape diversity and area, number and value of cultural-historical objects, touristic attractiveness and the quality of recreation infrastructure. The western Chereksky section, bordering North Ossetia, is the most promising for the development of ecological tourism and the construction of ecological trails. Five ecological routes are proposed for it, namely along the Karasu river valley, along the L’kezi river valley, to the Lekhanovtsek Mount, to the Krivosivtsek Pass and to the ancient outpost of Karaul-Kala. Four of them are one-day trips for moderately prepared tourists and one is a three-day trip for well-prepared tourists, accompanied by an instructor. Each route involves demonstrating altitudinal zones, natural monuments, the effects of hazardous natural processes and traditional environmental management; they also have good landscape viewing points. To preserve the ecological potential of the territory, it is necessary to control grazing, recreation and tourism. Reasoning of specific indicators and their quantitative values is a primary practical task that can be solved by systematizing empirical data on the impact of tourism on the natural landscapes.