Aim. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of long‐term changes in the number of sturgeon populations and its relationship with the fishing regime and the current state of the Ural River basin, as well as develop measures for the conservation and restoration of their resources.

Discussion. Six sturgeon species inhabit the waters of the Ural River basin: Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758; Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Brandt & Ratzeburg, 1833; Acipenser persicus Borodin, 1897; Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771; Acipenser nudiventris Lovetsky, 1828 and Acipenser ruthenus, 1758. The degradation of the geosystems of the Ural River basin and the Caspian Sea due to changes in the hydrological regime, increased exploitation of oil and gas fields, as well as poaching has led to a decrease in the number of sturgeons. Moreover, the areas used for the development of petroleum hydrocarbons and the development of related infrastructure coincide with the main areas for feeding and migration of sturgeon and other commercial fish species. The Ural River is the only one in Europe with unregulated lower and middle reaches, thanks to which, until the 90s of the last century, favourable conditions were maintained for the natural reproduction of sturgeon and other fish species. In world practice, the development of commercial sturgeon breeding and reproduction of livestock in regional natural reservoirs provide a promising direction for the preservation of the unique sturgeon gene pool. At the same time, the principal role in the formation of the number and species composition of sturgeons, is given to natural reproduction. In the Ural River Basin, there are opportunities to restore the sturgeon population through a combination of natural reproduction and artificial farming.

Conclusions. Despite a slight increase in the occurrence of sturgeons in recent decades, the state of their populations requires special conservation measures. It is necessary to develop joint measures for the protection and reproduction of fish stocks at the interstate level.

Aim. The work was to compile a list of bird species and their status in the forest-steppe and steppe of the Middle Irtysh region at the present time and to analyse their potential ability in terms of the transmission of influenza viruses that pose a danger to humans and farm animals.

Materials and Methods. The study of avifauna and their status in the forest-steppe and steppe of the Middle Irtysh region has been conducted by us from 1973 to the present. The analysis of literary sources has been carried out since the time of P.S. Pallas's travels in the region in 1871. In addition, information on the wetlands of the Irtysh region which is freely available on the Internet was used.

Results. At the beginning of the 20th century, about 200 species of birds were recorded in the vicinity of Omsk, 125 of them being breeding species. At present about 150 species of birds have been recorded in Omsk and its environs. Of the 290 bird species of the Middle Irtysh region, 48 species (16.6%) belong among the natural hosts of influenza A viruses. Of these, at least 40 species are migratory and 25 species nest there. In addition to the prinicipal influenza virus host species, the list of birds of the Middle Irtysh region includes several species of scavengers and predators, as well as synanthropic bird species. These species may share habitat or food resources with the main host species of influenza viruses. Influenza A viruses can be transmitted between species either by direct or indirect contact through mechanical propagation or contamination of nutritional resources.

Conclusion. As the 3 largest bird migratory flyways run through the Middle Irtysh region where there is a significant number of wetlands, the prerequisites are created for a mass simultaneous accumulation of different populations and species of migratory birds carrying viruses and, accordingly, a high probability of exchanging viral genomes with each other and their further spread to new regions.

Aim. The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the climatic signal contained in the tree-rings of common oak on the southeastern border of its range in Russia (Ural River basin).

Material and Methods. The materials for the study were tree-rings in samples of common oak wood from three sites in the southern part of the Dziau-tyube ridge. Measurements of ring-width were performed on the MBS binocular microscope and on the Lintab measuring complex with the TSAP-WinTM software package. The construction of tree-ring chronologies was carried out in the ARSTAN program. Dendroclimatic analysis was carried out in the R package treeclim.

Results. The limiting climatic factors for the radial growth of the common oak on the southeastern border of its range are precipitation during the winter-spring season and the initial period of vegetation and to the greatest extent with the precipitation in March-May. It was shown that the strength of this climatic signal in oak tree rings was not constant over time. The dynamics of this signal are characterized by the presence of local periods of decline, the beginning of which is timed to the years of mass gypsy moth outbreaks.

Conclusions. Since the beginning of the 1980s, there has been a significant decrease in the relationship of radial growth with the amount of precipitation for March-May. The reason for this change, in our opinion, could be a strong change in the condition of trees and stands caused by the consistent impact of strong oak defoliation caused by Gypsy moths and late spring frosts.

Aim. To carry out floristic zoning of high-mountain landscapes of the Central and North-Eastern Caucasus.

Material and Methods. A list of obligate petrophytes was compiled based on the results of processing the authors' own field collections and taking into account information from floristic reports and determinants. The assessment of the similarity of species composition of the flora of the high-mountain landscapes of the Central and North-Eastern Caucasus was carried out according to the Jaccard and S0rensen-Chekanovskiy coefficients.

Results. Based on the analysis of similarity of floristic lists, the geographical boundaries were corrected and three floristic regions of petrophilic high-mountain flora were identified.

Conclusion. This analysis of the similarity of the petrophilic floras of the high-mountain landscapes of the Central and North-Eastern Caucasus has shown that it is necessary to correct the boundaries of the existing scheme of floristic zoning, since the similarity of coefficients of floristic lists indicates the possibility of combining a number of areas based on a small degree of difference between their floras and the presence of a significant number of species whose ranges are unifying.

Aim. Conduct a botanical and geographical analysis of the species of the fam. Orchidaceae in the upper part of the Ural River basin and provide recommendations on the organization of specially protected natural areas.

Material and Methods. The study of the distribution of orchids was carried out both on the basis of the results of our own field expeditions and on literature and herbarium collections stored in local and central herbaria (UFA, SWER, LE, MW). The coenopopulation studies were carried out in accordance with generally accepted methods.

Results. The species composition of orchids was revealed and their arealogical, ecological-coenotic, coenopopulation analysis was undertaken in the upper part of the Ural River basin. Despite the wide range, most species of the fam. Orchidaceae are characterised by a narrow ecological-coenotic confinement. The low occurrence of orchids in the conditions of the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the territories under consideration is associated with both weather-climatic and anthropogenic impacts. The coenopopulations of most species are small and the ontogenetic spectra are incomplete.

Conclusions. Species of the family Orchidaceae do not grow in economically developed territories. The remaining locations of orchids are mainly associated with landscapes that are difficult to access for anthropogenic impact. In order to preserve the steppe and forest-steppe landscapes of the Urals it is necessary to further develop the system of specially protected natural areas. The most promising for this purpose are the Krykty and Irendyk ranges, which are distinguished by their unique landscape and biological diversity.

Aim. In vitro analysis of the inhibitory activity of extracts, fractions and secondary metabolites of plants of the genus Silene [Caryophylaceae] and Serratula cupuliformis [Asteraceae) on the replication of SARS-CoV-2.

Material and Methods. Silene spp. and Serratula cupuliformis of the Siberian Botanical Garden of National Research Tomsk State University were used. Ethanol extracts and butanol fractions of Silene spp. were prepared. The flavonoid shaftoside and the ecdysteroid 20-hydroxyecdysone from Lychnis chalcedonica were isolated. Analysis of BAS was carried out by the HPLC method. In vitro analysis of the inhibitory activity of extracts on SARS-CoV-2 replication was performed in Vero cell culture by direct inactivation [neutralization) of virions. Comparison samples were dry ethanol extracts of chaga [Inonotus obliquus, Basidiomycota), spices of cloves [Syzygium aromaticum, Myrtaceae) and root of licorice [Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Fabaceae).

Results. The inhibitory activity of ethanol extracts and butanol fractions of Silene spp., as well as individual compounds [shaftozide and 20-E) was revealed in the range of 50% effective concentrations [EC50) when dissolved in water from 339.85±83.92 pg/ml to 1.59±0.39 pg/ml and when dissolved in DMSO from 119.34±26.34 pg/ml to 2.22±0.57 pg/ml, respectively. The butanol fraction of Serratula cupuliformis was active with EC₅₀=21.74±4.80 and 27.42±6.05 pg/mL. These results for some samples of Silene spp. and Serratula cupuliformis are comparable to the EC₅₀ values of the comparators.

Conclusion. The results obtained suggest the presence of biologically active substances in the herbal preparations studied that act destructively on virions of SARS-CoV-2 and affect one of the main stages of its "life" cycle - on the attachment to receptors of sensitive cells.

Aim. Study of the transformation of water consumption and wastewater disposal in the Russian part of the Ural River basin. Ural in 1995-2020 due to changing socio-economic and technological conditions.

Materials and Methods. The data of state statistical reporting (form 2-TP (vodkhoz)) for the period 1995-2020 were used. Materials of the AllRussian Agricultural Census of 2016, collections of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, "Agro-industrial Complex of Russia", on the commissioning of irrigated lands, the regional Department of Land Reclamation and reports on the state and environmental protection for the constituent entities of the Russian Federation were consulted. The study was carried out on the basis of a systematic approach using the following methods: (1) analytical (collection and systematization of primary information); (2) special (tables compiled, charts constructed; (3) statistical data processing and comparative analysis.

Results. It was revealed that from 1995 to 2020 water intake in the Russian part of the Ural River basin to meet the needs of the population and the economy was reduced by 2.4 times. The average daily specific water consumption per 1 inhabitant has decreased in all regions. The water cycle coefficient in the basin increased from 73 to 88%. In recent years, an increase in the area of irrigated land has begun.

Conclusion. There has been a noticeable reduction in water consumption and wastewater disposal in the Russian part of the Ural River basin. This is mainly due to the decline in industrial and agricultural production, as well as the development of circulating water supply in industry and the introduction of water-saving equipment in housing and communal services.

The issues related to transboundary reservoirs in the state border zone of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan are analysed and their typology is articulated. Issues concerning the legal definition of the concept of "transboundary water body" in the legislation of the two countries are outlined. As a result of comparative decoding of differenttime images of remote satellite sensing of the earth, border sections where the course of rivers change were identified.

Aim. To analyse and classify transboundary water bodies on sections of the state border of Russia and the Republic of Kazakhstan and identify problematic situations.

Material and Methods. The study of these transboundary water bodies was carried out on the basis of both the analysis of interstate agreements on the delineation of the border of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, the use of cartographic methods and the analysis of retrospective satellite images.

Results. Inconsistencies in the level of legal definition of the concept of "transboundary water body" in the legislation of the two countries are shown. Transboundary water bodies on the state border of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan have been identified and classified. Based on a retrospective analysis of satellite images, problematic situations arising from changes in the location of water bodies as a result of channel deformations of transboundary rivers and fluctuation of lakes have been identified.

Conclusions. According to the results of this work, all waterbodies located in the state border zone along its entire length have been identified. A typology of these has been carried out and the length of boundary watercourse sections has been established. Using the example of the transborder Ural River, the situation of the section of the river along which the state border lies is shown with an analysis of the changes in the channel and their dynamics.

Aim. Assess the current state of water bodies, compare with retrospective study data, update the bank of hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological information.

Material and Methods. Three groups of indicators were used: hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological. Hydrological measurements were carried out to determine the flow of water in the rivers and their sections not covered by the Roshydromet observation system. Hydrochemical analysis of samples was carried out by ion chromatography and spectrophotometry and included the determination of basic cations and anions, organic substances and biogens. The assessment of water quality by hydrobiological indicators was carried out using the structural characteristics of phyto- and zooplankton.

Results. According to environmental and sanitary indicators, the water quality of only three rivers - Solonovka, Cheremshanka and Burla (downstream) - belongs to class 4 (polluted waters). Most of the rivers have the 2nd class of water quality (clean).

Conclusions. A trend towards an increase in the level of mineralization and metamorphization of the chemical composition of natural waters in the inland region of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve was revealed. The pollution of water bodies with organic substances and biogens was noted.

Aim. The aim of the research was to determine the relationship of winter wheat grain yields with meteorological parameters, the determination of the dynamics and current level and the selection and scientific justification of adaptive agricultural technologies.

Material and Methods. Retrospective analysis was undertaken of meteorological conditions and gross winter wheat harvests by standard methods of correlation and regression analysis. The strength of the connection between the data of individual arrays was determined, as well as the identification of joint variation of productive and factorial features by pairwise comparison of their time series.

Results. Six joint variations of time series of productive (gross grain harvest) and factorial features (hydrothermal conditions of vegetation periods and structural indicators of crops) with medium and high closeness of correlation, expressed in the form of multiple regression equations, were revealed.

Conclusion. The results of the studies indicate a close direct relationship between gross grain harvest and yield from the harvesting area (r = 0.79), which in turn is inversely dependent (to an average degree) on the sum of the active air temperatures of the entire period from sowing to harvesting (r = 0.64). Из осадков различных периодов вегетации преимущественное прямое влияние на урожайность зерна оказывают осадки холодного периода года (r = 0.49) и всего активного периода вегетации от начала парования до уборки (r = 0.39). Of the precipitation of different periods of vegetation, the predominant direct effect on grain yield is exerted by precipitation during the cold period of the year (r = 0.49) and the entire active period of vegetation from the beginning of fallow to harvest (r = 0.39). The effect of amounts of precipitation for certain short periods of vegetation is much lower. Under current conditions, the stability of winter wheat grain production will be determined by the adaptability of agricultural technologies to the increasing aridity of the climate, which significantly worsens the moisture supply of plants.

Aim. To develop a justification of the structure of the institutional model for the formation of environmental culture of young people as a holistic structure that integrates the various actors in this process, as well as the available resources and implemented technologies to achieve the aims of sustainable regional development.

Material and Methods. The empirical justification of the proposed model was based on 14 focus group interviews conducted in the Krasnodar region in 2022 with representatives of young people, expert sessions with representatives of institutional structures involved in the implementation of practices to form the ecological culture of young people (12 expert sessions), online questioning of young people (sample size 1600 respondents). The case-study method was used to analyse eco-oriented practices in the field of youth and educational policy.

Results. The authors identified and characterised the main subjects involved in the formation of the ecological culture of young people, the set of technologies used (information and communication, game and project) and the resources and principles that determine the effectiveness of environmental education and educational practices. The authors propose a structure of the institutional model of the process and the results of formation and development of youth ecological culture, revealing its cognitive, value, emotional and activity components in the context of sustainable regional development.

Conclusion. The universal nature of the structure of the proposed model allows us to extrapolate the main results in the system of pedagogical support of the development of youth ecological culture in the activities of educational providers, as well as creating a basis for their institutionalisation in the activities of the executive authorities and bodies working with young people, not only in the Krasnodar Territory but also in other regions of the Russian Federation.

Aim. The article is to identify effective conditions for the development of ecological culture in Dagestan schools in the interests of sustainable regional development.

Material and Methods. To achieve this goal, adequate methods were used, taking into account the specifics of each stage of the work: analysis of scientific literature (psychological-pedagogical, methodological and environmental), regulatory and programme-methodical documents about the problem; observation, pedagogical experiment, testing, study of pedagogical experience and methods of mathematical processing of experimental results (%2-criterion).

Results. The development of the global environmental crisis has set before society the task of survival and ensuring the existence of mankind, in the context of the concept of "sustainable development of mankind", considered as development that meets the needs of the present and does not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This allows us to state the relevance of introducing effective models of environmental education for sustainable development (one-subject, multisubject and mixed) into school curricula. The results of the study show the effectiveness of various types of ecologisation (subject, inter-subject and meta-subject) and the "mixed model". A textbook on regional ecology (Ecology of Dagestan) was developed, taking into account the specifics of the laws of functioning of the ecosystems of the planet and the region. With the inclusion of regional ecology in the "mixed model", school environmental education for sustainable development has been completed.

Conclusions. Environmental education in the interests of sustainable development and preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the region is effective in the greening of school disciplines and the use of a "mixed model", and the inclusion of a national and regional component in their content.

Attention to the tourism potential of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is increasing with the attendant need to monitor and control atmospheric air pollution.

Aim. The assessment of the possibility of using mosses as biomonitors for determining the content of heavy metals and other trace elements in the atmosphere of the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania.

Material and Methods. The green mosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurosium schreberi were used as bioindicators. Multi-element chemical analysis of mosses was carried out using X-ray fluorescence and the morphology and composition of dust fallouts on the moss surfaces was studied using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer.

Results. The maximum concentration of Pb, Zn, Cr, As, Sn, Sb, Ba, Cd, Cu, Ti, Ce, As, Fe, Sr is observed in mosses in areas of the territory with a high aerotechnogenic load. The analysis of biomonitor moss in the area of the Fiagdonna tailing dump indicates that recultivation measures had been effective. Toxic elements fall on moss surface in form of fine particles as large as 1 micron and pose a danger to human health.

Conclusions. The abnormally high content of Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ce, As, Fe, Sr, Ti, Ba in the composition of biomonitor mosses was registered in the zone of influence of mining and processing enterprises (in the area of the Unal tailings dump) and metallurgical industries in Vladikavkaz (JSC Electrozinc and JSC Pobedit. The base source of toxic elements was determined to be fine aerotechnogenic particles that accumulate on the surface of mosses, thus confirming the high efficiency of their use for monitoring. The territory near the village of Dur Dur can be recommended as a background for ecological and geochemical research.

Aim. To analyse the state of environmental offenses and crimes (using the example of the Ryazan region) and to identify the principal directions for improving the effectiveness of detecting and exposing these categories of crimes.

Material and Methods The study was conducted using theoretical system analysis, economic and statistical method, comparative descriptive analysis and general scientific methods of empirical research.

Results. The authors conducted a forensic analysis of the main components of environmental crimes, assessed the damage caused and proposed ways to improve the effectiveness of identifying and exposing these categories of crimes.

Conclusion. Environmental offenses and crimes should be considered as threats to environmental and even national security and a factor constraining the formation of an environmentally friendly "green" economy, the negative consequence of which may be a decrease in the quality of life of contemporary and future generations.