Diagnostics of nature management problems at the regional level

Abstract

The article provides a territorial analysis for the use of natural resources in the Volga Federal District (VFD) by types of resource use. The authors ranked the regions of the Volga Federal District according to the indicators reflecting the region’s impact on the environment, investments, and expenditures on environmental protection. The article demonstrates that the regions leading in the impact indicators have the highest expenditures for nature protection, which suggests that these regions «recognize» the existing problems and the need to solve them, considering that these investments aimed at solving specific problems of natural resource management. Based on the specifics of economic activity and industry orientation of the regions, given the results of statistical analysis, ranking, application of the problem and systematic approaches, and GIStechnology, the study conducted a typology of the VFD regions and identified types of nature management. Such comprehensive studies of the process of regional nature management allow us to differentiate problems in the field of environmental protection and to understand the rational use of natural resources in the Volga Federal District and the directions of its organization, considering the territorial specifics.