CAPABILITIES OF URBAN SPACE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SPHERE OF RECREATION AND LEISURE BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE CITY OF NOVOSIBIRSK
Ecotourism is one of the most dynamically developing segments of the tourism business. The rapidly increasing demand for ecotourism is associated with the intensification of urbanization forming urban lifestyle that isolates man from the natural environment, which inevitably leads to the problem of inconsistency of the human environment with physiological and psychological needs of the people. In this connection it is important to study possibilities of the development of ecotourism and recreation in urban areas, natural complexes of which experience strong anthropogenic pressure as a result of spontaneous development by tourists and are in greatest need of preservation, being an educational environment and an educational resource in the system of environmental education and upbringing. A promising area for such projects is the city of Novosibirsk. Based on the analysis of natural-anthropogenic and cultural-historical resources, the environmental and tourist potential of the urbanized territory of the city is considered. The elements of the environmental, social-cultural and social-environmental frameworks of the urban environment are defined; the main directions for the further development of environmental education and education in the sphere of recreation and leisure are identified by the example of the city of Novosibirsk. Despite the fact that the city is on the way of active study of the practices of other regions of the country and further implementation of similar projects, in the article the existing experience of regional organizations and, first of all, educational institutions is examined. It is shown by the authors that environmental education encompasses the process of preschool, basic and professional education, training and retraining of specialists in secondary and higher educational institutions, public education through the media, cultural institutions, and the activities of public organizations. Realization of these ideas in the sphere of environmental education and enlightenment is facilitated by many objects of recreation and leisure of the city of Novosibirsk, as well as by the professional work of specialists of the enterprises of the tourism industry and the education system.