LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF THE PARK «AREY»
Authors: Pomazkova N. V. 
Published: April 2021

The development of domestic tourism in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation is based on visiting the most popular places of recreation: beautiful landscapes, rivers and lakes, mineral springs, including in protected natural areas (PNA). Increased mobility of the population leads to increased recreational flows, and as a result, a multiple increase in recreational loads on natural objects and landscapes of protected areas. The potential for long-term sustainable use of such territories should be regularly assessed. The purpose of the study is to assess the recreational impact on natural complexes and develop recommendations for reducing the anthropogenic load in the Park «Arey» in the Transbaikal territory. In September 2019, diagnostic studies of the state of the recreation area of the Park were conducted, which included landscape studies at key sites . The works were carried out using the route-reconnaissance method. The key sites were selected based on the types of natural and territorial complexes that lead to the lake shore. To assess the degradation of biocomplexes in key areas, we determined the terrain features, the stage of recreational forest degradation, and the floral composition.
According to expert estimates, an average of 30 thousand people visit the Park annually, mainly in the period from June to September. The season of intensive recreational activity is short — 45–50 days. The maximum load is observed from 5 to 25 July.
The Park was created in 2013. The Directorate of the Park «Arey» partially improved the recreational area and restricted vehicle access to the Northern shore of the lake and to the coastal zone. This generally had a positive impact on the landscape and aesthetic condition of the territory, it was noted: 1) reduction of the number of campfires on the entire coast; 2) reduction of the number of felled and damaged trees; 3) overgrowing of clearings with the growth of trees and shrubs, outside the places of concentration of recreants. At the same time, the most vulnerable and affected areas of the coast were identified.
The most noticeable deterioration of ecosystems is in the southern and south-western sections of the recreational zone. The territory is characterized by the V stage of forest digression; the territories of the «Kristall base» are at the IV stage of digression, and the rest of the coast is characterized mainly by the III stage. In General, the recreational use of the southern coast of lake Ares exceeds the potential for restoration of natural complexes, where not only the vegetation cover, but also the soil has undergone significant changes. Here you can expect rapid degradation and death of woody vegetation, which will lead to increased erosion of sandy soils and change the overall appearance of the landscape.
It is necessary to note the problem for the territory of the Park — the state of the territories where recreation centers and campsites are located does not meet sanitary standards
Based on the results obtained, recommendations were developed to reduce the degree of anthropogenic impact on natural complexes. It is necessary to make a number of management and planning decisions: the formation of a road and path network, the concentration of visitors in equipped places, the organization of attendance records, and the updating of sanitary and hygienic infrastructure.
The combined development of recreational and environmental activities is a key element in the organization of the Park. The condition for achieving both goals will be to improve the infrastructure of the recreational area