Interactive mapping and ecological educational functions of geosystems of the SPNAs of the Baikal Region

Abstract

Ecological educational functions of geosystems are to be separately highlighted and considered for the scientific substantiation of this work. Information about the ecological educational functions of geosystems is visualized using interactive geoinformation maps of various thematic content. As an example, an interactive map of vegetation “Along Doppelmair’s trail” is presented, which is being developed for one of the remote and closed areas of the Barguzinskii nature reserve of the FSU Zapovednoe Podlemorye. We used both traditional geographic approaches and methods (field research, geobotanical and landscape descriptions) and modern geoinformation technologies (creation of database for every plot on a general landscape basis, interpretation of space images, visualization with infograms, etc.) to create the map. The map shows the characteristic types of vegetation, succession stages of pyrogenic dynamics of forest geosystems that have arisen over a century. The infograms provide information on the places of meeting animals, distribution of plants, features of local landscapes and photographic materials collected during field research. The presented map is one of the ways to popularize environmental protection, solve environmental education issues and represent the educational functions of geosystems. A set of interactive maps of different content is the basis for determining the natural educational potential of geosystems and can be used to improve models of environmental management and nature conservation activities.