Territorial Nature Conservation in the Largest Cities of the Baikal Region

The largest cities of the Baikal region—Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia)—are analyzed in terms of the level of their landscaping, the formation of a green framework, and the preservation of natural complexes. The assessment of the quantity and quality of landscaping is carried out using the ideas of territorial nature conservation, as well as taking into account the current standards of urban planning documents, which is the main purpose of this article. An attempt is made to give a detailed indication of the composition and area of the elements of green zones, their classification, institutionality, functional purpose, condition, level of protection, sufficiency of landscaping, and comparative characteristics of cities. The potential of each of the cities and its components are shown in the form of area characteristics and digital estimates of urban green zones and their relationship with normative indicators. A classification of the types of green spaces of the cities has been developed highlighting specially protected natural areas in accordance with special laws, urban forests, and other similar areas determined by resolutions of the city authorities and managed by special municipal entities but not having the special status of green objects, as well as areas important for the greening of the city but neglected by the city government. Alternative components of urban greening in the form of territories occupied by cemeteries are highlighted. A so-called brown part of the ecological framework has been defined in the form of industrial, transport, and warehouse zones; garage cooperatives; and landfills. The situation of the unobvious sufficiency of the total indicators of the urban greening area and the problems of compliance with regulatory documents on urban planning at the level of residential microdistricts of existing and new buildings is discussed. The task of strengthening the links of the nodes of the green framework of the cities is declared, as is the importance of the transition from quantitative to qualitative indicators of landscaping.