Environmental problems of Crimea. Main environmental problems of Crimea

Prohibitive measures in security matters environment, ecology and saving the nature of Crimea as “quick response” measures are absolutely necessary. But these are temporary measures. People get used to the prohibitions, there are loopholes in the laws, and ways to circumvent these laws are found. Someone said that only those laws are effective and lasting which people agree to follow. This means that the whole point is to convince people, to create conditions for them to follow the only reasonable path in the current situation.
The organization of nature reserves on former pastures is met with hostility by the population. Educational work is needed here. But she's not the only one. The population needs to be helped to find an equivalent replacement for the lands that have become forbidden in Crimea for their goats and sheep.
We need to help people working at liquidated environmentally harmful enterprises in Crimea to change their professions (and maybe even their place of residence).
It is necessary to legislatively secure the status of a Russian health resort for Crimea. And the resort “industry” will be in the foreground. And since proper rest and recovery is conceivable only if the environment is absolutely healthy, the issues of restoring and protecting the nature of Crimea will be placed at the forefront of human activity.
The problem of landscape protection goes far beyond the borders of Crimea. Of course, a law is needed on the protection of historically formed landscapes and on responsibility for their destruction.
New and stricter standards are needed. There are, for example, hunting regulations, for violation of which the perpetrators are held criminally liable. It would be necessary to introduce standards for pickers of berries, nuts and mushrooms in Crimea...
The general public should be involved in the protection and conservation of mountain and forest recreation areas in Crimea. Over the most visited tracts, it is possible to organize the patronage of industrial, construction and agricultural enterprises, military units, universities, technical schools, vocational schools, schools - all organizations where there are many young people. The chiefs would not only organize voluntary teams to protect the forest, cultivate springs, clean up tracts - they could act as disseminators of environmental knowledge.
There are already working teams of tourists in Crimea, cleaning up springs and mountain and forest trails. It is interesting that it is not only Crimean tourists who work in these brigades.
Of course, in order to organize forest chiefs and forest squads in Crimea, you need to take the initiative. “Informal” organizations could also do this. Most likely, they should act in a union, because official organizations have the means, and informal organizations have the desire.
There is a lot that needs to be done. One way or another a radical solution environmental problems rests on improving the culture of people, on painstaking, long-term educational and educational work.

IT SEEMS to be a new discipline, mandatory for everyone, - aesthetic landscape science. I see an ecology course in Crimea or just weekly classes on ecology at construction sites, farms, factories, and administrative bodies. Lectures, conversations at environmental themes mandatory in sanatoriums and holiday homes. And they must be carried out on the very first days of arrival of each new shift. Need a smart one Full time job in schools, kindergartens. And then there will be no need for environmental police, environmental inspection and public patrols in Crimea. Our culture will play the role of regulator in our treatment of nature.
It would not occur to a cultured and literate person to light a fire on the roots of a two-hundred-year-old beech tree; out of mischief, chop the trunk of a living tree into chips; destroy, fill up springs, rivers, picturesque lawns with garbage; It makes no sense to bulldoze a green slope for the sake of a salary; currying favor with the department, launching an all-destroying construction project; saving a chemical plant from stopping for repairs, in the middle of the night, when the control is asleep, to arrange an emergency release of hydrogen chloride; turn a blind eye to violations of environmental standards; carry out the plan at any cost; achieve bonuses at the cost of losing conscience.
Culture, citizenship, publicity are the only things that will help us achieve success.

Crimea is characterized by great diversity natural conditions and landscapes that are associated with it geographical location and complex geological and geomorphological structure. The diversity of landscapes has been facilitated by long-term anthropogenic impact, which has led to both the degradation of many natural ones and the formation of completely new anthropogenic landscapes. Currently, natural, slightly transformed landscapes occupy only 2.5% of the territory of Crimea. These are mountain broad-leaved forests, mountain forest-steppe on yailas, salt marshes and halophytic meadows of the Sivash region and the Kerch Peninsula. Most of the peninsula’s territory (62%) has been developed into constructive landscapes: arable lands, gardens,

cities, roads, etc. The rest of the territory (35.5%) is represented by derivative landscapes.

The main features of the modern flora and fauna in Crimea

formed approximately 5 thousand years ago. At this time, people moved from gathering and hunting to farming and animal husbandry. For many centuries, economic pressures did not lead to significant changes in landscapes. Until the 19th century, in the Plain Crimea, residents were engaged in cattle breeding, and in the mountainous part and on the southern coast they grew grapes, wheat, apples, and pears. But in the XIV - XVII centuries. and here cattle breeding developed greatly, which led to the deforestation of large areas and the expansion of pastures due to them. At the beginning of the 19th century. the forest area in Crimea was 361 thousand hectares, and in

In 1913 there were already 318 thousand hectares, in 1929 only 274 thousand hectares. Crimean forests suffered greatly during the Great Patriotic War - by 1946 their area was reduced to 210 thousand hectares. In recent decades, thanks to reforestation work, the area of forested areas has increased and currently the total forest area of Crimea is 338 thousand hectares.

Not only the Crimean forests were severely damaged, but also the yayls, which at the beginning of the century were a place for grazing both the livestock of the local population and livestock imported from the southern regions of Russia and even from Romania and Bulgaria.

In the Foothill and Plain Crimea, extensive cattle breeding gradually gave way to agriculture. Particularly great changes occurred after the abolition of serfdom. From 1865 to 1890 the population of Crimea doubled, and the cultivated area increased from 222 thousand hectares to 925 thousand hectares. During Soviet times, the expansion of arable land area continued and in 1995 it amounted to 1154 thousand hectares. Foothill steppe communities with a predominance of feather grass vegetation were destroyed on 50% of their area, and the degradation of steppe

communities in Plain Crimea became close to 100%.

A significant impact on the natural environment occurred with the commissioning of the North Crimean Canal. The area of irrigated land in Crimea has reached approximately 20% of all cultivated land. However, due to the poor technical condition of the canal, about half of the water is lost, and this has caused an increase in groundwater levels, flooding of land, and salinization of the soil. Irrigation led to a qualitative change in landscapes: rice fields appeared, and the area of gardens, vegetable and row crops increased. New settlements emerged and the population of agricultural areas grew.

Recreational loads on landscapes have increased, especially on the southern coast of Crimea. The number of vacationers increased exponentially: in 1928, 110 thousand vacationed in Crimea, in 1958, 270 thousand, in 1988 - 700 thousand, in 2000 - 6.5 million, in 2007 - up to 10 million. people annually. In addition to the direct impact on nature (trampling of vegetation, soil compaction, cutting down forests for fires, forest fires, littering and

etc.) the influx of vacationers required the construction of new sanatoriums and rest houses, roads, reservoirs, and aggravated the problem of water supply. All this has led to an increase in the volume of polluted wastewater and the degradation of some coastal marine and forest ecosystems.

Industry and transport developed intensively. The construction of major chemical production facilities in Crimea dates back to the 90-2000s, some of which operate on imported raw materials. By the beginning of the 90s, industrial production reached its greatest volume, and emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere reached a maximum value of 565 thousand tons. IN last years Due to the fall in production volumes, the amount of emissions into the atmosphere decreased: in 1992. - 430 thousand tons, in 1998 - 295 thousand tons, in 2004 - 190

thousand tons, in 2005 - 150 thousand tons, in 2006 - 122.5 thousand tons.

Rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters of the Black and Azov Seas are polluted by industrial and domestic wastewater. Sewage treatment facilities have insufficient capacity; as a result, in 2001, 230 million cubic meters of wastewater were discharged into open water bodies, of which 106 were polluted, 124 million cubic meters were purified according to standards. More than 42 million cubic meters of solid household waste have accumulated in Crimea.

In general, the pollution of the peninsula and adjacent waters is very high.

The flat part of Crimea in terms of pollution levels (especially soils) is second only to the Krivoy Rog-Dnieper region, the southern parts of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and is approximately on the same level as the Donbass. Such significant pollution is associated with the use of large quantities of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. Average air and soil pollution, as well as land disturbance in Crimea are lower than the average for Ukraine. Water pollution is approximately two times lower, but pesticide-free

pollution is more than twice as high as in Ukraine. The overall anthropogenic transformation in Crimea is inferior to the industrial Dnieper region and Donbass, but superior to other areas.

In the Mountainous Crimea, despite the bans, livestock grazing continues. Of great concern is grazing on the yailas, where a significant part of the peninsula’s river flow is formed. The karst formation and fracturing of the limestones that make up the Yaila plateaus contribute to the rapid infiltration of polluted surface waters and their entry into rivers and reservoirs.

Crimea is washed by the waters of two internal seas. Their uniqueness lies in their limited connection with the World Ocean, which means that their hydrological regime significantly depends on river flow and water exchange through the Bosphorus Strait. And although hydrogen sulfide contamination of the deep layers of the Black Sea determines the absence of organic life below 150 m, the coastal surface waters of the sea are characterized by high biological productivity. Until recently, the Sea of Azov was one of the most productive seas of the World Ocean.

Modern natural conditions in the Azov-Black Sea basin developed approximately 4-6 thousand years ago. However, the presence of relict organisms and specific conditions of speciation determined a rather high - more than 10% - endemism of the fauna of the basin. It is home to more than 1,200 species of algae and higher plants, 2,100 invertebrate animals, 192 species of fish and 4 species of mammals.

Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the influence of anthropogenic loads on the coastal ecosystems of Crimea was noted, mainly due to the intensive fishing of valuable fish species. Regulation of river flow in the 90s of our century had a very detrimental effect on the hydrological regime and the structure of biological communities Sea of Azov. The increase in the salinity of sea waters has led to the suppression of many species of bottom fauna - the main food of nutritionally valuable fish. Pollution of the river waters of the Danube and Dnieper determined, in turn, the eutrophication of the shallow northwestern part of the Black Sea and regular death in the summer. Anthropogenic pollution of the waters washing the Crimean peninsula has caused the suppression of brown algae and the increased development of green algae, the mass proliferation of ctenophores - a new “tenant” of the sea, the gluttony of which has led to a noticeable decrease in zooplankton, and finally, water blooms. In recent decades, off the southern coast of Crimea, the area of the most abundant representative of brown algae, Cystoseira, has decreased by 40%.

However, against the background of significant general pollution of the Azov-Black Sea basin, the southern and western coasts of Crimea found themselves in a relatively favorable situation due to the peculiarities of water circulation. The greatest damage to the Crimean coastal waters is caused by local local sources of pollution, and the water areas of bays and bays with poor water exchange are the most affected. Less damage was caused to aquatic ecosystems near open shores.

In general, the environmental problems of Crimea are associated with a complex of reasons of a socio-economic and natural resource nature, which are reflected in the nature of environmental management.

1. Environmental situation in Crimea

Crimea is characterized by a wide variety of natural conditions and landscapes, which are associated with its geographical location and complex geological and geomorphological structure. The diversity of landscapes has been facilitated by long-term anthropogenic impact, which has led to both the degradation of many natural ones and the formation of completely new anthropogenic landscapes. Currently, natural, slightly transformed landscapes occupy only 2.5% of the territory of Crimea. These are mountain broad-leaved forests, mountain forest-steppe on yailas, salt marshes and halophytic meadows of the Sivash region and the Kerch Peninsula. Most of the territory of the peninsula (62%) is developed for constructive landscapes: arable lands, gardens, cities, roads, etc. The remaining territory (35.5%) is represented by derivative landscapes.

The main features of the modern flora and fauna in Crimea were formed approximately 5 thousand years ago. At this time, people moved from gathering and hunting to farming and animal husbandry. For many centuries, economic pressures did not lead to significant changes in landscapes. Until the 19th century, in the Plain Crimea, residents were engaged in cattle breeding, and in the mountainous part and on the southern coast they grew grapes, wheat, apples, and pears. But in the XIV - XVII centuries. and here cattle breeding gained great development, which led to deforestation in large areas and expansion of pastures due to them. At the beginning of the 19th century. The forest area in Crimea was 361 thousand hectares, and in 1913 it was already 318 thousand hectares, in 1929 only 274 thousand hectares. Crimean forests suffered greatly during the Great Patriotic War - by 1946 their area was reduced to 210 thousand hectares. In recent decades, thanks to reforestation work, the area of forested areas has increased and currently the total forest area of Crimea is 338 thousand hectares.

Recreational loads on landscapes have increased, especially on the southern coast of Crimea. The number of vacationers increased like an avalanche: in 1928, 110 thousand vacationed in Crimea, in 1938, 270 thousand, in 1958 - 700 thousand, in 1970 - 6.5 million, in the 80s - up to 10 million people annually. In addition to the direct impact on nature (trampling of vegetation, soil compaction, cutting down forests for fires, forest fires, littering, etc.), the influx of vacationers required the construction of new sanatoriums and rest houses, roads, reservoirs, and aggravated the problem of water supply. All this has led to an increase in the volume of polluted wastewater and the degradation of some coastal marine and forest ecosystems.

Industry and transport developed intensively. The construction of major chemical production facilities in Crimea dates back to the 60-80s, some of which operate on imported raw materials. By the beginning of the 90s, industrial production reached its greatest volume, and emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere reached a maximum value of 565 thousand tons. In recent years, due to a fall in production volumes, the amount of emissions into the atmosphere has decreased: in 1992. - 430 thousand tons, in 1993 - 295 thousand tons, in 1994 - 190 thousand tons, in 1995 - 150 thousand tons, in 1996 - 122.5 thousand tons.

Rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters of the Black and Azov Seas are polluted by industrial and domestic wastewater. Sewage treatment facilities have insufficient capacity; as a result, in 1996, 230 million cubic meters of wastewater were discharged into open water bodies, of which 106 were polluted, 124 million cubic meters were treated according to standard requirements. More than 42 million cubic meters of solid household waste have accumulated in Crimea.

In general, the pollution of the peninsula and adjacent waters is very high. The flat part of Crimea in terms of pollution levels (especially soils) is second only to the Krivoy Rog-Dnieper region, the southern parts of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and is approximately on the same level as the Donbass. This significant contamination is associated with the use of large quantity fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. Average air and soil pollution, as well as land disturbance in Crimea are lower than the average for Ukraine. Water pollution is approximately two times lower, but pesticide pollution is more than twice as high compared to Ukraine. The overall anthropogenic transformation in Crimea is inferior to the industrial Dnieper region and Donbass, but superior to other areas.

Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the influence of anthropogenic loads on the coastal ecosystems of Crimea was noted, mainly due to the intensive fishing of valuable fish species. The regulation of river flow in the 50s of our century had a very detrimental effect on the hydrological regime and structure of biological communities of the Azov Sea. The increase in the salinity of sea waters has led to the suppression of many species of bottom fauna - the main food of nutritionally valuable fish. Pollution of the river waters of the Danube and Dnieper, in turn, determined the eutrophication of the shallow northwestern part of the Black Sea and regular death in the summer. Anthropogenic pollution of the waters washing the Crimean peninsula has caused the suppression of brown algae and the increased development of green algae, the mass proliferation of ctenophores - a new “tenant” of the sea, the gluttony of which has led to a noticeable decrease in zooplankton, and finally, water blooms. In recent decades, off the southern coast of Crimea, the area of the most abundant representative of brown algae, Cystoseira, has decreased by 40%.

However, against the backdrop of significant overall pollution of the Azov-Black Sea basin, the southern and western coasts of Crimea found themselves in a relatively favorable situation due to the peculiarities of water circulation. The greatest damage to the Crimean coastal waters is caused by local local sources of pollution, and the water areas of bays and bays with poor water exchange are the most affected. Less damage was caused to aquatic ecosystems near open shores.
In general, the environmental problems of Crimea are associated with a complex of socio-economic and natural resource factors, which are reflected in the nature of environmental management.

2. Natural and socio-economic factors in the formation of the environmental situation

The formation of the environmental situation in Crimea is associated with the nature of environmental management, which is the result of the interaction of natural conditions, historical and geopolitical factors, and the transport and geographical location of the region. In recent decades, the management of natural resources has been greatly influenced by the voluntaristic decisions of the authorities, which were based on an orientation towards the immediate economic needs of the peninsula. They were implemented in the construction of large chemical plants, the North Crimean Canal and other facilities, which led to a significant deterioration in the environmental condition of the region.

The origins of the modern environmental crisis are rooted in the nature of the relationship between environmental and economic problems - environmental activities give a tangible effect only after many years. This raises the problem of the relationship between short-term and long-term strategic benefits. The authorities, naturally, focus on achieving immediate, easily visible goals. Developing strategic goals is an unattainable task for her. The inability and unwillingness to predict complex environmental phenomena and choose the appropriate course of action - all this has led to a defensive strategy for nature conservation. We begin to protect nature after it has already been destroyed.

The current environmental situation in Crimea also reflects the currently dominant ideology, which defines man as the crown of nature, contrasting man and nature. This opposition was the basis for the formation of a consumer lifestyle with all the ensuing consequences, and, therefore, a largely barbaric attitude towards nature, since many people are still dominated by the idea of a free nature natural resources.

3. Modern prerequisites for the formation of environmental policy in Crimea

Currently, in Crimea there are a number of circumstances that impede or complicate the solution of environmental problems.

1. There is a period of initial accumulation of capital. Laws regulating environmental management practically do not interfere with people who make their capital from natural resources.

2. There are people in power who have to quickly solve immediate problems. Under these conditions, environmental problems inevitably take a back seat.

3. The old environmental control system is not suitable in the new conditions.

4. Social strata and forces interested in radically improving the environmental situation and environmental management system have not been formed. The population of Crimea is not yet ready to actively support environmental policies, firstly, due to their poverty-stricken situation (they have no time for environmental problems), and secondly, due to a lack of environmental information. Today's awareness of people about the ecological state is still of a general nature, as a result of which each individual person weakly perceives the threat associated with the poor quality of the environment.

5. The focus on market relations, which in themselves will ensure the development of Crimea based on compliance with environmental measures, is illusory. The market, even in its normal version, and especially the one we have, is not an effective regulator of the ecological state of the environment. In general, all environmental problems can be combined into several groups:

ü atmospheric, associated with air pollution;

ü water - with depletion and pollution of water;

ü land - with violation and alienation of land, depletion of subsoil;

ü soil-geomorphological - with erosion, deflation, waterlogging, salinization;

ü landscape - with deterioration and loss of natural recreational qualities and attractiveness;

ü biological - with the degradation of flora and fauna.

The natural prerequisites for the formation of the ecological state of Crimea are both positive and negative in their effect.

The position of Crimea on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones, in conditions of active interaction of land and sea, mountains and plains, is determined by high level solar and wind energy potential of the atmosphere. Active atmospheric processes contribute to the removal of local pollutants. At the same time, with the proximity of industrial centers in the south of Ukraine, they also lead to the introduction of pollution.

A small amount of precipitation in the plain part of Crimea at high summer temperatures determines low moisture, weak biomass growth, and relative soil poverty in nutrients. The main wealth of Crimea is recreational resources, the reproduction of which is possible only with gentle loads.

The confinement of the Black and Azov Seas, their weak water exchange with the World Ocean, and insignificant vertical mixing of waters contribute to the accumulation of pollutants in the surface layer.

In the past, these shortcomings of natural resource potential were overcome by reasonable environmental management, based on the sparing use of pasture lands (plain Crimea), the preservation of virgin lands (Prisivashye), and the use of crop varieties adapted to local conditions.

The construction of the North Crimean Canal produced a shift in the structure of agricultural and industrial production, led to an increase in energy intensity, caused land flooding, secondary salinization of soils, alkalinization of soils, desalinization and pollution of Sivash.

The total area of land in Crimea is 2608 thousand hectares (100%) or 4.3% of the entire territory of Ukraine. Agricultural lands occupy 1861 thousand hectares (71.4% of the total area), of which 1228 thousand hectares (47%) are under arable land. The area of irrigated land is 396.8 thousand hectares (21.3% of the area of agricultural land). The area occupied by forest in Crimea is only 338 thousand hectares (13%). The area of the natural reserve fund is very small - 114.3 thousand hectares (4.4%). The situation is especially unfavorable in the Crimean plains, where there are practically no forests or protected areas. Arable lands in Crimea are subject to many negative processes. Thus, erosion processes are most active on the farmlands of the Southern Coast, foothill areas and the Tarkhankut Peninsula. Deflation covers almost half of the arable lands of Crimea, and there is a tendency to increase the area of eroded and deflated lands. An increase in the degree of washout of soils used for orchards and vineyards on slopes is facilitated by keeping the surface fallow and mechanized cultivation of the arable layer along the slope.

The soil cover of mountain areas in places of excessive recreational load is also subject to degradation processes associated with an increase in the area of pedestrian trails, suppression of vegetation, and disruption of established connections in landscapes. At the same time, the thickness of the forest litter and turf, the humus horizon and its biochemical activity decreases, and soil fertility decreases.

One of the most powerful types anthropogenic impact irrigation influences landscape geochemical and geophysical processes. The irrigated lands of Crimea occupy almost 400 thousand hectares, of which 350.6 thousand hectares are arable land and about 45 thousand hectares are perennial plantings. During irrigation, along with the formation of an optimal soil-ecological regime, degradation phenomena also develop. The irrigation-leaching regime promotes the removal of not only easily soluble salts, but also calcium, which leads to a decrease in the soda resistance of these soils. During irrigation fresh waters Soils that do not contain gypsum and other neutral salts become alkalized, which leads to the formation of a crust on the soil surface. The entire share of saline soils from the total area of irrigated lands in Crimea is about 9.5%, including moderately and highly saline soils - 1.7%.

In general, the high degree of development of Crimean land resources and the widespread use of reclamation measures contribute to the anthropogenic evolution of the soil cover. Over the past decades, the humus content in the soil has decreased on average in Crimea from 2.9 to 2.5%. The average annual removal of fertile soil layer is 8.9 t/ha, humus - 0.33 t/ha. Organic fertilizers, an effective and environmentally friendly means of increasing soil fertility, are not used widely and competently. Crimean farms are only 39% provided with typical storage facilities for organic fertilizers, which leads to losses of nutrients and pollution of reservoirs and groundwater. Every year 18 thousand tons of pesticides are used in the republic, i.e. 5.8 kg of pesticides are applied per 1 hectare of cultivated area, which indicates a low technical level of their use and low level of agricultural technology for cultivating plants. By comparison, in England an average of 47kg of pesticides are applied, with significantly higher volumes harvested. Now in Crimea the soils are deformed over an area of more than 600 thousand hectares.

Currently, the most pressing issues of soil protection and reproduction of their fertility are: prevention of erosion, deflation, dehumification, regulation of water and salt regimes by irrigation using drainage, reclamation of saline soils, improvement of the farming system.

Significant damage to the nature of Crimea has been caused by the extraction of building materials, which is carried out without taking into account environmental standards. Currently, there are about 200 quarries on the peninsula with a total area of about 13 thousand hectares. many of them occurred without permission from environmental authorities.

Large areas are occupied by urbanized areas. Their area continues to grow due to the construction of new settlements associated with the return of deported peoples. This construction is often carried out without appropriate land allocation procedures and in water protection zones.

In Crimea, there are approximately 800 areas with landslide processes. A third of the sea coasts are subject to abrasion.

Imperfect territorial use, as well as mismanagement, high energy and water consumption of the economy, widespread use of pesticides in agriculture, and outdated industrial technologies have led to a significant deterioration in the ecological condition of the peninsula. This determines a decrease in the attractiveness of the region for tourists, a deterioration in the quality of agricultural products, an increase in the incidence of disease in the population, and an excess of mortality over the birth rate. In general, the correct idea about the limited use of Dnieper waters for irrigation in Crimea was implemented in an environmentally unacceptable form. Firstly, the increase in the volume of supplied water was not accompanied by adequate efforts to technically equip the canal and purify the water; secondly, water-saving irrigation technology was not introduced - water losses are approximately 50%. As a result, significant areas of land are flooded, secondary soil salinization and desalination of Sivash - a most valuable object for the chemical industry and medicine - are taking place. In addition, the water of the North Crimean Canal is geochemically alien to the Crimean landscapes. It dramatically changed the existing natural hydrological balance and caused intensification of the processes of flooding and karst. The canal water quality itself is low, which also determines the poor environmental quality of agricultural products.

One of the problems of Crimea is the rapid loss of regional identity and territorial diversity. The great landscape diversity of Crimea is determined by its geographical location at the junction of land and sea, mountains and plains. Therefore, Crimea is rightly called a “natural museum”. Rocks of various ages and origins are represented here; more than 210 minerals are known, some of which are rare and semi-precious. This is an area of classic karst with 8,500 karst sinkholes and beautiful karst caves, and the nature is rich in rare, endemic and relict species. There are few such attractive regions on Earth, and in terms of landscape diversity, Crimea has no equal within the former USSR. The cultural and ethnic diversity of Crimea is no less great. It is located at the contact between Christian and Muslim civilizations, many peoples and cultures.

Unfortunately, in recent years all this has fallen into disrepair, been lost, and stolen.

4. Environmental aspects of the socio-economic development of Crimea

The main trends in the socio-economic development of Crimea have not changed in recent years and are determined by the persistence of negative trends in the financial and socio-economic spheres. This is especially evident in the sharp decrease in the allocation of centralized funds for the capital construction of environmental facilities, including sewage treatment plants, bank protection and landslide protection structures, and the financing of environmental protection measures. The continuing aggravation of the socio-ecological situation causes, in turn, a sharp increase in violations of environmental legislation by citizens, an increase in poaching, violation of hunting and fishing rules, cutting down forest belts, destruction of primroses and other wild plants for profit, and much more.

The decline in production, combined with a change of ownership and the instability of the political situation, led to a decrease in the executive discipline of enterprises, failure to comply with the instructions of environmental authorities, a decrease in financing of environmental protection measures from the enterprises’ own funds, an increase in unfinished construction projects, including environmental protection ones, and a decrease in the flow of funds to local extra-budgetary funds for environmental protection.

The continuing decline in production volumes has led to a decrease in man-made pressure on the natural environment - the volume of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere has decreased, the pesticide load on soils has decreased, etc. However, the decrease in production volumes in 1993-1996. did not contribute to the suspension of negative trends associated with the long-term consequences of the previous technogenic load on the natural environment (background pollution of soils and groundwater).

The current situation is aggravated by the low environmental efficiency of production. Energy and resource consumption per unit of production in Ukraine is much higher (about 2-4 times) than in economically developed countries. Taking into account the high degree of depreciation of fixed assets of enterprises (in some industries up to 80%), the possibility of emergency environmental situations is obvious.

On the other hand, positive trends emerged in the field of environmental policy this year:

ü at the state level, much attention was paid to the formation and implementation of economic mechanisms for environmental management;

ü systems for primary accounting of natural resource consumption by both organizations and individual citizens were improved and more widely used;

ü the interaction of various public institutions of state bodies on environmental issues has increased.

In general, the environmental component is an integral part social development Crimea, representing a system of regulators and restrictions on regional environmental management.

The region's environmental problems can be radically solved only if there are positive changes in the socio-economic state of society.

5. Environmental problems of Crimea

Environmental problems of Crimea in connection with the peculiarities of its organization as a natural-economic object must be considered at three levels:

1. regional (Crimea as a whole);

3. local (elementary natural and anthropogenic objects, small settlements).

From a methodological point of view, it is unacceptable to use the problems (even the most acute ones) of individual regions of Crimea for an integral characterization of the environmental situation in Crimea as a whole. It is also incorrect to generalize environmental problems associated with individual natural resources with the problems of the region as a whole.

For Crimea, the main environmental problem is a further decrease in the efficiency of environmental management and increased anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment, occurring against the background of a discrepancy between the natural resource potential available in the region and the type of its functional use.

A decrease in the efficiency of environmental management is expressed in the following:

ü preservation and further intensification of long-term trends in environmental pollution and deterioration of public health;

ü further reduction of controllability of the regional environmental management system.

Taking into account the above, the environmental situation in Crimea can be assessed as tense, characterized by a deterioration in the condition of individual components of the environment compared to standards, but which has not yet become irreversible.

Against the background of the environmental situation in the region as a whole, there are a number of problems within the Crimea related to the peculiarities of man-made impacts on the natural environment within administrative districts and large cities.

Therefore, the main regional problems of Crimea this year include:

ü pollution of surface water bodies on land (Salgir, Churuk-Su rivers);

ü pollution of the coastal zone of the sea (Kerch and Kamysh-Burun bays, Kerch Strait, resort water use zone of Yalta, Karkinitsky Bay);

ü land disturbance during open-pit mining of mineral deposits (Saki, Leninsky, Bakhchisarai, Simferopol, Krasnogvardeisky districts);

ü the increasing impact of motor transport on the atmosphere of Crimean cities;

ü deterioration in the quality of farmland associated with an increase in the proportion of saline (Leninsky district), waterlogged (Krasnoperekopsky, Dzhankoysky, Nizhnegorsky districts) and eroded lands (Saki, Pervomaisky districts).

Conclusion

As you can see, the mismanagement of Crimea continued throughout almost its entire history, which led to serious environmental problems. Crimea today is a specific region where a huge number of rare species of animals and plants, unique climatic zones and ecological reserves are concentrated. If sharp and radical measures are not taken to stabilize the environmental situation, then we will simply lose this unique region. The government of both Ukraine and Crimea should pay more attention to this issue, tightening environmental policies and applying more severe sanctions to violators of environmental legislation.

LITERATURE

1. Crimea: present and future: collection. articles / Ed. G.M. Fomina.-Simferoppol: Tavria.

1.1) Environmental problems of Crimea. B.I. Sergeev, deputy chairman KO NAN, acad. KAN p.64

1.2.) Problems of Ecology and human health A.D. Saraev member cor. KAN, head department KAPKS, prof. S.A. Saraeva, E.A. Shembeleva p.74

2. Podgorodetsky P.D. Crimea: Nature: Reference. publishing house - Simferopol: publishing house "Tavria" 1988.

3. Gubanov I.G., Podgorodetsky P.D. The wealth of subsoil // Nature of Crimea.‑ Simferopol: Crimea 1996.

4. Nature of Crimea and its protection / Ed. P.V. Sakanevich. - Simferopol: Tavriya Publishing House, 1997.

1. Ecological situation in Crimea Crimea is characterized by a wide variety of natural conditions and landscapes, which are associated with its geographical location and complex geological and geomorphological structure. The diversity of landscapes contributed to

Crimea has a very unique and rare nature. Steppes, mountains, lakes and two seas (Black and Azov), healing mud and mud volcanoes, beautiful caves and waterfalls - the best for a view lover or a tourist.

In Crimea, as a peninsula with a very rich fauna and flora, there are 6 nature reserves:
Yalta Mountain Reserve, which contains about 70% of the flora of Crimea (Yalta);
Cape Martyan, which includes a huge number of marine inhabitants (Yalta);
Crimean Nature Reserve with the famous Swan Islands (Alupka);
the Karadag Nature Reserve located in Feodosia, which I have visited more than once, is famous for its inhabitants and unique topography;
Kazantipsky reserve is the goal of any photographer (Leninsky district);
and, probably, the most famous reserve, which is famous for its rare birds, Opuksky (Kerch Peninsula).

But we can lose all this due to negative human activities, chemical industry, agricultural activities.

Now let's talk about the environmental problems of this region of Russia. In my opinion, they are very dangerous, and we urgently need to fight them. I would like to highlight the main environmental problems of Crimea.

First of all, this is industrial pollution.

Chemical enterprises in Crimea are active, and not all of them want to rush to comply with environmental rules and regulations. As a result, tourism suffers and the state of the ocean deteriorates.

The military is a separate problem; they do not have their own environmental services, nor do they have money for the normal disposal of ammunition and equipment. The military also occupy areas for training grounds where they conduct exercises, thereby contaminating the soil with unexploded ordnance. Therefore, it turns out that the entire ecology of Crimea suffers from this.

The most important problem in Western Crimea is industrial sand mining, which leads to beach erosion. The intensive development of beach and health resort tourism during Soviet times led to increased load on the peninsula's water treatment facilities. Where artificial beaches are created, degradation of coastal marine ecosystems occurs, since with the predominance of imported material, self-purification of water in the coastal zone does not occur.

As a result, when people gather in the hot summer, the quality of sea water decreases and it loses its healing and healing properties. In addition, in 1941, in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, the Red Army sank barrels with poisonous gases - mustard gas and lewisite. The expiration of the warranty period of barrels in the 2010s, as well as the potential threat of their contents to people, have repeatedly become the subject of discussion in the media.

Human agricultural activities also add to environmental problems in Crimea.

Excessive use of pesticides is a problem of human activity in Crimea. Water, etc. groundwater, very polluted, and water in Crimea is very expensive. Separately, it is necessary to say about Azov. Due to waste and toxic chemicals, the chemical composition of the water changed, which led to the disappearance of fish.

Deterioration in the steppe Crimea environmental situation was associated with the commissioning of the North Crimean Canal (1961-1975), when most of the steppe was plowed. The canal itself led to an increase in groundwater levels and local soil salinization; even after the reunification of Crimea and Russia and the cessation of the North Crimean Canal, waste remained at the bottom, polluting the soil.

Tourists are a separate part of the immediate economy of Crimea. They provide funds to preserve cultural monuments. However, tourists do not always have a positive impact on the peninsula. Garbage, irresponsible travel companies that do not always properly exploit natural heritage sites. As a result, littering of the seashore, water and hiking trails occurs. This naturally leads to the destruction of nature itself.

People are well aware of all the problems listed above, however, there are a number of circumstances that prevent them from being solved:
1. There is a period of initial accumulation of capital. Laws regulating environmental management practically do not interfere with people who make their capital from natural resources.
2. There are people in power who have to quickly solve immediate problems. Under these conditions, environmental problems inevitably take a back seat.
3. The old environmental control system is not suitable in the new conditions.
4. Social strata and forces interested in radically improving the environmental situation and environmental management system have not been formed. The population of Crimea is not yet ready to actively support environmental policies, firstly, due to their poverty-stricken situation (they have no time for environmental problems), and secondly, due to a lack of environmental information. Today's awareness of people about the ecological state is still of a general nature, as a result of which each individual person weakly perceives the threat associated with the poor quality of the environment.
5. Focus on market relations, which in themselves will ensure the development of Crimea based on compliance with environmental measures, is illusory. The market, even in its normal version, and especially the one we have, is not an effective regulator of the ecological state of the environment.

In conclusion, I would like to note a number of measures that, in my opinion, can at least partially restore the ecology of Crimea.
1) A complete reconstruction and reorganization of enterprises for environmentally friendly production is required.
2) Establishment of treatment facilities to eliminate remaining waste.
3) Construction of new protective forests around particularly polluted cities, which will be constantly renewed every year.
4) Establishing the work of environmental centers to monitor the situation in Crimea.

Or we can let everything take its course, so that people continue to destroy the nature and ecology of the peninsula. The decision is yours.

The natural body - soil - is the most important component of the biosphere.
In the material world, soil was formed as a result of the combined influence of two main forms of matter - abiogenic and biogenic.
Having appeared in nature, the soil immediately became the habitat of many animals, the highest of the lower plant organisms. The soil without them cannot exist either in its natural state or in the process of using it for agricultural production.
The role of soil is also determined by the fact that it is a keeper of energy resources.

Crimea has different soils. From north to south there are soils of the chestnut zone - dark chestnut and chestnut soils of varying degrees of solonetsity and salinity; chernozem zone - southern and ordinary foothill chernozems; brown, gray-brown and gray-brown soils of dry subtropics.

The soil cover of the region is subject to great changes as a result of its use in agricultural production. Positive phenomena include the creation of ANTHROPOGENIC SOILS, that is, all planted soils used for perennial plantings (vineyards, fruit trees). Reclamation of solonetzes made it possible to create anthropogenic soils in Crimea on an area of more than 6 thousand hectares. All of them have better composition and properties than in their natural state. Significant areas of solonetzes and solonchaks, used in the Crimea for rice, have changed in a positive way the indicators of their composition and properties.
However, the negative impact on the soil and environmental deterioration, unfortunately, outweighs the positive impact of humans.
The soil is deteriorating in the following main directions: dehumification, development of processes of water and wind erosion, secondary salinization and alkalinization, flooding (swamping) and pollution.

The process of DEHUMIFICATION (loss of humus - soil humus) means a decrease in its content in soils. Over the past 50 years, in the soils of Crimea, the humus content in the 0-40 cm layer has decreased everywhere, but in different areas in different ways. Greatest losses amounted to farms in the Leninsky district, where they reached 30-35% relative. What are the main causes of dehumification? This is the lack of balance between expenses and income organic matter. Firstly, in Crimea, more is spent than is contributed. The minimum dose of organic matter (manure) per 1 kg should be at least 10 tons annually. Secondly, humus is lost in the process of WATER AND WIND EROSION. Soil destruction in Crimea as a result of erosion processes occurs throughout the region. In some areas, water erosion is more pronounced, for example, in Bakhchisarai, Belogorsk, Simferopol, and in some others - wind erosion (deflation). The latter include Leninsky, Dzhankoysky, Black Sea, Saki and other areas.

In order to prevent, first of all, wind erosion, it is necessary to change the system of soil cultivation in Crimea and their use. The introduction of soil conservation technology for tillage using flat cutting tools and preserving stubble is a mandatory element of this process.

SECONDARY FLOODING AND SALINIZATION (swamping) is the result of improper use of irrigated water. The area of such land in Crimea is more than 60 thousand hectares and, unfortunately, has a growing trend.

To combat SECONDARY SALINETZIZATION in Crimea, it is necessary to regulate the composition of absorbed cations by introducing calcium-containing neutral chemical substances(gypsum, etc.).

Soil POLLUTION in Crimea is associated with the appearance of various chemicals in them and their persistence for a long time during the cultivation of cultivated plants. These substances include many herbicides, insectofungicides, as well as some mineral fertilizers.
They have a negative impact on the zoo- and phytopopulation of the soils of Crimea: they lead to a decrease in their numbers, which, in turn, negatively affects the development of cultural vegetation, its productivity and composition.

The lack of soil cover in Crimea and its negative changes will lead to irreparable consequences in the life of a Crimean citizen. The time has come to think seriously: should we increase the amount of arable land available in the region? Is it necessary to convert all pastures to improved ones? Perhaps it would be more advisable to focus on preserving a certain amount of land in its natural state? These are not only environmental issues, but also economic ones.

One of the most important issues of preserving the land fund in Crimea is RECLAMATION of lands after their industrial use. They require immediate development. Not everywhere reclamation must involve the creation of arable land. In a number of areas this should be forests (for example, in the Bakhchisaray district), cultivated pasture lands (Saki district and others). In part, they can also be used for perennial plantings - fruit and forest crops. The technology for cultivating a number of fruit crops on such lands was developed by scientists from the State Nikitsky Botanical Garden.