Ecological assessment of geolandscapes of the Republic of Buryatia

The article is devoted to the analysis of the ecological state of landscapes of the Republic of Buryatia. The analysis of the calculation of the coefficient of ecological stability of landscapes revealed significant territorial differences: the largest area of stable landscape elements are in the Bauntovsky and Severo-Baikalsky districts, as well as the Eravninsky district. High ecological stability of the district is associated with a significant predominance of forest lands and a small area of disturbed territories, in addition, a complete absence of unauthorized dumps is noted. The districts with the largest area occupied by unstable landscape elements include the Severo-Baikalsky and Okinsky districts, their indicators were 1,611,272 hectares and 1,339,345 hectares, respectively. The calculated indicators of the coefficient of ecological stability (KESL 2) and its qualitative parameters in the districts of the Republic of Buryatia showed that unstable landscapes include the Tunkinsky, Muisky and Okinsky districts, as well as the Ulan-Ude, their indicators correspond to the limit of ≤0.33. The instability of landscapes in these areas is due to a combination of factors, including active economic activity and mountainous terrain that promotes erosion. In the Tunkinsky district, recreational load has a significant impact, and in the Okinsky district, intensive development of the mining industry. Calculation of the anthropogenic load coefficient showed that 20 districts of the republic and the Severobaikalsk have a low level of environmental load, while in Ulan-Ude, it is high (Kan=3.94). Keywords: REPUBLIC OF BURYATIA, ANTHROPOGENIC LOAD, BIODIVERSITY, ECOLOGICAL STABILITY, LANDSCAPES, ECOLOGY