ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND MAPPING FOR BALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

A Russian geographer summarizes the results of a comprehensive study of modern landscapes and the mapping of diverse ecological situations. The procedure involves the development of a system of criteria and indices for the assessment of the properties of the environment, which provide a sound basis for comprehensive ecological mapping. The importance of an ecological assessment in the mapping of environmental problems and situations in support of the stable and balanced development of regions is demonstrated. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA from: Izvestiya Akademiya Nauk, seriya geograficheskaya, 1999, No. 1, pp. 81-87.