Geography and Natural Resources

We compared the dynamics of development of tourism in the European part of Russia on the example of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Kaliningrad oblast, Krasnodar krai, Stavropol krai, the southern regions of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East for the period from 2009 to 2017. It has been found that a combination of factors in the attractiveness of tourist services during that period increased in all regions of the western group and in almost all groups of the eastern group (with the exception of Zabaikalskii krai), in spite of the sensitive economic shocks. Analysis of the dynamics of tax revenues to the budget system of the Russian Federation and income of collective accommodation facilities revealed contradictory trends. Tourism development in the east and west of Russia is characterized by an increase in tourist flow, but the economic consequences of this trend are different, and this shows differences in historical, geographical and socio-economic conditions. This requires different managerial decisions, because the rules of regulation of tourist activities, which are effective in the west where the infrastructure conditions complying with demand exist already, may not “work” in the east where there remain numerous problems associated with the state of roads, environmental protection facilities, housing and communal services, etc.

A specific feature of the term “transboundary” is defined, which is usually perceived as an opportunity to overcome the borders separating the territory, and is used as opposed to the “frontier” objects adjacent to the border but not crossing it. Transboundary interstate territories are discussed, where only regulated activities may be carried out, such as nature conservation in solving the problem of preserving biotic and landscape diversity where a poor involvement of border areas in economic activity ensures an adequate degree of ecosystem preservation. A possibility of establishing transboundary specially protected natural areas arises in the most significant (in terms of natural diversity conservation) areas adjacent to the borders of neighboring States. The main condition for the effective functioning of transboundary specially protected natural areas implies signing bilateral agreements or agreements between a large number of countries with the aim of developing joint scientific and tourist programs as well as weakening of border control. Issues related to the theoretical and practical substantiation of the establishment of transboundary specially protected natural areas are considered. As of the beginning of 2019, there are five such areas established in accordance with interstate agreements: “Altai”, “Dauria”, “Sources of the Amur”, “Lake Khanka” and “Ubsunur Depression”. The most important planned transboundary specially protected natural areas of the Asian part of Russia are also highlighted. The relatively well investigated areas include “Amur Tiger and Leopard”, “Delger-Muren”, “From Khubsugul to Baikal”, “Khentei-Chikoi Highland”, “Sailyugem”, “Sayan Junction”, “Selenga”, “Tumangan”, “Southern Kuriles”, and “Beringia”.

A brief geographical description is provided for Lake Khanka and its drainage basin where the Russian part accounts for more than 90% of the area. Sixteen rivers on the Russian territory and eight rivers on the Chinese territory flow into the lake. Only one river, Sungacha, flows out of the lake; it is a border river and connects Lake Khanka with the Ussuri river. A historical analysis of the water level dynamics in Lake Khanka for the last 10 thousand years showed that rises of the lake water level, shore erosion, an increase in flood frequency and duration, and an increase of the degree of waterlogging of the valleys corresponded to warm climatic phases. The cold phases showed a decrease in hydraulicity of the rivers and in the lake level, and an enhancement in aeolian processes in the coastal zone of the lake and its river valleys. Seismic processes and changes in groundwater flow can also be responsible for changes in the lake water level. Morphostructural analysis indicates a potentially high seismic activity of this territory and risks of magnitude 8 earthquakes. In the 20^th century, the natural processes of water level fluctuations in the lake began to be influenced by anthropogenic factors, such as the water withdrawal for irrigation of paddy fields and streamflow control. The territory of China within the Lake Malaya Khanka drainage basin is the home for extensive paddy systems which are supplied with water from the Muling river basin. The water is then directed to Lake Malaya Khanka, and through the drain facilities it enters Lake Khanka. In fact, an inter-basin transboundary water transfer is carried out, which can affect significantly the water level in the lake. Characteristics of the existing nature management practices in the Russian portion of the lake drainage basin, and also lake pollution assessments are given. The main geo-ecological problems in the Lake Khanka transboundary drainage basin associated with water level fluctuations, geodynamic processes and environmental pollution are identified. Geo-ecological problems are considered to mean changes in natural processes accompanied by the transformation of separate natural components and landscapes in general, and causing, as a rule, negative consequences for humans and for various forms of nature management. The primary and related components of the geo-ecological problems highlighted. The main directions of comprehensive research within the framework of cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation in order to work out the plan for governance of sustainable nature management in the transboundary drainage basin of Lake Khanka are suggested.

A study and mapping of habitats of wild and synanthropic animal species was carried out on the model research site of the Baikal Nature Reserve’ in order to develop methods and conduct zoological tourism on their basis. This type of tourism promotes the preservation of the maximum possible diversity of animal species composition and habitat. The focus of the investigations is on recreational development of the territory while preserving optimal diversity of species composition of the animal population and the ecologically substantiated number of animals. The research site is located on the southeastern coast of Lake Baikal within the northern macroslope of Khamar-Daban Range and the Tankhoi piedmont plain. According to the specific features in the natural and economic conditions and the animal population, we identified the goletz alpinotype, mountain-taiga, piedmont-taiga, coastal and synanthropic landscape-faunistic complexes with characteristic terrestrial vertebrate species. Criteria were defined to be used to identify, among the total list of animals, recreationally significant species. Their study and mapping was carried out on the basis of a landscape map which was used in compiling maps for habitats and the number of species in them. It was found that the number and abundance of species increase along the direction from the goletz-taiga complex in the middle part of the mountain range to the piedmont-plain taiga-bog complex on the shores of Baikal. In economically developed areas as well as in settlements, there is an increase of the total number of species due to an increase in the proportion of synanthropic animals. Considerable attention is paid to synanthropic bird species because of their abundance, availability for observation and high ecological and recreational significance. Some features in zoological tourism development in the conservation and protection areas of the Baikal Nature Reserve differing in the level of environmental protection and in the mode of management are outlined. The areas occupied by recreationally significant species will be evaluated in the future. The findings can be used in the Baikal Nature Reserve as well as in neighboring territories and in other regions.

We examine the current problems of Lake Baikal level regulation. A comparative analysis is made of the changes in the lake level, the range of its fluctuations and in the intra-annual amplitude for the 120-year-long period of observations in natural and regulated conditions. The period 2014–2017 with an extremely low water level is analyzed. It is pointed out that the inconsistency between existing legislation and the water resource management system within the Baikal and Angara drainage basins has also contributed to the decline in sustainability of the water economy, along with the climatic factors. It was found that while generally quite well complying with the requirements of water users and water consumers in conditions of normal and almost normal water availability, it cannot meet the regulatory needs and restrictions in periods of extreme water availability. The risks and contradictions in the regulation of the Lake Baikal water level in low- and high-water years are considered. Quantitative assessments are made of the possible maximum levels in Lake Baikal during floods for different restrictions of water flow in the downstream water. The estimates of expected areas of flooding are given. It is pointed out that along with water management and socio-economic risks, climatic and environmental factors should also be taken into account in the lake level regulation. An analysis is made of the environmental requirements which were taken into account when setting the limited meter range of Lake Baikal level regulation (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 3.26.2001 No. 234). There is an inconsistency in these requirements and, in some cases, the impossibility of meeting them. Quantitative assessments are made of the implications of the re-enforcement of Decree No. 234 on January 1, 2021. It is shown that the enforcement of this decree in full necessarily involves violating the requirements of water users. The years of elevated water levels are necessarily accompanied by flooding of the city of Irkutsk. It is suggested that the “social” option of regulating the level of Lake Baikal water level regulation be used in order to avoid infringement of existing legislation and flooding by the downstream water. Special research work should be done to determine a reasonable range of Lake Baikal water level regulation having regard to the current environmental and socio-economic factors.

Data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) were used in investigating long-term variability of anomalies of the total amount of atmospheric precipitation within the Selenga river basin in July. We identified several long periods (four years and longer) with negative precipitation anomalies: 1935–1939, 1955–1958, 1977–1981, 2007–2011, and 2013–2017. The last period is characterized by the smallest precipitation amount. Day-to-day variations in total precipitation were also analyzed for each July from 1982 to 2016. The analysis revealed a tendency to a decrease of the number of days with a large precipitation amount and to an increase of dry periods. Based on ECMWF Era Interim data, we examined the features in the atmospheric blocking Europe, Siberia and the Far East for periods with large and small precipitation amounts within the Selenga river basin. To identify the blocking in the atmosphere used the southern gradient of the geopotential. It was shown that in periods with large precipitation amounts blockings occurred most frequently over Eastern Siberia and more rarely over Europe and the Far East (especially if they were accompanied by blocking over Western Siberia). Atmospheric precipitation within the Selenga basin is associated not only with blocking but also with the position of the jet stream and with dynamic blocking formation schemes. The significance of these factors has been demonstrated in a number of specific situations of the atmospheric circulation in years with large and small precipitation amounts within the Selenga basin. Long-term transformations of these characteristics caused by climate change and the general atmospheric circulation can lead to a disturbance of the correlations between blocking and precipitation amounts within the river basin. In all likelihood, the correlation of blocking with precipitation regimes, rather than with precipitation in the region, will be more rigid. A functional dependence of the Selenga flow on climate change appears to be determined by the position of the monsoon front and by the wave properties of atmospheric flows in midlatitudes.

We examine the fundamental tenets of the theory of geochemical barriers and their role in landscapes associated with an intensification of migration processes caused by an enhancement in anthropogenic activity, including in the sphere of industrial production. Observational evidence indicates that the flow of multiple elements in the form of substances, which is produced by the aluminum smelters of Khakassia and enters the landscapes through the atmosphere, contains the associations of hydrous migrating pollutants. According to their accumulation weight, they can be subdivided into the following groups: main pollutants—F, Al, Na and Ni whose content in the melt water exceeds the background level by factors of 10 to100, associated pollutants—Mn, Sr, Ca and Mg (exceeding the background levels by a factor of 10), and secondary pollutants—Si, Zn, Ba, K, Fe, V and Pb (exceeding the background level by factors of 1.8 to 7.0). For all the indicators analyzed, including toxicity, fluorine has been identified as the priority pollutant, and special emphasis was placed on it in the analysis of the migration mechanisms. The following geochemical barriers play an important role in the accumulation and migration processes of pollutants: biogeochemical (organogenic and humus-organogenic, and sorption), and physicochemical (sedimentation, evaporation, and multifunctional: solonetz). It has been found that in conditions of technogenesis, soil-geochemical barriers do not conform fully to a classical understanding of the function of the barrier, i. e. the transition of elements to an inactive or slightly active form, as they can accumulate not only in a slightly active, but also in an active form. It allowed us to expand the concept of geochemical barriers and define them as active barriers or starter barriers.

An analysis is made of the investments in fixed capital at the regional and municipal level in Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia and Zabaikalskii krai. On the basis of the average indicators considered, the conclusion is drawn about the general lag of the Baikal region from Siberia and Russia over the course of the last several decades. Population changes in municipal districts and urban districts have been analyzed to show a general decrease of the indicator in most of the study areas. The indicators of average annual investments in fixed capital and average annual per capita investments are calculated. It is suggested that the municipalities of the Baikal region should be ranked according to the indicators of population change and per capita investments in fixed capital in order to estimate the relationship of these characteristics. The group has been identified, which had the highest indicators for the period under consideration with a consistently high loss of the permanent population. It is determined that the municipalities with the highest population growth did not have a high level of per capita investment. It is shown that most of them refer to the largest group in which the territories had low levels of per capita investment and did not show any stable population growth. The study revealed no correlation between the implementation of major investment projects of resource development and changes in the population dynamics of the remote territories, which is confirmed by cartographic material presented. It is concluded that there is no influence of the main investments on the structure of the economy of the Baikal region and the consolidation of the existing raw material specialization. An assessment is made of the existing federal target programs focused mainly on stimulating territorial development through the provision of comprehensive support of implementation of the major investment projects.

The paper gives characteristics of natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for the geoecological situation inside the boundaries of the floodplain-terrace complex of the Tuul river within Ulaanbaatar. Among them, the geological structure and orography (occurrence in the intermontane depression), the specific character of climate-forming (frequent temperature inversions) and hydrological (mainly summer feed by rain water) characteristics, the degree of economic development (high pressure on the central city zone) and population density in administrative districts, etc. have been distinguished. Results obtained from hydro- and geochemical analyses of the territory and published previously (during 2009–2013) were used in the typification of the areas of the floodplain-terrace complex of the Tuul river according to the intensity of anthropogenic impact. An analysis was made of the sources of pollution, primarily of large industrial enterprises and facilities of housing and communal services: combined heat and power plants, industrial, meat-packing and biological plants, the poultry farm, sewage treatment plants, etc. Based on a comparative analysis of average concentrations of the component composition of the river waters and floodplain soils, maximum exceedances of maximum and approximate permissible concentrations of pollutants were determined. Categories of the intensity of anthropogenic impact were identified to vary from decreased to very high. It is shown that, in spite of a high degree of geochemical understanding of the urban territory of Ulaanbaatar, no detailed investigations have been made within the floodplain-terrace complex of the Tuul river. The first-time assessment of the geoecological status of the sites across the study territory determined the migration routes of chemical substances and correlated their occurrence in natural environment with the sources of pollution. According to the intensity of anthropogenic impact, for each site of the floodplain-terrace complex we have suggested environmental and water protection measures. Results of the assessment are presented in the form of cartographic material.