The role of communication in sustainable development of the territory (case of the Baikal natural territory)

Abstract

Modern society is experiencing a transformation of the existing management system. The industrial growth model has been replaced by the concept of sustainable development. Its strategic goal is to achieve a balance between economics, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Thus, the very nature of sustainability involves communication and interaction. The objective of this study is to analyze the sustainable development of the Baikal natural territory and the role of communications in this process. In the work, the author turned to Russian and foreign research on issues of sustainable development and its communicative component. In the practical part, the author assesses social, economic and environmental sustainability, proposes types of sustainable development strategies based on the communication component. The results of the analysis show the lack of sustainability of the development of the Baikal natural territory, which contributes to the emergence of heated discussions regarding the future. Its participants are various subjects. Their goals, level of knowledge and power resources are different, which affects their readiness for structural changes and does not exclude a conflict of values between the participants. An assessment of the measures taken allows to identify several types of sustainable development management strategies: regulatory, programmatic, research, coordination, reflexive, communicative and managerial. The author believes that, with account to its high ambivalence, strategic environmental communications contribute to achieving sustainability.