The complex of natural, historical and archeological monuments on the territory of three districts of the Altai Territory received a protected status in 2017. The purpose of creating a natural park "Altai Foothills" is to preserverare and endangered species of animals and plantsin the vicinity of Belokurikha, Smolensk, Altai and Soloneshensky districts of the region. And at the same time educate people who have chosencontemplative tourism- an increasingly popular travel destination.

More than half of the Altai Foothills park in the Smolensk and Altai regions is set aside for a recreational and tourist zone. It is allowed to create hereeco trails with observation platformsfor observing birds and animals. The park counts19 rare species of fauna, including the golden eagle and the steppe eagle, the peregrine falcon and the burial ground, the owl, the musk deer and other animals and birds.

The zone of meadow steppes in the "Altai Foothills" - a prototypebright landscape arboretum, because up to 70 different plants alternately bloom on one square meter! There are only a few places in the world where primroses, popularly called snowdrops, can be seen in such quantities. The local flowers and plants are so ancient that their ancestors did not find the dinosaurs quite a bit! In total, the floristic survey of the park territory revealed about700 plant species, including relics of deciduous forests, unique for the West Siberian region, endemic plants and 20 rare species listed in the Red Book.

Existing on the territory of the parkeducational routes- to the original rock formations, the former tungsten mine, abandoned mines and factory villages - will besupplemented by new: geological: to outcrops and deposits of ornamental and semi-precious minerals -and archaeological: to the monuments of the history of the ancient tribes of Altai.

The continuation of scientific expeditions across the territory, where the entire geological history of Altai is traced, will make it possible to create a largeopen-air museumon the border of the West Siberian Plain and the Altai Mountains. The new project received the working title “Fas Altai"(English face -" face "), because on his example you can tracegeological history of the Greater Altai... Preliminary to the boundaries of the futureinternational geoparkincluded objects of the cluster "Belokurikha", Altai and Soloneshensky districts.

Photo by ZAO Kurort Belokuriha, altaydiscovery.ru, altaipriroda.ru.