The use of GIS technologies for the assessment of tourist routes landscape diversity on the Katon-Karagay National Park territory

Abstract

National parks belong to the most important category of specially protected natural territories in the Kazakhstan. One of the most important tasks of national parks is to promote ecological tourism and education with reference to the natural and cultural peculiarities of their territory. The Katon-Karagay State National Natural Park is the largest national park with the highest rate of growth in terms of touristic activities in Kazakhstan. It was created in 2001 due to good state of its natural landscapes and biodiversity. At present, the Katon-Karagay National Park is a part of the Big Altai transboundary biosphere reserve organized in 2017. Within the national park 4 functional zones are established: the strictly protected, buffer, tourist and recreational activity, and limited economic activity. The touristic and recreational activity zone plays a major role for tourism development. In this zone the most tourist routes are functioned. In the article we assess both the landscape diversity of the tourist routes and tourist and recreational activity zone. For this the original landscape map was compiled for the national park territory at 1 : 500 000 scale. We identify 63 landscapes types combined into 5 landscape classes. Assessment of landscape diversity was carried out on the basis of geographic information technologies.