This article presents the results of a study on soil cover damage caused by uncontrolled tourism in the Kazakhstan Altai and Mongolian Altai ranges. According to the expedition and laboratory work, it was determined that the soil cover of 182,7 km long territory in the Mongolian Altay range was damaged due to the ruts of vehicles and the trampling of tourists. More than 56,9% of these measured areas were completely destroyed, and 35,4% became rocky or desert. In the Altai ridge of Kazakhstan, the soil cover was damaged due to the formation of branch roads on an area of 705,7 ha, which was 55,3 km long. Approximately 84,4% of the total recorded area is moderately damaged and the growth of plants and grasses has decreased. During the determination of soil contamination with heavy metals, a total of 40 samples were taken from 8 coordinates and analyzed. The amount of lead and nickel in the soil has increased by 2-4 times due to the influence of tourism in both the Mongolian Altai Range and the Kazakh Altai Range. Cadmium element was not found at all. The content of other heavy metals such as chromium, copper, and zinc is slightly increased and accumulated at the bottom of the road. In both Kazakhstan and Mongolia, it was determined that the soil is polluted with heavy metals only by tourists' cars, as there is no mining, metallurgical plants, or resorts within 300 km.
The paper presents information about soil pollution with heavy metals from tourism in the Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan and the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. During the pandemic, traveling to the Altai Mountains became a trend became trend for domestic tourism in both countries. Bad infrastructure is here. Therefore, tourist vehicles have damaged the surface of the soil by driving on dirt roads, building new branch roads, approaching snow-capped peaks, and driving through swampy areas. The authors hypothesized that the soil is likely to be contaminated with heavy metals, mostly due to heavy vehicles with large motors. As a result, compared to clean soil, the lead levels increased by 12.5–15.8 mg/kg, nickel for 16.1–33.7 mg/kg, zinc for 15.6–17.1 mg/kg and the amount of heavy metals increased by 2–4 times. The results of the experiment confirmed the presence of heavy metal contamination in disturbed soil. But this pollution has not exceeded the standard level. Because contaminated soils are washed away by snow and rain.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.