Abstract
To assess the potential of the allocated Important Bird Areas (IBA) of the North Kazakhstan region for the development of ecological tourism in the region. The work uses the materials of field research of domestic and international ornithological expeditions, cartographic method, statistical and mathematical processing of the data obtained. The territory of the North Kazakhstan region is of interest for the development of ornithological tourism. This is facilitated by the natural resource potential of the allocated promising IBA. The borders of these territories coincide with lake ecosystems located in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the region. The selected ornithological areas are confined to lake ecosystems that are on the way of migrations and nesting of birds. IBA are characterized by floristic and faunal diversity, insignificant human development. The habitation of rare and endangered species has been noted. The presence of roads ensures accessibility to the studied territories of tourists and wildlife lovers from Kazakhstan, near and far abroad. The allocated territories may be used not only for ornithological, but also for recreational and educational tourism, as well as amateur fishing. The results of the resource potential assessment confirm the prospects for the development of ornithological tourism in the territory of the North Kazakhstan region in the implementation of environmental measures aimed at preserving the uniqueness of ecosystems. The selected IBA have significant natural resource potential and uniqueness. Key territories associated with lake ecosystems can serve for the development of ornithological and recreational tourism. The comprehensive assessment made it possible to identify the weighting coefficient of the studied properties of the territories. This confirms the fact about the prospects of their use as unique natural objects for scientific research, amateur fishing, various types of tourism on the territory of the North Kazakhstan region.