Kola nature suffers from tourism
The sensitive nature on Russia’s Kola Peninsula is getting damaged due to the increasing number of tourists driving around in ATVs and 4WDs.
It is especially in the border zone areas the use of terrain vehicle is challenging the Arctic nature. Offroading has become very popular in the remote areas north of the Arctic Circle on the Kola Peninsula that earlier was more difficult to get permission to enter for tourists.
The border zone area stretches all long the Peninsula’s northern coast in addition to the land areas near the border to Norway and Finland.
Titovka tour-base on the road between Murmansk and the border to Norway is one of several starting points for off-roaders. Titovka is just inside the restricted border area, where wealthy tourists can buy themselves permission to drive into the terrain with All-terrain vehicles (ATV).
The area from Titovka towards the Fishermen Peninsula on the Barents Sea coast is a popular route. ATVs make tracks in the terrain that can last for decades.
The Russian tourism portal Turprom says the nature on the Kola Peninsula is “on the brink of destruction.” The ATVs and other 4WD jeeps destroy the plants, mosses and the terrain on the river banks and the coastal areas, according to the portal.
Nature destroyed by offraoders need some 20 to 50 years to recover. The border zone stretches some 25 kilometers into the land along the borders to Norway and Russia in addition to the coastal areas. The border zone is officially controlled by FSB.
