The soils of the Carpathian region of Ukraine as objects of scientific tourism

Abstract

Scientific tourism includes ecological, ethnocultural, underwater, cognitive one and many other types of tourism, the main feature of which is active participation of tourists in the tour, and not just acquisition of interesting information and contemplation of objects, which is characteristic for cognitive tourism. The interest in the soil cover of the general population by means of tourist (economical) management is considered as a step towards preservation, recovery of the ecosystem of Carpathian region of Ukraine, especially in the context of the concept of sustainable development. Soil objects of the Carpathian region of Ukraine are characterized by diversity and they significantly differ from each other, therefore brown soil, sod-podzol pseudogleyed soil on the border of Precarpathia and Carpathians, gray forest soil are chosen for the analysis. Involvement of soil into the system of tourist services is considered in two main directions: separate objects of display on routes and objects of scientific research within stationary scientific and research areas of highly specialized and complex nature. Moreover, these ground objects can be used as motivations for travelling both for wider population of different age groups, for professional use, as well as specialists among geographers, geologists, soil scientists, environmentalists, archaeologists, historians, ethnographers, etc. Soils of Ukrainian Carpathians have an important ecological, economic and social significance. However, consumer attitude to forests leads to negative consequences for the entire ecosystem, including for the “mirror of the landscape” – the soil. Therefore, the study and knowledge of soil by means of tourism, excursion and expeditionary activity pursues a number of important functions: recreational, scientific-cognitive, ecological (the function of protection of nature and its components), educational, didactic, educational, patriotic. After all, without knowledge on soil it is impossible to understand interconnections that are established between components of the ecosystem. Key words: soils, region, scientific tourism, brown soil, stationary experiment.