Cartographic Materials in the Works on the Geoecological Assessment of the Territory

Abstract

Today, when the impact of the anthropogenic factor on natural landscapes is steadily increasing, there is a growing need for comprehensive assessment of the state of such landscapes, evaluation of their potential, and elaboration of plans for optimal development of the territory. Geo-ecological assessment is relevant both for studying small territories of a single city and for analyzing the state and prospects of the country or continent as a whole. It allows not only to inventory and monitor the available natural resources, but also to plan their further development. The key feature of such assessment is its multicomponent and interdisciplinary nature, and the integration of statistical and other data, sometimes from unrelated areas, into the research complex. In order to carry out such assessment, researchers are developing many methods, all of which are united by the same idea, but differ in the ways to achieve it. However, regardless of the specific geo-environmental assessment methodology, it is impossible to imagine such study without the use and creation of cartographic material illustrating various quantitative and qualitative indicators, and, most importantly, their distribution in the territory and their spatial relationship to each other. Mapping not only allows to assess the current state of ecosystems, but also simplifies the identification of ecological risks, and facilitates the development of strategies for adaptation of a particular territory under anthropogenic pressure. A review of the authors' research allows us to see the key cartographic materials necessary for geo-ecological assessment of territories. The paper briefly analyzes the methods of geo-ecological assessment of the territory by various researchers, focusing on the intermediate and final cartographic materials of the works, as well as their information basis. Conclusions are made about the general principles of constructing such materials for geo-ecological assessment of the studied territory.

Acknowledgements: The research was supported by the state assignment of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation to organize a new young researcher Laboratory in Yugra State University (Research number 1022031100003-5-1.5.1) as a part of the implementation of the National Project “Science and Universities”.