From 6 to 10 August, the third seminar for state inspectors of the Altai-Sayan Environmental Region took place at Lake Itkul in the Khakassky Nature Reserve, whose management organised the event. 

This year, the theoretical and practical training involved employees of protection departments of 11 specially protected areas, including the Altai, Katun and Sayano-Shushensky nature reserves. In addition, the seminar was attended by state inspectors of the Yergaki Nature Reserve and Director of the Association of Nature Reserves and National Parks of the Altai-Sayan Environmental Region Igor Gryazin. 

Before the seminar, the guests had a tour around the Lake Itkul area, to a visitor centre and an observation deck near the Spirin Lakes. Viktor Nepomnyashchy, Director of the Khakassky Nature Reserve, addressed the participants, wishing them success in acquiring new knowledge and noting the importance of the training.

The seminar consisted of a theoretical and a practical part. The participants  learned about the rights, responsibilities and powers of state inspectors, the use of weapons and special equipment, the ways of detaining offenders, and the detection of violations in protected areas, as well as the practice of investigating complaints about administrative offence sentences.

During the practical part, the participants were told about the procedure of violation detection in protected areas and learned to read the tyre tracks of cars and other vehicles, get geographical bearings, and identify and detain offenders. In addition, during tactical exercises, an offender was detained for illegal underwater hunting.

The participants in the seminar were state inspectors who work in specially protected areas that are inhabited by rare species, in particular, snow leopards. They noted the high level of organisation of the event and expressed their hope that such useful seminars would be held in the reserve on a regular basis.