Murmansk Regional Governor Andrei Chibis announced the creation of a nature park in Teriberka – the village on the Kola Peninsula on the Barents Sea which became popular among Russian and international tourists after the release of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s film “Leviathan” in 2014 (the shooting took place there).

The project aims to increase the local budget to allow more visitors and develop the region’s infrastructure.

At a meeting with reporters, Chibis and his deputy Olga Kuznetsova promised to maintain the balance between economic and environmental interests and give the park the status of a specially protected natural area of regional significance.

As such, the World Wildlife Fund is involved in the project – the Tourism Committee of the Murmansk region is going to conclude an agreement with its representative in the Barents region. The Fund will help draw up the necessary documentation for creating the specially protected natural area.

Ecological routes will be laid out in the park. There are also plans to form a pool of travel partner companies and attract investors.

The “Murmansk Bulletin” newspaper quotes the governor as saying: “Today, Teriberka should be a very rich village, with budget revenues amounting to just over 1.3 million roubles. This is not enough, though. To develop Teriberka, a clear concept needs to be developed for the village, with the preservation of all historical traditions, of course.”

According to ITAR-TASS, the authorities from the Murmansk region have already developed a concept for developing Teriberka. Reconstruction of roads and modernisation of the road bridge have begun, while in the village itself, a pharmacy and bathhouse have been opened and a large landfill site removed.

The status of a specially protected natural area is planned to be developed and approved by July 2021.

Up to 40 000 people visit Teriberka every year, while less than a thousand permanent residents live in the village.