Formation and evolution of basic geographical research in the Russian Far East
P.Ya. BAKLANOV, K.S. GANZEI, V.V. ZHARIKOV, A.S. LANKIN, A.N. KACHUR
Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
Keywords: geographical forecast, territorial economic structures, regional environmental management, coastal-marine environmental management, dynamics of geosystems, transboundary geosystems
Abstract
The stages of development of basic geographical research in the Russian Far East since 1971 to the present are considered. The main directions of scientific studies into the components of the landscape geosphere in the continent-ocean transition zone are shown, and an analysis is made of the natural resources management structures and socio-economic aspects of the region’s development, including in the transboundary context. Fundamental theoretical and applied research results obtained by Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS are presented. The direction of the studies on the geographical forecasts theory, dynamics of geosystems and territorial economic structures that was originally formulated in the 1970s by A.P. Kapitsa, corresponding member of RAS, the first director of PGI FEB RAS, has been developed at the institute till the present. The most important contribution to a further development of PGI FEB RAS has been made by P.Ya. Baklanov, academician of RAS, who headed the Institute from 1991 to 2016. In the 1990s, new relevant research directions, such as the studies of the sustainable development issues, dynamics and stability of geosystems of different ranks, and forecasting changes in forest vegetation appeared, which methodologically continued the forecasting and geographical topics. The study of the role of market-oriented reforms in the transformation of territorial economic structures, migration processes, foreign economic and geopolitical factors in the development of the Far Eastern region, problems of coastal-marine and transboundary natural resources management began. At the same time, the geographical scopes of the studies covered not only the Russian Far East, but also adjacent regions of Russia, neighboring countries and vast areas of the Pacific Ocean. The ‘eastward vector’ of Russia’s contemporary development influenced geographical research in the Far East as well. To form a balanced system of socio-economic development of the region, research efforts focused on the functional zoning of its territory, preparation of settlements master plans, setting up the priorities for transboundary cooperation in the field of sustainable natural resources management, transboundary economic corridors and “green” zones development in terms of the Northern Sea Route and the New Silk Road conceptions, are especially relevant at present.
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