Methodological approaches to the cost assessment of the protected area contribution to the mountain regions' sustainable development

Subject. This article discusses the issues of development of ecological tourism and provision of ecosystem services. Objectives. The article aims to develop an algorithm for the cost assessment of green tourism, which can help determine the contribution of natural areas of preferential protection to the gross regional product. Methods. For the study, we used a statistical analysis. Results. The article proposes a methodology for assessing the social efficiency of investment projects in the development of specially protected natural areas. It finds that the contribution of the most visited specially protected natural areas located in mountainous areas to the economy ranges from 0.1 up to 3 percent of the gross regional product. Conclusions. It is necessary to attract private investment for the development of ecological tourism in compliance with the environmental standards. In terms of contribution to the gross regional product, ecological tourism is comparable to ordinary tourism in those subjects of the Russian Federation where the most visited specially protected natural areas are located. An important task is the adoption of methodologies, the results of which will be recognized by statistical bodies officially.