Under current conditions, the green economy concept has received a comprehensive response in achieving the sustainable development of regions. However, measuring green economic development progress is dynamic, quantitatively characterized by indicators reflecting various aspects. The difficulty lies in a comprehensive environmental sustainability assessment in a context that includes the territory’s environmental, social, and economic factors. The study aimed to assess the progress of the Republic of Buryatia’s (Russia) “green” economic development. The proposed methodology for constructing a composite index is based on five dimensions’ aggregation—resource efficiency, environmental efficiency, environmental quality of life, natural assets, and institutional factors. The composite index helped generalize the complex processes of the region’s environmental–socio–economic development. Its main feature is the reflection of the environmental specificity of the territory. We built a mid-term forecast of the composite and sub-indices, determined their future trend, and assessed the opportunities and conditions for the fastest transition of the Republic of Buryatia to a green economy. The developed composite index is a key tool for regulating green economic development progress, determining prospects, and region management. This paper attempts to fill the gap in a comprehensive assessment of the Republic of Buryatia’s current situation using a composite index.

The subject of this study is the Russian areas where the use of natural resources is restricted, and economic activities must be developed with due regard for the need to protect natural ecosystems from harmful human impacts. Areas under nature protection, particularly national parks, also fall into this category and make an important contribution to nature conservation. They are also the basis for the development of ecotourism, as in other parts of the world. Russia, along with other countries, adheres to a variety of concepts and tools for the development of ecotourism in PAs. In this paper, we examine the essential characteristics and implementation domains of state policy for promoting ecotourism development, using the Zabaikalsky National Park (ZNP) and the Tunkinsky National Park (TNP) as illustrative examples. Both parks are situated in the Lake Baikal basin. In this study, we rely on theoretical and practical approaches, and legislative and regulatory documents on the development of PAs and ecotourism. The analytical framework employed in this study encompasses eight fundamental areas of operation for national parks, specifically regarding the establishment of favorable conditions for ecotourism. Our information sources comprise official state reports, documents, and materials pertaining to the studied parks, as well as data obtained from expedition research, GPS tracks, and photo-sharing websites (social networks). Our findings show that efforts are being made in the parks to create favorable conditions for ecotourism development. These efforts include improving management practices, implementing functional zoning strategies, developing conceptual and design solutions, developing infrastructure, securing funding, engaging local communities, and promoting ecotourism services. Furthermore, our analysis has identified both strengths and weaknesses in the parks’ approaches to ecotourism development (attracting private investment, infrastructure and staffing, monitoring of recreational impact). The TNP, being larger in size and better developed economically, has a more significant social and economic impact on people than the ZNP. The two studied parks demonstrate the implementation of the federal agenda for the development of ecotourism in national parks. It is important to remember that the positive effects of ecotourism initiatives in national parks can take time to materialize and require ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Documenting the parks’ progress toward sustainable ecotourism as an acceptable type of economic activity in PAs can help identify successful strategies and areas for improvement, which contributes to biodiversity conservation and the well-being of local communities.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the socio-economic impacts of the 2023–2024 winter dzud on Mongolia’s nomadic livestock farming. A comprehensive impact assessment approach is proposed, including a social assessment of the dzud impact on farms, an analysis of pasture carrying capacity, and an economic assessment of direct and indirect losses to nomadic livestock farming. The study’s results for the five most affected aimags indicate that 63.3% of surveyed households suffered livestock losses, and the total economic damage, including the reduced value of pasture ecosystem services, reached 1.5–1.9 billion USD. Based on the grazing pressure analysis and expert survey results, overgrazing was identified as a key vulnerability factor. Priority adaptation policy measures were identified, including sustainable pasture resource management, including the use of traditional nomadic practices, and increased direct financial and social support for nomads. The findings have practical implications for policy development in regions with similar climate risks.

The economic growth associated with maximizing profits from the use of natural resources and the environment has exhausted itself. The ideology of organic farming implies an optimal combination of the interests of the rural population, consumers of environmentally friendly products and a healthy environment. In recent years, the idea of using a national Baikal brand in the food market has been widely demanded and relevant. Such a pioneer product is the production of bottled Baikal water that meets international quality standards. An obstacle to the wide access to the world market for this product is the legislative restrictions in most developed countries on the consumption of drinking water from open sources. However, the upcoming world water crisis will open up prospects for a wider use of Baikal water, primarily, in densely populated Asian countries. In recent years, breeding of native breeds of farm animals adapted to the local climate, which comply with the principles of organic farming, has been revived in the Baikal region. In addition, the proximity of the external export market determines the possible production of specific “halal” products that are targeted at Southeast Asian countries with a predominantly Muslim population. In Mongolia, practical steps have been taken to produce “religious-specific” organic products, including the national quality standard for “halal” products. The high quality of meat products based on pastoralism corresponds to the rules of kosher food. Strict laws of “kashrut” may correspond to beef and lamb, as well as high-quality fish products of endemic species of the Baikal basin. These factors give a particular specificity to the concept of organic products, which combine the quality of ecological products with the uniqueness of the Baikal brand, the national specificity of Buddhism culture and traditions of oriental culinary.

Subject. This article analyzes the effectiveness of the existing economic mechanism of environmental management. Objectives. The article aims to assess the economic damage caused by air and water pollution in the selected (model) regions of the Russian Federation. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of comparative, systems, and structural analyses, and analytical calculation. Results. The article shows the extent of anthropogenic effects on atmospheric air and water resources based on specific indicators for the prevailing pollutant. Conclusions. The article concludes about the need to improve the budget policy of the regions.