On March 1, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The creation of a safari park is planned to commence this year at the Narochansky National Park, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Valery Lyushtyk, Deputy Director General for Scientific Work of the national park. Works on the construction of special enclosures for keeping and breeding wild animals are scheduled for 2012-2013 in accordance with the state program for the development of the resort zone of the Naroch region for 2011-2015. "The necessary design documentation has already been developed, and I believe that as soon as the snow melts, we will begin the practical implementation of the project," noted Valery Lyushtyk. The safari involves organizing trips during which tourists can get acquainted with the animals living in the protected area. Currently, specialists of the Narochansky National Park are deciding which animals to place in the safari park and how to surprise tourists. It is planned that ungulate species will be the first new residents of the park. The implementation of the project will attract additional tourist flows to the Naroch region, while ecologists will ensure that the load on natural ecosystems is minimal. Ecotourism, including safari parks, is gaining increasing popularity worldwide today. This direction is planned to be developed in Belarus as well. Safari tours have already been launched and are successfully conducted in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Pripyatsky National Parks. In the future, they will appear in all national parks of Belarus. The Narochansky National Park is located on the territory of Minsk, Vitebsk, and Grodno regions. Its total area is 97.3 thousand hectares. The region's flora includes 30 rare and endangered plant species listed in the Red Book of Belarus. Many corners of nature have been preserved here in their natural state, for example, the "Blue Lakes" natural complex, where the common gladiolus grows – a rare, endangered plant species of the first category of protection. Wild gladiolus, orchids, and European globeflowers also grow on the territory of the national park. These plants are extremely rare on the European continent. -0-

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