2026 Issue №3

The river network of the Kaliningrad Region, located in a zone of excessive moisture, is predominantly composed of small watercourses, among which the Prokhladnaya River is one. The river is subject to the full range of anthropogenic impacts typical of the region, the most significant of which is agricultural activity. The river’s chemical runoff exerts a considerable influence on the ecosystem of the Kaliningrad Lagoon. Previous studies of the Prokhladnaya River have been fragmentary and sporadic. For the first time, an analysis of the river’s chemical pollution has been carried out on the basis of systematic monitoring that meets spatial coverage criteria. The aim of the study is to identify the spatial differentiation of chemical pollution and to assess the water quality of the Prokhladnaya River on the basis of chemical analyses of water samples collected during the spring hydrological season of 2025. The calculation of the integrated Water Pollution Index demonstrated that water quality varies from the “clean” to the “polluted” category. Polluted waters were recorded in the upper reaches of the river, where oxygen deficiency and exceedances of the standards for chemical oxygen demand, ammonium, and iron were observed. In the middle reaches, the water was classified as “moderately polluted” and “clean.” In the river mouth area, the water again fell into the “moderately polluted” category, although close to the lower threshold of this class, with exceedances in nitrite concentrations and elevated sodium levels. The principal contributors to the pollution of the watercourse are high and elevated values of chemical oxygen demand, iron, biochemical oxygen demand, and, in isolated cases, nitrites, as well as low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water. Exceedances of the maximum permissible concentrations for these parameters are attributable to the combined influence of natural and anthropogenic factors.

An assessment of the degree of recreational degradation of natural complexes was carried out in the Vishtynetsky National Park within the area of three proposed ecological trails: Protochnoye Lake, Three Pines, and Marinovo Lake. The methodological framework of the study was based on the stage-based assessment method for the recreational degradation of forest biogeocenoses developed by N. S. Kazanskaya and co-authors, adapted for linear features, as well as the method for assessing informal access trails proposed by A. S. Kuznetsova and E. A. Biktasheva. Field surveys conducted in August 2025 included route-based inspections with profiling of buffer zones and an inventory of informal access trails. The results showed that natural complexes along the Protochnoye Lake trail correspond to Stages I—II of recreational degradation, with Stage I (background conditions) predominating; two informal access trails with a Level II degree of disturbance were recorded. Along the Three Pines trail, the degree of recreational degradation corresponds to Stages I—III, and two informal access trails with Level II—III disturbance were identified. Along the Marinovo Lake trail, Stage I of recreational degradation predominates, while Stage II is confined to the hiking trail; Stage III was recorded locally in the vicinity of visitor attractions, along informal access trails leading to the lake, and at motorcycle access points. A total of six informal access trails were documented, three of which (leading to the lake and extending along the forest road) correspond to Level III disturbance, while the remaining three (motorcycle access points) correspond to Level IV disturbance. Based on the findings, differentiated recommendations were developed for trail infrastructure improvement and recreational load management aimed at conserving the natural complexes.

Against the backdrop of intensifying climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems, nature-based solutions have become an essential instrument for sustainable development and climate change adaptation. Nevertheless, the existing methodological approa­ches to the selection and implementation of nature-based solutions are often fragmented and insufficiently account for the long-term effects of their implementation, as well as for regional ecosystem characteristics and the socio-economic context. The study proposes a methodology for the selection and justification of nature-based solutions for the agricultural sector, taking regional specificities into account and comprising eight sequential stages. The proposed me­thodology will enable stakeholders to analyze ecosystem characteristics, plan the implementation of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation in specific agricultural areas, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The article presents a review and analysis of publications in the state-owned mass media of the Republic of Belarus devoted to various aspects of ecology, environmental protection, and sustainable development published between 2021 and 2025. In addition to statistical data on publications addressing individual issues, the study provides a qualitative analysis of the article texts. The priorities set forth in the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus, the country’s development plan, the Constitution, and the laws of the Republic of Belarus are compared with the thematic focus and the nature of the information disseminated by the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), as well as by national and regional state-owned print media