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The article studies contemporary problems of managing regional socio-economic development amidst digital economy and proposes new methodological approaches to governance at regional and municipal levels, including promoting the idea of a strategic approach to governance, designing elements of a new governance mechanism based on digital technologies, implementing effective methods of state regulation of the regional economy, forming a regional information infrastructure, and providing integrated solutions to social and economic issues. We show that regional and municipal levels of governance are ill-prepared when it comes to switching to new forms of digital economy and information society growth. Based on generalized experience of how regional and municipal authorities operate, assessment of governance efficiency, and strategic planning procedures, we suggest ways of improving regional and municipal governance to increase its efficiency, strengthen the innovative orientation of governance via digital technologies and enhance the cooperation between state and market institutions in regions.

The large inland territory, including Russian Siberia and Mongolia, as discussed in this article, has similarities in physical-geographical, and socio-demographic parameters, as well as in the attitude to them as the “resource colonies”. The Siberian and Mongolian components significantly differ politically thus affecting the institutional and managerial characteristics and the formation of territorial nature conservation, which is implemented in the activities of specially protected natural areas. The article provides an analysis of the existing systems of protected areas in Siberia and Mongolia, and of their structure and legislative basis. The similarities and differences of the laws of Russia and Mongolia are consistently considered: on land, on specially protected natural areas, and on territories of traditional nature management. The analysis of the legislation revealed a difference between similar categories of protected areas, management features as well as some aspects of law enforcement. Based on statistical information as of the beginning of 2021, summary tables of protected areas by category and by administrative units have been compiled. On the basis of databases collected by the authors and previously published thematic atlases, maps of protected areas have been compiled, demonstrating their distribution in Mongolia and Siberia. In spite of the differences identified, a converging aspect is shown: the presence and planning of interstate transboundary protected natural areas. It is concluded that the existing system of Mongolian protected areas is more effective. It is characterized by a greater representativeness of landscape diversity, more evenly distributed across administrative units of the country, developed in terms of areal indicators, more homogeneous in terms of representation of various categories of protected areas, and more peculiar due to the presence of transboundary protected areas between aimags. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a positive exception in the Russian part of the system.

The consequences of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) for tourism and the state’s attention to the revival of this segment of the economy are briefly outlined. It is shown that the current crisis is the strongest in the entire history of the industry, while crises open up additional opportunities in its functioning, and innovative solutions are used to meet the requirements of consumers. The main trends of post-crisis measures in our country are highlighted. In Russia, the strategic basis for improving the recreation sector is the strengthening of domestic tourism; in this regard, regional strategies for its development are of particular importance. This direction is declared in the industry program and in the Development Program of the Far East into 2035, supported by measures and targets for the creation of its own tourism cluster in each Far Eastern region. It is shown that for the first time in the socio-economic program the Tourism subprogram is allocated for the region. The prerequisites for its implementation are outlined, and the centers of tourist activity revitalization are presented. Taking into consideration the geographical location and size of the region, the formation of cluster policy emphasizes the importance of developing interregional relations, which are currently poorly represented. Even the conditions of the territories of advanced development, which are distinguished by a special mode of doing business, are not used in their establishment. The model of the federal tourist interregional scheme of territorial and spatial planning, with a focus on the creation of a comprehensive tourist development plan, is proposed. The prerequisites, structure, content and conditions of its formation are pointed out. The implementation of the tasks outlined in the scheme is focused on combining the common efforts of all market players in order to form a tourist region as an integral competitive unit.

This article presents the results of a study conducted in the coastal zone of Lake Onega. The research is devoted to studying the influence of coastal (abrasion in particular) processes and inflowing rivers on the quality of surface waters of the lake. In October 2019, 47 samples of water (from the surface and bottom horizons), 26 samples of bottom sediments and 16 samples of shore-forming sediments with further determination of metal concentrations were taken on the eastern coasts of the lake in the area of the abrasive (Andomа Mountain key area) and delta (Shal’skoe Onego key area) coasts. The content of the following metals was studied: iron (total), manganese, aluminum, zinc, copper, nickel, chromium, lead, cobalt and cadmium. The emphasis in this study is placed on the determination of the dissolved form of metals in water and the mobile form in coastal and bottom sediments. The results showed that the concentrations of metals in the natural environment of the lake as a whole reflect the hydrochemical picture characteristic of this territory with an excess of the current standards of the quality of water up to 20 times for Mn, Fe, Cu, Pb and Al. The collected array of geochemical data made it possible to conduct a correlation analysis of the influence of coastal processes on the quality of coastal waters of Lake Onega in terms of metal content. The results showed the presence of different types of relationships between the content of metals in bottom sediments and water (from “very weak” to “strong”), which are statistically insignificant. In the area of the Andoma Mountain, the key area, there is a «strong» (close) relationship between the Al, Cu and Pb contents in bottom sediments and in water.

Results of quantitative determination of dissolved forms of 55 elements by mass-spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) in the water of small rivers, lakes and in the melt waters of glaciers and snowfields of the Kuragan basin are presented. The influence of climatic and hydrological conditions, the lithological composition of the rocks composing the Kuragan basin predetermine the formation of ultra-fresh, neutral to slightly alkaline calcium waters. In rivers and lakes, a mineralization is 28-7 mg/L, pH is 8.5-6.8; in melt waters of snow and firn, they are 14-2 mg/L and pH is 8.4-6.5, respectively. The total content of dissolved forms of elements does not exceed 11 mg/L in rivers and lakes and 35 mg/L in melt water of snow and firn. P, K, Ti and Ag accumulate in snowfields, while the river water is characterized by a high content of Si, Mo and Te. In some water bodies, the excess of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of pollutants has been established. In rivers and lakes, the concentrations of Al, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo and Pb are higher than the MPC in the water of fishery reservoirs, and the content of Al, Fe, Ni and Pb is higher than the MPC in drinking water. In the melt waters of snowfields, the MPCs in fishery reservoirs are exceeded for Al, P, K, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn, and the MPC in drinking water - for Al, K, Mn, Sb and Pb. A statistically significant correlation between all elements in the composition of the water of rivers, lakes (except for W), and melt water from snowfields indicates their input from a single natural source, mainly as a result of leaching from rocks and soils with a slight effect of atmospheric precipitation. High concentrations of toxic elements in water bodies are due to the runoff of substances from the catchment area and to the accumulation of weathering products in snowfields and are not associated with anthropogenic pollution.

Data of experimental studies on the influence of fires on the development of erosion processes in the mountain forests of Cisbaikalia are considered. The quantitative indicators of liquid and solid surface runoff formed on burns, depending on the steepness of the slopes and on the intensity and duration of the fires, are given. It is shown that the violation of the soil-protective plant and organogenic layer of soils on mountain slopes contributes to an intense development of sheet wash of fine-grained earth, which leads to a change in the direction and rate of soil formation under other conditions of the development of geochemical and biogeochemical processes. The water-physical and physico-chemical properties of soils are significantly transformed on burns, leading to a deterioration of their forest-growing properties. The morphological characteristics of pyrogenically transformed soils on the sites affected by fire of different intensity 5 to 8 years ago are given. In mountain conditions, during ground fires of high intensity, the processes of drift and redeposition of fine-grained earth on the slopes are observed, leading either to the formation of simple primitive profiles with thin horizons or to the formation of complex polycyclic profiles, often with buried (relict) horizons. Mathematical models are proposed, which describe the formation of liquid and solid surface runoff on the burns, depending on the main factors that determine this process. Pyrogenic destruction of forest ecosystems inevitably leads to the degradation of mountain soils, which take many decades to restore after ground fires.

The prerequisites for sustainable development of urbanized territories are considered, which are determined by the atmospheric air quality governed by a combination of microclimatic differences and anthropogenic impact. The city of Ulan-Ude, located in the conditions of a valley-basin relief, was studied. To clarify the features in the microclimate of the city, calculations of the amounts of direct radiation on the slopes of the surrounding ridges were performed. Spatial differences in the formation of the ecological and climatic state of the air environment on the upper surfaces, bottoms of the valleys of the Uda and Selenga rivers, and slopes with many valleys of different orientations and planate surfaces are revealed. It is found that the ecosystem functions of the atmosphere of valley-basin territories, limited by the natural and climatic ability to self-purification, impose increased requirements on the volumes of anthropogenic load. It is shown that the decrease in emissions from stationary sources from 2010 to 2018 contributes to the positive dynamics of specific ecological and economic indicators (kg/1000 rubles). Furthermore, specific total emissions (kg/person) are growing, and the atmospheric pollution index remains high and very high due to an increase in emissions from mobile sources and an increase in the concentration of aggressive impurities. To improve the living conditions of the population and sustainable development of Ulan-Ude, it is important to reduce emissions from stationary and mobile sources, which implies improving the quality of fuel and the technical condition of vehicles and road infrastructure, and it is also advisable to transfer existing green zones to protected ones.

The X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption and step-by-step extraction methods were used to obtain novel data on chemical composition of soils as well as on the forms of the heavy metals Cu, Pb and Zn residing in them. The key areas in the surroundings of the village of Utulik (southern shore of Lake Baikal) were surveyed. It was found that the contents of trace elements in these soils varied mainly within the regional background. However, the soils experiencing anthropogenic load are contaminated with Cu, Pb and Zn. The calculated coefficients of radial differentiation of elements in the soils of the conditionally background area showed an accumulation of lead (R > 1) in the O and E horizons, zirconium in the E horizon as well as chromium and iron in the B horizon. These soils are characterized by the removal of elements Cu, Ni, Co, Zn and Mn (R < 1). In samples soil from the conditionally background area, Cu, Pb and Zn occur mostly in forms poorly absorbed by plants. Furthermore, Zn is weakly fixed in polluted soils and basically occurs in exchange forms, and the role of amorphous hydroxides increases substantially in the fixation of Pb. Because of light granulometric soil composition and low sorption capacity of geochemical barriers, the presence of abundant amounts of Zn and Pb in exchange forms presents a potential threat to their migration to contiguous environments. An assessment of the buffer capacity of soils was made, indicating that the buffer capacity is medium (20.5-24.5 numerical points) or low (<20) with respect to heavy metals. These characteristics should be taken into account when monitoring the soil state and planning any economic activity.

A wide-scale investigation providing insights into the spatial and temporal distribution of sanitary and microbiological indicators of water quality was undertaken in the shallow nearshore zone of Lake Baikal. Water samples were collected along the entire lake perimeter during several years, from 2012 to 2016, and in 2020 (total number, n = 450). Comparison of the abundance of fecal indicator bacteria in the bottom and surface waters at a total depth of 1 m showed that the concentration of sanitary indicator bacteria was generally higher in the surface water layers. The dynamics of water quality indicators as determined from May to November at the monitoring stations in the villages of Listvyanka and Bol’shie Koty did not reveal, according to statistical calculations, any substantial differences in the number of fecal indicator bacteria in most cases for different months of this study. Results of four circum-Baikal surveys at the same stations in June and September 2015 and 2016 also showed no notable differences in terms of the period of sampling. The concentration gradient of the fecal indicator bacteria 100 m from the water edge exhibited an consistent decrease of these microorganisms with distance from the shore towards deeper parts of the lake. An area of sampling was revealed, in which the concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria exceeded considerably the regulatory standards (SanPiN 2.1.5.980-00). The village of Khuzhir was such a site. In the shallow water at the villages of Sakhyurta and Kultuk, the concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria were on the verge of maximum permissible concentration. These data provided evidence of constant and significant water pollution in the nearshore zone adjacent to settlements characterized largely by touristic activities (the recreational activity is increased)

An analysis is made of the long-term data sets on the annual and seasonal water flow and the major ions flux of the Northern Dvina river at the village of Ust’-Pinega where hydrological and hydrometric observations were begun in 1882 and 1947, respectively. Long-term phases of their increased/decreased values were revealed, and their main characteristics were determined. It is established that the difference in the mean annual water flow between the long-term phases of increased and decreased values relative to the values characteristic of the lower flow were 17 % for the annual flow, 16 % for the flood flow, 32 % for the winter flow, and 38 % for the summer-autumn flow. It is concluded that changes in chemical flux during the shift from the phase of increased to decreased water flow was less clearly pronouced. The largest differences in the ion flux in the contrasting phases of water discharge were characteristic for the summer-autumn hydrological season and winter low-water season. During these periods the ion flux increased by 14-17 % and 10-11 %, respectively, whereas during the snow-melt flood period and the whole year, the ion flux was only 5-8 % higher. A relative dynamic constancy of the geochemical load on the White Sea by the Northern Dvina, regardless of its water discharge, is caused by the inverse relationship between water discharge and the concentration of chemicals. In addition, the anthropogenic influence on the ionic composition in the catchment area of the river is insignificant, which makes it possible to maintain established relationships under climate change.