NUR-SULTAN – The investors in a new hotel construction project in the Bozzhyra Gorge will move the construction site to the outer territory of the Zhabaiushkan reserve in the Mangystau Region, announced Magzum Mirzagaliev, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources, on his twitter page.
The Bozzhyra Gorge in the Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Anna Bashkir/tourister.ru.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the Kazakh government to revise the construction project after an appeal from residents, scientists, and public figures. Prior to this, the Kazakh public began to express dissatisfaction on social networks about the start of hotel construction in the Bozzhyra Gorge believing that it might damage its ecosystem.
“I have always said, and I will say it again, the Mangystau [Region] is like space! Incredible landscapes on a gigantic scale can be found only here. You feel like a grain of sand in the universe. And this unique world of Mangystau and Ustyurt must be preserved in its original form,” said travel blogger Nurzhan Algashev on instagram.
The Kazakh Ecology Ministry reached a decision to move the construction project following a number of meetings with scientists, biologists, foreign experts, and local public figures in Aktau.
“Here we need to find a balance between tourism development and the preservation of the local ecosystem, especially in such unique natural sites as the Bozzhyra Gorge. Therefore, [the ministry] organized a trip of experienced experts and scientists to Bozzhyra so that they could personally assess the project potential and give their recommendations,” said Mirzagaliyev.
The experts and public figures agreed that the construction project is still important to develop tourism in the region. The facility could also serve as a focal point that educates tourists about local red book (endangered) animals and encourages them to follow environmental standards to ensure sustainable growth.
Bozzhyra Gorge with its unearthly landscapes is located in the Mangystau Region, which approximately 200 million years ago, lay at the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Amature paleontologists still find the remains of ancient marine organisms in the area.
The Bozzhyra Gorge in the Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Viktor Bashkir/tourister.ru.
