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The forests of southern Buryatia are mainly represented by communities of the formations of grass light coniferous pine forests (Pinus sylvestris L. ) and forb-grass larch forests (Larix sibirica Ledeb. ), the grass stand composition of which is characterized by wormwoods known as medicinal. In the forest communities of southern Priselenginskaya Buryatia, 14 species of wormwood have been identified; they are rich in essential oils and other biologically active substances (BAS). It has been established that wormwoods were widely used by the aboriginal ethnic groups of Siberia - Evenks, Soyots, Buryats - in religious ceremonies, and as fodder, spicy-aromatic and medicinal plants. It has been determined that, depending on the ecological characteristics of the species, their assignment to forest types (associations) may be different; the occurrence of xerophytic wormwoods will be high in pine forests, in contrast to more humid mesophytic and xeromesophytic species, which are predominantly characteristic of larch forest communities (Artemisia latifolia Ledeb., A. tanacetifolia Bieb. ). For example, of the variety of wormwoods of the subgenus of true or typical wormwoods (subgenus Artemisia L. ), the most widespread is Gmelin’s wormwood (Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Stechm. ), characteristic not only of forb pine forest communities (spiraea-forb and sedge-forb), but also of larch forest cenoses (steppe-forb and spiraea forb-reed grass). Many species of wormwood were widely used in folk and traditional medicine - Arabic, Tibetan, Mongolian and others. It is known that these plants produce flavonoids, coumarins, and carotenoids. It has been established that they are extremely rich in essential oils, and the predominant components include camphene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene, and borneol. Their diversity is indicated by the oil components in the Buryat populations of Artemisia sericea (Artemisia sericea Weber ex Stechm. ), where a high percentage of the following compounds is noted: 1,8-cineole, camphor, bornyl acetate and germacren D. Wormwood has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. Further phytochemical studies of wormwood are needed to identify valuable plant species in terms of metabolites richness; they are an important resource in the search for new medicinal plants.

The article presents the results of a comprehensive geomorphological and paleogeographic study of the central part of the Oka Plateau (Eastern Sayan). The relief structure of the region is characterized in detail. A special place in it is occupied by elements of the paleohydronetwork - basins of drained moraine-dammed reservoirs and abandoned fragments of valleys, including tiered ones. A comprehensive record was obtained from the bottom sediments of Lake Sagan-Nur, which made it possible to reconstruct a consistent picture of changes in the natural environment in the lake basin in the Holocene. It is shown that in the period of about 8600-7100 years ago the lake was fed by glaciers, large flood events occurred in its basin, the water level in the lake was higher than today, and it was probably connected to a moraine-dammed paleo-reservoir, traces of which are recorded in the estuary part of the Aynak River valley. Later, about 7100-5500 years ago, a sharp drop in the rate of lacustrine sedimentation and a gradual attenuation of the relative amplitude of flood events occurred. After 5500 years ago, the warming of the regional climate, especially in winter, and the disappearance of the “remnants” of the late Pleistocene glaciers caused a gradual expansion of dry areas at lower hypsometric levels favorable for the regional development of pine forests and the rise of the upper boundary of pine on the slopes. At the end of this time interval, the last restructuring of the local hydrographic network occurred and the modern river system was finally formed. Reconstructions for the period of the last 5500 years show a much calmer hydrological regime and sedimentation pattern. Palynological indices also suggest a warming of the regional climate and a decrease in soil moisture, which took place following a change in the influx of solar radiation in the temperate latitudes of the Northern hemisphere.

The article presents data from the long-term studies of the direction of forest formation on the burnt sites of different territorial (and topological) allocation in some areas of the Baikal region. Current trends in the initial stages of forest coenoses formation, and their structure on burnt sites of different years and intensity are shown. It is noted that secondary forests consisting of small-leaved tree species, represented by their sparse undergrowth and clump young growth, are developing on the site of burnt primary coniferous taiga. Tree species are often represented by single specimens on the sites of complete destruction of edaphic conditions - underlays and upper soil horizon on mountain slopes of different orography. It has been established that on the sites of catastrophic burning (in the central part and northern regions of Western Transbaikalia) with completely burnt forest stand and underwood, including the upper soil horizon, no plant species have been found for several years. At the same time, further degradation of the edaphic conditions of habitats occurs here. Under such conditions, the development of undergrowth of coniferous (forest-forming) species is extremely limited, and formation of forest coenoses will require many decades. On the burnt sites of light coniferous forests in the southwestern parts of Transbaikalia, with partial preservation of individual trees of forest-forming species, the initial stage of formation of a canopy of small-leaved tree species, sometimes with the participation of conifers, has been noted, which indicates satisfactory conditions for primary taiga formation in a rather short time period. Activities on artificial and combined forest restoration in all the considered areas of Western Transbaikalia will contribute to a more rapid restoration of forests if new fires are excluded.

The article considers the ethnocontact zones (ECZ) of Buryatia, by which the authors understand a type of ethnocultural regions and chorological objects consisting of intersecting, overlapping or adjacent ethnic areas and ethnic boundaries. Buryatia is presented as a key region - a republic with a mosaic, diverse and tolerant population, which is a multicultural complexly organized ethnocultural region, a system of ethnocontact zones of different hierarchical levels. At the same time, Buryatia is a part of a larger ethnocontact zone. Statistical, cartographic, expeditionary, sociological and other methods were used. The municipalities of Buryatia were grouped by ethnic composition and ethnic mosaic index, and calculations were carried out for nine key ECZ of rural settlements. An attempt was made to identify the specifics of the territorial structure of the ethnocontact zone, its place in the classification, historical and geographical features and factors of formation and transformation of the ECZ at different historical and geographical stages. The main factors identified are positional (including the border position), landscape, political and administrative factors, the nature of interethnic and intercivilizational interaction, models of territory development and forms of interethnic interaction. Schematic maps characterizing the ECZ of municipalities were made. The study of ethnocontact zones also has practical significance in addition to scientific one. It can be used by governing bodies to implement regional policies at different levels. The materials can also be used in the educational process and activities and in planning tourism development.

The territory of the Far Eastern Federal District has a variety of natural and climatic conditions that affect the consumption of certain types of food. It is noted that the regions of the district are characterized by a high share of costs (up to 35 %) for the purchase of food. The article considers the structure of consumption of basic foodstuffs in the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District in 2016 and 2021. Based on the analysis of the share of consumption of basic foodstuffs from the standard ones, the regions have been classified by type of consumption: regions with rational nutrition, regions with relatively rational nutrition, regions with poorly rational nutrition, and regions with an irrational type of nutrition. It has been revealed that there are no regions with rational nutrition in the Far Eastern Federal District. The analysis showed that in 2016, more than half of the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District belonged to type 1 (regions with relatively rational nutrition), namely: the Republic of Buryatia, Primorsky, Khabarovsk, Kamchatka and Zabaykalsky krais, and Amur and Sakhalin oblasts; type 2 (regions with poorly rational nutrition) included the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and Magadan and Jewish autonomous oblasts, and type 3 (regions with irrational nutrition) - Chukotka autonomous okrug. It has been established that in 2021, the number of regions with relatively rational nutrition of the population (type 1) decreased compared to 2016, the Republic of Buryatia and Sakhalin oblast left their number, while Jewish autonomous oblast moved to type 1. Chukotka autonomous okrug remained in type 3. It has been determined that the growth of per capita income in the regions does not lead to a reduction in the share of food costs, but contributes to an increase in the consumption of protein products while reducing the intake of potatoes, bread products and vegetables. It has been revealed that one of the reasons for the low consumption of certain food products is a reduction in own production of agricultural products in the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District. The need to implement a policy of self-sufficiency in agricultural products that can be produced in the regions of the district, taking into account agroclimatic conditions, has been noted.

The ecosystem approach to assessing the object of accumulated environmental damage (AED) has been implemented; it consists in the possibility of using bioassay methods together with chemical-analytical methods for the environmental assessment of soils and bottom sediments of the closed authorized landfill located in the Gulf of Finland basin. It has been revealed that the cause of pollution of the basin territory is the long-term storage of mixed landfill masses without observing environmental protection technologies. It has been established that the current regulatory and methodological framework does not provide for reliable accounting of the factors of influence of AED objects, which leads to distortions of the parameters of eco-safety of territories and assessments of the impact on the surrounding geosystems. New pollutants with high toxicity can be formed at the objects of accumulated environmental damage. Their presence cannot be predicted only on the basis of chemical analysis. In this regard, the environmental control system should involve integral methods for assessing the toxicity of natural environments, which include bioassay. Bioassay, which performs the function of tactical control, allows us to approach the assessment of the impact of AED objects on the ecosystem and to quickly establish the danger of the object for the environment. In this work, ecotoxicological studies of soils and bottom soils by bioassay methods were carried out using a set of biotest systems including representatives of different trophic levels (crustaceans, infusoria, algae, and seeds of higher plants). The study used eluate and contact bioassay methods, which enabled to determine the most sensitive biotests. The obtained research results make it possible to properly justify scientific and applied solutions for the restoration of the cumulative technogenic background of natural and economic systems located in the Gulf of Finland basin.

The article presents information on disturbed lands in oil production areas in Western Siberia and Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The technogenic disturbances of the surface that occur during exploration and production of hydrocarbon raw materials were examined. The stages of restoration of the vegetation cover at geological exploration sites and in Nenets Autonomous Okrug were revealed. The analysis of primary successions of vegetation that arise after complete destruction of the soil and vegetation cover is given. It has been revealed that willow communities are formed at the studied geological exploration sites by plant succession. It has been established that in Western Siberia over a 25-year period, plant communities have been formed on bulk drilling sites that rise above the areas of disturbed swamps by 1-4 m that differ significantly from the vegetation of swamps. It has been concluded that the process of restoration of plant communities occurs by the way of formation of forest ecosystems; woody plants such as birches, pines, willows settle along with herbaceous plants. This is facilitated by the creation of favorable conditions for the growth of trees and shrubs in local areas due to embankments, an increase in the thickness of the root layer, and an improvement of the hydrothermal regime. Practical measures are proposed for the restoration of disturbed lands and the reduction of their negative impact on the environment. Various grass mixtures have been tested during restoration work. Promising plant species for sodding disturbed tundra areas in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug territory have been identified. The expediency of using wild species seeds, more resistant to local conditions, for sowing along with cultivated plants has been established. It is proposed to involve the indigenous population migrating across the tundra with herds of reindeer in collecting wild plant seeds and sowing plants in disturbed areas. For the first time, the feasibility of using small-sized (garden) equipment transported by helicopter for the restoration of hard-to-reach disturbed areas has been tested and proven. Technologies for the restoration of disturbed lands adapted to the conditions of the North are proposed.

The article presents information on the finds of shells of mollusks of the genera Monodacna, Unio, Lanceolaria, Planorbis, and Amuropaludina in the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits in Transbaikalia. Their shells are morphologically similar to those of modern species inhabiting regions of Russia that are geographically remote from Transbaikalia. Their ranges in the past were much more extensive than at present. The history of the existence and extinction of the species under discussion in Transbaikalia is reconstructed based on fossil finds and modern collections of mollusks. The ranges of the European species of the genera Monodacna, Unio, Planorbis, and the Far Eastern species of the genera Lanceolaria and Amuropaludina changed during the time period from the Pleistocene to the Holocene under the influence of climatic factors during the Ice Age. When comparing the absolute age of fossil shell finds or their host sediments with periods of warming and cooling on the regional geochronological scale, geochronological markers of the existence and extinction of the species under discussion in Transbaikalia were revealed. Thermophilic European species, widespread in the Pleistocene, became extinct in Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia during the Ice Age, their ranges were interrupted and limited to the main part in Europe. The same scenario developed for the Far Eastern stenothermic species, which became extinct in Transbaikalia during the cold period of the Holocene. About 2-1,5 thousand years ago, their range, covering the entire Amur basin, was interrupted and limited to the main part in the Far East. The fact of habitation of local populations of European species of the common and wedge-shaped pearl mussel (Unio pictorum and U. tumidus) and the Far Eastern species of the Kian amuranodont (Amuranodonta kijaensis) in the refugium lakes of Transbaikalia has been noted. Changes associated with the natural cycles of cooling and warming in the Pleistocene and Holocene can be considered as a manifestation of climatogenic succession, during which the extinction of stenothermic species at the regional level and the rupture of ranges at the global level occurred.

The use of natural environmentally friendly resources in engineering systems, in particular, solar energy technologies, helps to cut energy costs, thereby reducing production costs and anthropogenic load on the environment. Long-term hydrometeorological data were studied and processed using mathematical statistics methods, the reliability of the interaction was determined, and regression equations were obtained to predict the natural and climatic conditions along the coast of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Gulf in the Caspian Sea. Natural solar energy resource potentials of the gulf coast were considered. Using innovative techniques, the task is to assess the thermal resource potentials of solar radiation; consider the salt deposits of the gulf as heat accumulators for the development, implementation and application of solar thermal energy technologies; and justify the technical and economic feasibility of their use in engineering systems in the gulf. For development, creation and implementation of solar thermal and electric power stations in the study area applying innovative methods with consideration of natural and climatic conditions and atmospheric phenomena, gross, technical, economic and environmental capabilities of the region were assessed. The solar energy potentials of photoconverter and heat collector at the optimum tilt angle were estimated based on theoretical studies and methodological calculations, taking into account duration of sunshine; hour angle to inclined and normally oriented surface; movement of solar declination to an inclined surface and to the horizon; scattering of radiation, albedo, angular parameters of arrival and solar radiation; average monthly and annual temperature of outdoor air and operation of a solar installation; specific energy parameters of a solar installation, etc. The obtained scientifically substantiated and systematized results can be used in the development of design and estimate documentation, preparation of feasibility studies for the creation of various solar technology complexes in the Caspian region, which will contribute to strengthening of energy security, sustainable development of energy systems when using autonomous technological units based on solar energy, growth of production of natural chemical elements, reduction of energy consumption of organic fuel, and improvement of the environmental situation in the region of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Gulf.

The article considers the main areas for development of mountain tourism in Kyrgyzstan based on a comprehensive study of the tourism potential. An integrated research of the country’s natural and recreational resources associated with altitudinal zonality has been conducted. They include mountains, glaciers, mineral waters, therapeutic muds, lake beaches, etc. Taking into account global trends in the development of the tourism market, three promising areas of mountain tourism in Kyrgyzstan have been identified, namely: resort and recreational, travel along the Great Silk Road, and mountain-adventure, the key role in the development of which is assigned to mountaineering. It is shown that the tourism and recreational potential of the republic is mainly associated with high-mountain territories. It is concluded that in order to unlock this potential, it is necessary to create an international mountaineering center, develop tourism infrastructure and modernize the existing one, as well as to enhance control in the field of environmental protection. Significant investments are required to achieve these goals; some of them can be attracted through foreign investors. The implementation of these measures should contribute to the sustainable development of the republic and improve the quality of life of the population.