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.

The green economy is one of the important and practical tools of sustainable development, which balances the two directions of regional development: economic growth and preservation of the natural environment. In this paper, we have developed a methodology for investigating the development and implementation of regional green economy policies, using the Russian regions in North Asia as an example. Three main tasks have been accomplished for this purpose: (1) assessment of how sustainable the socio-economic development of the Russian regions in North Asia is; (2) comparative analysis of the sustainability of regional policies (to what extent the federal targets and priorities for the green agenda implementation are reflected in the regional strategic documents); and (3) determination of the green direction for regional development by comparing the results of previous assessments. To assess the sustainability of regional development, we have used a methodology for DEA of eco-efficiency of socio-economic development in the Russian North Asian regions, using a non-oriented slacks-based measure (SBM) model. To assess the sustainability of regional policies, we used a content analysis of regional socio-economic development strategies. We have identified considerable variations among the Russian North Asian regions in the extent to which their socio-economic development is consistent with the principles of a green economy (both in the priorities, tools of regional policies, and the level of eco-efficiency). The content analysis of the regional strategic documents of the Russian North Asian regions, as well as the assessment of the eco-efficiency of their socio-economic development, show that regions with low actual eco-efficiency are planning in their strategies greater efforts for green development than more eco-efficient regions. The approaches we propose can support decision making in the field of eco-economic development as a tool to measure the degree of compliance of regional development with the principles of a green economy.

The article critically evaluates the contents of the adopted National Program for Socio-Economic Development of Far East Russia for the period up to 2024 and as far as 2035. Specific examples indicate both inaccuracy in some data and the declarative nature of the tasks set in the absence of mechanisms for their implementation and scientific justification (when determining the priorities for the forest industry, mining, agricultural production, trunk infrastructure and transport accessibility, as well as the development of public health services, education and science). There is shown a lack of detail in sections describing the state of soft infrastructure and the standard of living of the indigenous peoples of the region, the reaction of the region unique in terms of natural environment, to global environmental challenges. It is stressed that the federal government is still orienting the economy of Far East Russia to extraction of mineral resources: under a great number of fields involved in the economic turnover there is even no mention of a need for complete processing of raw materials and launching production in these fields to obtain finished high-tech export products except gas chemistry. The authors conclude that it is necessary to adjust the National Program in terms of the main parameters in accordance with National Strategy of Spatial Development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025, with the realities and effects of the current foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation

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.

Авторы статьи проводят сравнение развития сельского хозяйства за длительный период с начала 2000-х годов до настоящего времени и оценку его воздействия на природную среду на трансграничных территориях Северной Азии в границах России (Алтайский край, Амурская область, Забайкальский край, Омская область, Республика Бурятия, Республика Тыва и Тюменская область). Проведен анализ динамики валового регионального продукта рассматриваемых регионов и его структуры, удельного веса сельского хозяйства, объемов продукции сельского хозяйства (в долл. США), посевных площадей и ряда удельных показателей эффективности развития сельского хозяйства. Сделаны выводы о невысокой роли трансграничных территорий Северной Азии территории РФ в формировании ВВП РФ за рассматриваемый период исследования, незначительном удельном весе продукции сельского хозяйства в ВРП регионов и снижении эффективности использования сельскохозяйственных земель по сравнению со средними показателями по РФ. Предложенные авторами показатели и методический подход к оценке сопряженности экологической деструкции и сельскохозяйственного использования земель могут быть использованы в качестве инструментария исследования воздействия сельского хозяйства на природную среду, выявления узких мест и структурирования проблемных ситуаций на модельных территориях. Полученные значения коэффициентов сопряженности в модельных регионах ниже единицы свидетельствуют о нарушении баланса между природной средой и использованием земельных ресурсов в сельском...