Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2025 number 4

Improving the effectiveness of public administration in the field of environmental protection in the regions depends on the quality of implementation of environmental programs. An analysis of the development and implementation of these documents raises numerous questions regarding the low quality of implementation, which is due to a number of reasons of various origins. Based on the analysis of the results of our own research and conclusions reflected in the publications on the issue under consideration, a summаry of individual shortcomings in the development, implementation, and evaluation parameters of the effectiveness of programs is provided. The article presents a set of reasons for the low effectiveness of environmental programs; the use of content analysis made it possible to identify the most obvious of them. Fifty categories of reasons were identified. The latter were differentiated according to their content by 181 codes and analyzed in order to determine the share of the most significant reasons. It is shown that the lack of a unified methodology for assessing the effectiveness of programs does not provide an opportunity to objectively assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the set tasks to improve the environmental state of a territory. In 2025, environmental programs will be extended in most regions of Russia. It is pointed out that solving problems that affect the success of regional environmental programs creates the potential for improving environmental management systems and the ecological situation. The results obtained are important for improving regional environmental policies and developing appropriate programs.

The species diversity of geomorphological processes involved in reshaping the topography of tidal river mouth areas has been identified. The geodynamic situation in the lower reaches of almost two hundred rivers flowing into the seas and having tidal heights of 2 meters or more at their mouths has been analyzed. It is shown that the river mouth areas of the estuarine-delta type are distinguished by the greatest diversity in the succession of river sections with different morphodynamic river channel types. The study was conducted at various levels, focusing both on identifying general patterns of channel formation in delta and estuarine areas and on determining the leading processes that carry out modelling of coastal geosystems with the direct participation of marine processes. At the macrolevel, the main types of morphodynamic processes involved in the morpholithogenesis of river mouth areas at all stages of their formation were identified. At the mesolevel, the varieties of morphodynamic channel types identified within the areas themselves were determined. It is shown that the leading processes influencing the development of valley geosystems of tidal rivers are water-logging, slope slumping, suffusion, and sheet erosion on channel scarps and sides of erosion forms. A special group of processes not encountered outside the tidal river mouth areas consists of wave erosion from the developing tidal bore and sediment accumulation at the upper limit of the spread of tidal processes. In terms of the nature of manifestations and geomorphological processes that determine the modeling of tidal river banks, their reshaping is largely consistent with the development of banks in the lower reaches of reservoirs and, to a much lesser extent, with the formation of lowland river channels.

Sustainable development of the Baikal region requires a detailed analysis of the types of hazards and risks that can disrupt the unique ecological system of Lake Baikal and the natural landscapes of its water protection zone. This study focuses on analyzing social, natural, and technogenic hazards based on a risk-oriented approach. A general description of the territory and the main causes of natural, technogenic and biosocial emergencies in the Baikal region are provided. Each municipality within the territory under consideration is represented as a socio-natural-technogenic system characterized by a set of basic territorial risks, the analysis of which was performed taking into account statistical data on the number of hazardous events that occurred and the damage caused. The obtained basic risk assessments are the basis for determining the complex territorial risk, represented as a radius vector in a three-dimensional space of the socio-, eco-, and technosphere. The approach allows for a quantitative assessment of the contribution of each sphere of the socio-natural-technogenic system to the complex risk indicator and simplifies the graphical representation of the system under consideration. The highest complex risk values were obtained for the cities of the Baikal region (Bratsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Chita), where the primary hazard is associated with technogenic incidents. The elevated complex risk indicators for municipal districts are due to the high frequency of natural fires and floods, as well as seismic hazard. The assessment of complex territorial risks is the basis for predicting the sustainable development of territories under intense anthropogenic impact. The obtained results can be used in developing disaster risk reduction measures and socioeconomic development programs for the Baikal region.

Currently, the Russian Federation is experiencing a decline in attention to the scientifically based formation of regional networks of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) on a landscape-geographical basis. Despite the fact that state regulation of territorial nature conservation has existed in the country, and government bodies in the field of environmental protection have begun to form since 1989, systems of regional and federal SPNAs, differing from each other qualitatively and quantitatively, have developed in the Russian Federation subjects. The experience of creating SPNA networks in the steppe subjects of the Russian Federation is examined using the example of one of the key steppe regions of the Russian Federation, namely, Rostov oblast. The ideas for territorial nature protection in this region emerged in the early 20^th century, and there are still great possibilities to modernize and optimize the nature reserve fund. It is shown that the nature reserve fund of any region should encompass all the natural diversity of the territory and meet such characteristics as continuity and representativeness of the SPNA network. The article presents a brief history of environmental protection in the region. The main disadvantages of the current network of SPNAs in the region include the lack of landscape ordination of protected areas, almost complete absence of geological and geomorphological features, and the lack of toponymic indications of SPNAs with reference to the geographical names of settlements and locations. Based on well-known schemes for physical-geographical and geobotanical zoning, eight environmental protection districts have been identified, where technologies for designing SPNA networks are proposed, both as independent territorial nature conservation objects and as part of nature parks and landscape reserves of a cluster type. The need for regular landscape-ecological monitoring of the state of SPNAs, as well as limitation and regulation of recreational and tourism loads, is substantiated.

Based on the integrated use of field, remote and laboratory methods, the fire hazard of landscapes in the Tunka Depression (Southwestern Pribaikalie) has been assessed. The highest frequency of fires is observed in pine forests, confined to sandy massifs in the central part of the depression and the southern slopes. Based on statistical analysis, it has been found that the fire frequency in these forests is, on average, 1,8 times higher compared to forests of other types (small-leaved, cedar, and spruce). In more than half of the cases, fires in pine forests are accompanied by a high degree of damage to the tree stand with the formation of burned wood. Forests with a predominance of small-leaved species are susceptible exclusively to ground fires; their flammability is assessed as the lowest. Among them, the landscapes of the northern slopes are characterized by a complete absence of signs of fires during the study period. Using one-factor dispersion analysis, it has been revealed that with an increase in the NDVI values (improvement of the state of the vegetation cover) and a decrease in the MSI values (increase in the moisture supply of phytocenoses), the fire hazard of landscapes decreases. A linear dependence was found between the granulometric composition, which determines the water-holding capacity of soils, and the level of water stress, as well as the state of vegetation. An increase in fire hazard was noted in sites with a granulometric composition lighter than loam, resulting from a reduced ability of soils to supply sufficient moisture to biotic landscape components. The obtained results confirm the validity of using Earth remote sensing data in general and vegetation indices in particular in studying fire dynamics and assessing potential fire hazard.

The article considers the features of post-fire restoration of forest communities in the V.V. Raevsky “Malaya Sosva” Nature Reserve depending on the location, intensity, and age of the pyrogenic factor. Based on remote sensing data, maps of the spatial distribution of fire outbreaks were compiled using Landsat imagery. According to the results of field studies, reforestation in the burned areas of 2012 was recorded. It has been revealed that in the reserve’s pine forests, reforestation after fires occurs without a change in species. It has been established that in the first years after fires, despite their intensity, mass shoots of Scots pine appear in key areas. Natural regeneration is uniform in almost all areas. The NDVI vegetation index was calculated to quantitatively assess vegetation condition, and the MSI index was used to quantitatively assess plant moisture as a factor determining the level of fire resistance. High intensity of vegetation of forest stands is observed in areas where fires occurred more than 50 years ago. The lowest NDVI values were obtained at the test sites exposed to severe crown fires in 2012, which is consistent with geobotanical descriptions made during field observations. The test sites where plants were most provided with moisture bear traces of old fires, while the most elevated areas, where high-intensity fires occurred, are the driest, as confirmed by the MSI values from 1 to 1,2.

The article presents an analysis of the spatiotemporal differentiation of temperature characteristics in the Primorsky Range landscapes, obtained during 15 years of microclimatic observations. The work is based on data from automatic monitoring of air temperature and relative humidity at a height of 2 m from the surface, soil surface temperature, and soil temperature at a depth of 40 cm. The analysis of the microclimatic monitoring data showed that the close relationship between soil and air temperature regimes depends on landscape conditions. Within the study area, the main climate-forming factors at the local level are vegetation, orography, and distance from Lake Baikal. Open areas, compared to forested ones, are characterized by greater amplitudes of air and soil temperatures in both diurnal and annual cycles. The warming and cooling effects of Lake Baikal on the temperature regime of the adjacent territory are manifested no higher than 1000 m along the slope of the Primorsky Range. This study statistically confirms the relationships between air temperature series at study sites in similar landscapes. Several groups of sites can be identified, each differing in temperature regime; the number and composition of these groups vary throughout the year, depending on limiting factors. The results of the study, which identified patterns in the distribution of air and soil temperatures, will be useful for restoring missing data in shorter series and can subsequently be applied to reconstruct temperature regimes in areas not covered by the microclimate observation network. Furthermore, the identified patterns will serve as a basis for creating parametrization of processes in mountainous regions and scaling the results of global climate model calculations at the local and regional levels.

The species composition and isotopic characteristics of bone and dental tissues from zooarchaeological collections of Xiongnu sites (Early Iron Age) in Western Transbaikalia were studied. The presence of bones of small ruminants, cattle and horses among the sacred-burial utensils indicates a high proportion of the nomadic way of life in the life of the Xiongnu. At the same time, the remains of domestic pigs, wild animals and fish bear evidence of elements of a sedentary lifestyle, hunting and fishing. It has been revealed that the difference in the isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen of the bones and teeth of the remains of small ruminants and cattle from the composition of the remains of horses suggests a differentiation in the conditions of their breeding. It has been found that cattle were grazed in dry steppe conditions, while horse pastures covered steppe and forest-steppe/forest landscapes. The heavier carbon isotope composition of the remains of pigs and dogs indicates the presence of C4-type plants (probably millet) in their diet. Based on a comparison of the values of the isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen in the bones and teeth of fossil ungulates and modern ecosystems, it was concluded that during the Xiongnu era, dry steppes dominated in the intermountain depressions of the southern part of Western Transbaikalia, and open landscapes were somewhat more widespread than at present. The Xiongnu sites in Western Transbaikalia (4^th century BC - 1^st century AD) date to the decline of the Xiongnu nomadic empire and are associated with the time of the climatic shift in Northern Mongolia and Transbaikalia towards aridity, which occurred at the beginning of the Subatlantic period 2500-1900 years ago.

The article examines current issues related to the development of the chemical industry in Irkutsk oblast as an integral part of the chemical complex of the Russian Federation. It was found that the chemical industry entered a consolidation stage in the 2000s. New economic ties were formed, new product markets were entered, and a transition to a qualitatively new technical and technological level was achieved. Interregional chemical clusters are actively being formed. All this has ensured the competitiveness of the region’s chemical complex in the Russian and foreign markets. It has been established that the main problems of the region’s chemical complex are: insufficient supply of domestic raw materials, high prices for raw materials and transportation costs, high level of production facilities depreciation, insufficient capacity of the domestic market, and a number of others. It is concluded that the chemical industry in Irkutsk oblast, although not playing a system-forming role in the region’s economy, occupies a significant share of industrial production and has a significant impact on the development of other industries. It is shown that chemical complex enterprises are city-forming for some areas of the region and ensure social stability. It has been revealed that the prospects for the development of deep processing of chemical products are constrained by low profitability and a limited product market. The pharmaceutical industry is an exception, where prospects are linked to the production of medicines based on regional scientific developments. It has been determined that there are opportunities in Irkutsk oblast to create innovative low-tonnage chemical production facilities at the former site of Usolyekhimprom LLC with the establishment of a Federal Chemistry Center. The prospects for the development of the industry are also linked to the implementation of new projects in the field of gas chemistry in the north of the region, the production of potash fertilizers, and the development of import substitution in the production of high value-added polymer-based products. It is also shown that the need to take into account the ESG-agenda will play an increasingly important role in the development of chemical production. The feasibility of developing comprehensive programs for the development of the chemical complex at both the federal and regional levels is substantiated.

The article identifies trends and features of the spatial development of the Trans-Siberian Economic Corridor within the Siberian Federal District (the territories of Omsk, Novosibirsk, and Kemerovo oblasts, Krasnoyarsk krai, and Irkutsk oblast). The economic corridor is considered as a set of municipalities at the levels of an urban district and a municipal area, formed along the Trans-Siberian multimodal transport route, the core of which is the railway. The study was conducted using statistical, cartographic, and comparative-geographical methods. Based on statistical and cartographic sources, several types of municipalities were identified in the Trans-Siberian Corridor, namely: regional centers, suburban municipalities (within urban agglomerations), and peripheral municipalities. Rural settlement zones and main urbanized areas in places of maximum population concentration were identified. Thus, the demographic potential of the Trans-Siberian Economic Corridor constitutes more than half of the population of the corresponding regions. By the industrial output, the region’s municipalities were ranked, and industrial specialization was revealed. The mutual influence of the development level, industrial specialization, the distribution of productive forces and the demographic situation and the transformation of settlement patterns were assessed. The geographical aspects of spatial development are expressed in the strengthening of two partially overlapping gradients of population and production concentration, namely: trunk-peripheral and central-peripheral ones. Agglomeration effects were found to predominate over trunk effects. The agglomeration effects are particularly pronounced in the example of the concentration of housing construction in regional centers and their suburban areas. This study, limited to the territories of the Siberian Federal District, provides an understanding of the spatial development of the most populated, economically diversified part of the Trans-Siberian Economic Corridor. Territorial expansion of the research will make it possible to update the geographical picture of the spatial development of the entire Trans-Siberian Economic Corridor.

The article reveals the sectoral and geographical structures of foreign trade turnover of Siberian regions with its bordering countries: China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. It highlights the place of Siberia in the structure of the Russian economy, and the problem of distortion of its statistical indicators. The role of Siberia’s foreign trade on a national and global scale, as well as the dynamics of its share and value indicators since 2017 are analyzed. The geographical structure of Siberia’s trade turnover is revealed. The issues of the Russia’s role in its trade with China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia are touched upon. The share and value indicators of trade turnover, and commodity groups of exports and imports of each Siberian region with countries adjacent to Siberia, are calculated. A more detailed attention is paid to the leading regions in the structures of export and import. The features of the foreign trade structures of various Siberian regions are identified. The importance of foreign trade with China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia for the regions of Siberia is revealed. The article touches upon the issue of the emerging competition between Siberia and Mongolia in the export of similar commodity groups to foreign markets, primarily coal, copper ores and concentrates. The routes of commodity flows between Siberia and neighboring countries are explained. The main border crossings in the trade turnover with the countries under consideration are identified. The issues related to China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative are briefly touched upon. The article also considers issues of the future foreign trade turnover of Siberia with neighboring countries, such as the predicted increase in the role of China and Kazakhstan in Siberia’s foreign trade in the near term, and the instability of the prospects for trade between Mongolia and Siberia due to the narrow range of goods they supply. An analysis is made of the transformation of the geographical directions of the foreign trade structure on a national scale in the early 2020s using the example of the export of coal as the main cargo of Siberian railways. Specific cases of prospects for the development of Siberian foreign trade relations are predicted. The article concludes by examining the emerging need to diversify the geographical structure of Russia’s foreign trade.

The article systematizes the national-territorial units of state and municipal structure and other ethnic entities of Eastern Siberia, the hierarchy of which is presented as follows: republics - administrative-territorial units with a special status (former autonomous okrugs) - places of traditional residence of indigenous small-numbered peoples. An analysis of changes in the ethnic composition of the population of Eastern Siberia between the 2010 and 2021 censuses is provided at three territorial levels - macroregional, regional and municipal. Of the 10 groups of peoples identified by geographical location, an increase in the number and a rise in their share are observed only among the indigenous large and small-numbered peoples and the peoples of Central Asia. Russians and indigenous peoples predominate in the total population, the increase in the total share of which reflects the ongoing trend toward decreasing ethnic diversity. Based on the share of the Russian population in municipalities in 2021, the ethnic space of Eastern Siberia was divided into zones, identifying the Russian ethnic core, the contact zone of the Russian mega-core, and its internal and external periphery. It has been established that the dominant trend in the period 1989-2010 toward increasing polarization of the ethnic space into opposite components - the Russian ethnic core and its external polyethnic periphery, i.e. into “Russian” and “ethnic” districts and cities - has weakened significantly and has mostly exhausted itself in the period 2010-2021. This is largely due to the slowdown in growth (Yakuts) or even a decrease in the number (Buryats and especially Khakass) of indigenous large peoples. Therefore, a certain stabilization of the process of monoethnicization in the republics of the macroregion (with the exception of Tuva and partly Yakutia) can be expected.

The article is concerned with the research of land market development at the regional and municipal levels. Regional features of increasing polarization of space between densely populated regional centers and remote peripheral areas are shown. Land turnover characteristics, as well as demographic and migration indicators of municipalities, are selected as a tool reflecting the regional features of agglomeration growth. The article reveals the role of land redistribution, which shows a connection that may not always be apparent with the processes of population migration, but is closely related to the factor of distance between the center and the periphery. As a consequence of these processes, the spatial and social fabric of rural communities is being transformed. A territorial and functional transformation of large cities and their suburban areas is observed (an expansion of suburban areas, the transformation of country dwelling into urban areas, the reproduction of an urban lifestyle by the rural population in the suburbs, the professional transformation of the rural population, etc.). The example of the region demonstrates how agricultural lands, following the all-Russian trend, are acquiring an increasingly important role in the formation of suburbs. The trend toward the exclusion of agricultural lands from the turnover is increasing. Abandoned agricultural lands are used for residential development. The features of the intraregional population migration flow and the spatial distortion of the direction of its vector due to the presence of the region’s largest recreational site, namely, Lake Baikal, as well as border areas, are highlighted. The article uses cartographic material of the processed Rosreestr data from 2011 to 2022, as well as materials of the field studies in rural communities of the Baikal region.

The work was conducted within the framework of creation of a fundamental geographical work, namely: the Atlas of Territorial Development of the Regions of North and Northeast Asia. The study, carried out at a scale of 1:8,000,000, covers the territory located in the sector of the Arctic Ocean drainage basin, extending from the world watershed, located in the center of Mongolia, to the oceanic subarctic of the Russian Federation. The aim of the research was to study and map landscapes to address complex problems of spatial development of the macroregion. The process of map creation associated with classification constructions and geoecological interpretations was carried out within the framework of the geosystem concept of Academician V.B. Sochava. The principles of mapping are formulated, the organization and structure of maps, the forms and content of cartographic information, indicator features and criteria for assessing the state of geosystems in the field of security, and the system of methods and techniques used for the integration approach are defined. Based on previously published larger-scale landscape maps, a unified basic information cartographic framework for producing derivative conjugated maps of geosystems of various content has been created using geoinformation methods and MapInfo Professional GIS software. An idea has been formed about the stability of geosystems of regional rank as an important environmental factor stimulating or constraining the territorial development of the region. The main groups of classification features-indicators and criteria for assessing the stability of geosystems to anthropogenic impacts have been identified. The possibility of creating legends for estimated-predictive, predictive-advisory overview landscape maps and maps of multifunctional geoecological zoning of the territory using various combinations of classification geosystem features is considered. Within the unified atlas system, specially structured geographical information from the landscape map block will serve as a knowledge base on the natural environment, meeting the needs of complex problems of territorial development of the macroregion.

Soil depth plays an important role in plant growth. Evaluation of soil depth using digital terrain analysis is able to be conducted not only with less time and labors, but also without solum destruction, compared to conventional field observation. This research aims to improve the accuracy of soil depth prediction in digital terrain analysis using parent material dataset and non-linear partial least squares regression. Modeling of soil depth was performed and compared using simple partial least squares regression (SPLSR), PLSR with parent materials (PLSRP), and non-linear PLSR with parent materials (NPLSRP), simultaneously. While using the PLSRP and NPLSRP, different models were built, corresponding to parent materials within the study area. Models fit was evaluated with coefficient of determination of calibration (R2cal), coefficient of determination of validation (R2val), root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP). The use of the PLSRP improved the performance of the prediction by 0,08 for the R2val and by 6,2 for the RMSEP, compared to the SPLSR. The NPLSRP increased the R2val by 0,31 and decreased the RMSEP by 17,1, compared to the PLSRP. The results indicated that the use of the NPLSRP would be able to improve accuracy of soil depth prediction, significantly.

The most significant economic and geographical conditions for the formation of the entrepreneurial environment in Kyrgyzstan have been identified. Some socioeconomic features of entrepreneurship in the Kyrgyz Republic are shown, taking into account the specifics of the transition period. The institutional problems that hinder the successful development of entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan have been clarified. The main institutional trends of recent years are characterized. The strategically significant task of successfully forming an entrepreneurial environment is considered in relation to the general state of the country’s national economy. The conclusion that the development of entrepreneurship is vital for the sustainable development of the state economy is substantiated. Socioeconomic processes in Kyrgyzstan that are significant from the viewpoint of ensuring the continuity of economic policy for the development of entrepreneurship in the region have been identified and analyzed. It has been revealed that historical and economic trends in the formation of the entrepreneurial environment in the Kyrgyz Republic influence the current state of entrepreneurship. The article has clarified the main chronological milestones in the development of entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan, which together help to understand the current contours of the entrepreneurial environment and determine the nature of the region’s prospective development. Due to the socio-political upheavals in the Republic, largely caused by the systemic socio-economic crisis, incompetence and corruption in all branches of government, and the strengthening of the shadow economy, issues of ensuring the country’s economic security are becoming acutely relevant. It is concluded that the most intense centers of destabilization require the priority implementation of adequate measures to eliminate them. It has been established that the country’s external debt has become a source of threat not only to the economic security of Kyrgyzstan, but also to the country’s political independence. It has been revealed that poverty of the population and income inequality continue to be the most pressing social factors, negatively impacting the quality of human capital, which is an important element in the context of formation of the “middle class” in society. It is concluded that sustainable development of entrepreneurship is of particular importance in Kyrgyzstan, since the success of the market economic system is associated with the development of entrepreneurship in the country.

The issue of optimal formation of transport corridors in Mongolia was examined on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of social, economic and infrastructural factors of domestic and international nature. The analysis used options of ten meridional and seven latitudinal transport corridors proposed by the State Great Khural, international organizations, and domestic researchers. The assessment of these options was carried out based on the multi-criteria analysis method for the following five groups of factors: basic conditions of the transport network, the possibility of servicing large cities and populations, border ports conditions, the possibility of connecting to the international transport network, and the possibility of supporting industrial development. Ten criteria and 25 variables were used within the framework of the aforementioned groups of factors, and the relative weights of the criteria were determined. Unlike previous studies, this research takes into account additional criteria, including the transport routes of neighboring countries, the location of cities and border ports, and others. It has been found that such indicators as the presence of cities along the corridors, the population size within their influence zones, and territories suitable for industrial development are of relatively high importance. The assessment identified Mongolia ’ s highest-rated transport corridors: three meridional corridors (Tsagaannuur - Khovd - Bulgan in the western part of the country, Altanbulag - Darkhan - Ulaanbaatar - Dalanzadgad - Gashuunsukhait and Altanbulag - Darkhan - Ulaanbaatar - Zamyn-Uude in the central part) and two latitudinal corridors (Tsagaannuur - Khovd - Bayankhongor - Ulaanbaatar - Choibalsan - Sumber and Tsagaannuur - Khovd - Bayankhongor - Ulaanbaatar - Bichigt). The resulting optimal transport corridor options are important both for supporting national socio-economic development and creating favorable conditions for population settlement, and for connecting Mongolia with neighboring countries, their major transport and logistics hubs, and seaports.

The article provides an assessment of the scientific legacy of the outstanding Siberian economic geographer and economist V.A. Krotov from the standpoint of modern problems of territorial development and management. During the period of industrial development of Eastern Siberia, V.A. Krotov worked on issues of optimal distribution of productive forces and on the development of the theory of territorial production complexes (TPCs), based on the geographical features of the regions of new development. In the context of the prevalence of sectoral planning, he insisted on the need to develop schemes for the distribution of territorial productive forces, and his approach to planning was based on economic zoning. It is shown that, with the cessation of state control of production, the main complexes created during that period remain the foundation of the economic structure of resource regions with integrating intra-corporate planning. In the economic zoning scheme, V.A. Krotov insisted on the integration of Irkutsk oblast with Krasnoyarsk krai within the Angara-Yenisei region, rather than with Transbaikalia. The scientist’s views are compared with modern approaches to solving this problem (the Baikal region, identified in the 2000s as part of the federal planning system, was again replaced by the Angara-Yenisei region in the 2019 Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation, and Transbaikalia was annexed to the Far East). In his work on the territorial management system based on the TPCs, V.A. Krotov attempted to apply foreign experience, including elements of mutual attraction between producer and consumer in polarized development theories, as well as interregional agreements using the example of the Tennessee Valley Authority. With the elimination of institutional barriers of the socialist economic system, this issue began to be widely developed in modern regional science, including comparisons of the TPCs with poles of growth and clusters. The V.A. Krotov’s contribution to the methodological coordination and integration of research on key problems of distribution within the framework of economic geography and regional economics is noted.

The article considers the life and creative work of Honorary Member of the V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Society, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.A. Kuzmin, a leading specialist in soil geography, who headed the Irkutsk Branch of the V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Society for over 30 years and worked at the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Geography of Siberia and the Far East of the USSR Academy of Sciences) for over 50 years. The main results of his research on the soils of Central and Eastern Siberia are presented from the very beginning of his scientific career at the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science (formerly the Faculty of Geology, Soil Science, and Geography) of Irkutsk State University and in the Soil Science Laboratory of the East Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The article examines a wide range of issues of his scientific work: the history of soil development, the features of their development on various rocks, soil-geographical mapping, humus composition, soil cryogenesis, the features of mountain soil formation, water and temperature regimes, ecological functions and chemical composition of soils, as well as other landscape components. It presents the scientist’s first field soil studies in remote, almost inaccessible mountain areas of the Baikal region and Northern Mongolia, as well as the results of 50 years of soil-geographical and soil-geochemical research in various regions of Siberia, summarized in personal monographs. The main scientific achievements of V.A. Kuzmin are outlined, including the results of the study of the evolution of natural conditions and soils within these territories during the Holocene. The article lists his many soil maps of individual regions of southern Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk oblast, Western and Northern Pribaikalie, the Irkutsk-Cheremkhovo Plain, the Goloustnaya River basin, the Lake Baikal basin within the Russian Federation, and others), in the compilation of which he was one of the first to use space data, improving soil mapping techniques. The central motivation behind V.A. Kuzmin’s work is revealed, i.e. his concern for the rational use of Eastern Siberia’s land resources, the protection of its unique beauty, and the careful management of the Lake Baikal basin’s resources.

The article considers the role of Boris Filippovich Lut (1930-2021) in the study of the relief of the bottom and shores of Lake Baikal and the formation of the Baikal depression. The chronological framework of the article is defined by the second half of the 20^th century and covers the period of scientific and scientific-organizational activity of B.F. Lut, a famous Soviet and Russian scientist-geomorphologist, Baikal scholar, candidate of geographical sciences, and author of more than 200 scientific papers. His major geomorphological works include dozens of maps, diagrams, profiles, graphs, and photographs, which provide excellent illustrations of natural processes on the shores of Lake Baikal. The article provides an overview of his expeditionary fieldwork on deep surveys of Lake Baikal, geomorphological study of the bottom and shores of the lake, processes of relief formation, formation and geodynamics of the Baikal depression, and practical application of geomorphological knowledge. During the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) on Northern Baikal, based on the work of B.F. Lut and his colleagues, the tunnel railway option was chosen as more economically and environmentally efficient than the “coastal” route, which would degrade the natural environment. B.F. Lut’s research into the Baikal depression, and particularly its underwater part, is a significant contribution to the geomorphology of the Baikal mountain region and is still in demand today, as evidenced by references in Baikal studies publications.