The "Rychy" заказник will become another tourist attraction in the Braslav district

January 21, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The state environmental institution "Rychi" for the management of the hydrological reserve of the same name in the Braslav district will be established in 2011, Zhanna Aleinikova, head of the state control department for the protection and use of lands, forests, fauna and flora, and specially protected areas of the Vitebsk regional committee for natural resources and environmental protection, told a BELTA correspondent. The establishment of the environmental institution will contribute to the preservation of the unique natural potential of the reserve and will help develop ecotourism in this area of the Lake District, the interlocutor is sure. The republican hydrological reserve "Rychi" covers an area of almost 1.4 thousand hectares, with forests occupying a narrow strip of just over 21 hectares. Within the boundaries of the reserve, 5 species of higher vascular plants listed in the Red Book of Belarus have been found. There are many medicinal and ornamental plants here - blue blackberry, black and downy currant, rosehip. 8 species of birds listed in the Red Book of Belarus inhabit the reserve, including the goldeneye, kestrel, and white-tailed eagle. In total, 126 species of terrestrial vertebrates have been identified in the protected area, including four species of amphibians, eight species of reptiles, 94 species of birds, and 20 species of mammals, which is about 40% of their species diversity in Belarus. According to the interlocutor, the development of tourism, including inbound tourism, in the reserve will be facilitated by its proximity to the Latvian republican reserve "Lake Ryche and Silene Forests". In addition, the lake itself is a favorable place for creating types of recreation such as climatherapy, amateur fishing, and water tourism on rowing boats and catamarans. The state environmental institution "Rychi" will be the 23rd in Belarus and the seventh in the Vitebsk region. In 2010, more than Br70 million was allocated to strengthen the material and technical base of state environmental institutions in the Vitebsk region. This money was mainly used to purchase tourist equipment - boats, tents, sleeping bags. Two out of six state institutions received revenue from tourism activities - "Osvyeysky" (Verkhnedvinsk district) and "Eco-Rosy" (Rossonsky district). -0-