The ecological potential of Baikal region’s geosystems

Abstract

The Baikal region is a complex region as regards its natural environment and landscape characteristics; it is endowed with immense reserves of various natural resources, the industrial development of which is steadily progressing, thus posing challenging ecological problems. For assessing the ecological potential of geosystems, the landscape-typological map of the Baikal part of Siberia was generated. The classification of geosystems was carried out on the basis of the taxonomic system of hierarchical units of natural environment as developed in the Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS. Cartographic analysis determined the most informative units of geosystems of regional dimension, which made it possible to carry out a classification separation of the landscape structure of the Baikal part of Siberia. The investigations into the ecological potential, the factors and the conditions having influence upon its formation used: SRTM data, WorldClim global climate data; data on Net Primary Production; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Enhanced Vegetation Index. The main principles of GRID modeling and the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique were used to assess the ecological potential of the Baikal region’s geosystems which made it possible to represent the set of natural conditions needed to satisfy the requirements of the population for all the necessary primary means (merely ecological, unassociated with production). The evidence obtained concerning the ecological potential provide a natural scientific basis for a reasonable regional ecological policy, an improvement of the population distribution pattern and the social sphere, a rational organization of labour and recreation, and for the protection of human health.