Tourism industry representatives considered the ban on driving in Chechnya's forests to be fair.

Organizers of jeep tours in Chechnya do not plot routes through forests, but private ATV and motorcycle rides in forested areas do cause significant damage to the soil and the environment, according to tourism industry representatives. They called the government's ban on driving in forests appropriate.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the head of the Chechen Republic's hunting department and former head of the Kurchaloevsky District Department of Internal Affairs, Khamzat Edelgeriev (also referred to in the media as Edilgireyev), threatened to confiscate motorcycles from enduro riders who dare to ride in the forests. Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov did not comment on these threats, explaining only that neither jeep tours nor enduros are banned in the republic; only driving off-road into the forest is prohibited.

Tourist jeep tours through Chechnya's mountainous and forested regions are not organized during the winter season, an employee of the Sputnik travel agency, which organizes jeep tours in the republic, told the Caucasian Knot. According to her, a two-day jeep tour through the mountain passes is offered to clients only during the warm season.

“The tour begins in Grozny, and the destination is at the customer's discretion. Up to four tourists can share a vehicle, and the total cost of such a tour is 40,000 rubles. Since this is a customized offer, the program can be adjusted, but there is a predetermined itinerary: you'll first visit the Argun Gorge, then the Mikhailovsky Waterfalls, as well as the Twin Towers and the border zone,” she said.

The route of mountain jeep tours “can be tailored as you please,” but in practice, they don't pass through forested areas, noted tour organizer and guide Timirlan. “Everything is variable and flexible, but there are no forested areas as such in the mountains, and where there are, you can't get to them by jeep.” - he explained.

The ban imposed by the authorities does not affect jeep tours in any way; it is aimed at restricting the unauthorized movement of groups of young people on ATVs and enduro motorcycles, noted a representative of the Chechen tourism industry, who wished to remain anonymous.

You see a slope that used to be beautiful, and now it's covered in scars from ATVs and mountain bikes.

"The chief forester of the Ministry of Natural Resources made this proposal. He's certainly no slouch himself, but he rightly noted that there is a problem: the underprivileged youth of Grozny can cut through anywhere and anyhow on these ATVs. There are such areas, especially in Galanchozh, where there are problematic spots where all the soil has been ruined. In mountain forests, the soil is very thin, up to 30 cm, and if a group of people ride on an ATV or motorcycle and slip, they can wear down the soil right down to the rocks. Then it starts raining, and in the resulting ruts, water flows down these rocks in streams, which then widens even further, forming sinkholes. Of course, this kind of driving causes more harm than any economic activity in these areas. Sometimes you see, for example, a slope that used to be beautiful—and now it's covered in scars from ATVs and mountain bikes," he said.

The ban on driving through forests off-road is fair in itself, but it's very likely to be ignored by people close to the authorities, the source noted. "Of course, they won't be happy with it; they want an adrenaline rush." At the same time, Magomed Daudov clarified that no one is banning ATVs: this doesn't mean they won't be allowed to go into the mountains or that traffic police will stop them on the road. "No," he explained, "you can ride an ATV, but only off-road," the entrepreneur stated.

He also noted that jeep tours weren't mentioned during the discussion of the ban, as their organizers are generally not violating any laws. "All jeep tours are organized along established routes and roads." "And no one would ruin their cars by driving off the road into the forest: there's no point, and ATVs are better suited to the terrain," the tourism industry representative emphasized.

Although jeep tours are tailored to the tourists' wishes and interests, they always follow established routes, confirmed Rasul Kurtayev, the head of a travel agency from Dagestan, who organizes jeep tours through the mountains and forests of his republic.

"We mostly travel on well-trodden roads, where locals also travel. You don't need to coordinate the tour with anyone, unless, of course, we're entering the border zone. "We don't travel through nature reserves or restricted areas in forests," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

According to the head of the travel agency, recreational skiing doesn't cause any harm compared to economic activity in the areas where tours take place. "The damage is no greater than when local residents travel in minibuses. The threat from local residents is sometimes greater than from tourists: they're used to throwing trash anywhere—in their gardens, in their forests, around their villages, on playgrounds, and in clearings. Tourists, on the other hand, just collect trash and take it home with them, both their own and others'," Kurtayev concluded.