This article presents an appraisal of the quality of groundwater in the hard Received in revised form: 15.07.2021 rock aquifer system of the Vasishta sub basin, of the Vellar River Basin. Seventy nine representative groundwater samples were collected from dug and bore wells which are intensively used for domestic and irrigational purposes. The physical parameters viz. PH, EC and TDS were estimated in the field using a portable multiparameter meter. The groundwater samples were transported to the laboratory for measuring major ionic concentrations viz, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CO3, HCO3, Cl, SO4, F and NO3. The hydrochemical data were graphically projected and spatial temporal thematic maps generated with reference to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Indian (BIS) Standards. The peoples living in the sub basin engage in agricultural activities where the groundwater availability is sufficient. The groundwater is a major source for meeting their basic needs, such as for domestic, irrigational and industrial purposes. Good correlation is exhibited between EC and TDS Cl, SO4.Cl exhibits good correlation with Mg and Ca (0.817), (0.751) indicating leaching of secondary salts. TDS and EC showed strong correlation with Cl, SO4. Clustering groundwater samples based on their similarity is known as Q-mode type clustering method. Spatial and temporal maps of the water quality index reveal that the majority of the groundwater samples fall under the categories excellent to good.

Methods of estimation of tourist and recreational resources are traced; the analysis of natural tourist and recreational resources of the Republic of Malta is carried out; the analysis of historical and cultural tourist and recreational resources of the country is carried out; a point assessment of the country’s provision of tourist and recreational resources; the place of the Republic of Malta on the tourist market of Ukraine is revealed. The Republic of Malta is one of the few countries in the world with such a large and diverse historical and cultural site. The lands of the country have experienced centuries of historical events, after which there are memories in the form of cathedrals, palaces, museums, fortifications, etc. Malta has been established as a country with an ancient history. It has a large number of unique cultural monuments, as there were Carthaginians and Phoenicians, Roman and Byzantine empires, Arabs, knights of the Order of St. John, Napoleon, the British Empire. The country’s historical and cultural tourist resources make it interesting for tourists to visit. Malta has a great historical past, which has left a great legacy in the form of ancient fortresses, churches, cathedrals, majestic palaces. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is no exception for the country; there are 3 of them in the list. There are 7 sites in the country that are also currently candidates for inclusion in the World Heritage List. The country is rich in fortifications; there are 35 units in the country, which are of particular interest for tourists. Most of the fortifications were built during the Order of Malta to fortify the country from invaders. The natural conditions of Malta, which are the basis for tourism development, are analyzed. Methods for estimating the tourist potential of the country have been studied, in particular: normative-index, balance, graphic, cartographic, expert, statistical and mathematical methods, scoring. Integrated indicators for each region of Malta were determined using a score. Three categories of regions have been identified according to the assessment of the tourist potential of the territory.

The article is dedicated to definition of the tendency to change and pattern of formation of the chemical regime of underground waters in the Turyanchay-Girdimanchay interfluve in the Shirvan steppe, Azerbaijan as a result of anthropogenic activity. The subsoil waters studied are spread in the zone between the Turyanchay and Girdimanchay rivers. From 1930 to 2019 based on analysis of the observation of the chemical regime of subsoil waters, the natural regime of the groundwaters in the studied area strongly changed as a result of irrigation and construction works. In 1930 the average mineralization degree of subsoil waters was 26.8 gram/liter in the zone. The level of subsoil waters approaches the surface and is exposed to strong evaporation as a result of irrigation and filtration of waters from irrigation channels. Consequently, the mineralization rate of subsoil waters increased and mass secondary salinization process occurred in the irrigated lands. The average mineralization degree of subsoil waters was 33.6–34.5 gram/liter in the research zone in the 1960s-1970s. Collector-drainage networks were built and basic washing of soils is carried out in order the prevent secondary salinization and regulate the level of subsoil waters. After the 1970s the mineralization rate of subsoil waters began to decrease due to basic washing, intensive irrigation and the activity of the collector-drainage network.The average mineralization degree decreased to 15.1 gram/liter. The mineralization degree of the water in the Main Shirvan Collector which takes subsoil waters formed in the zone with 253,000 hectares and which discaharges them into the Caspian Sea decreased more than 3 times in comparison with 1995. At present the mineralization degree of collector water is 1.8–2.5 gram/liter while its mineralization degree was 8.81 gram/liter in 1995. Formation of the process in a favourable direction enchances the potential of using collector water for irrigation, technical and other purposes and creates a basis for elimination of water deficiency in drought years. The research shows that anthropogenic activity mainly plays an important role in formation of the chemical regime of subsoil waters.

In Azerbaijan, since the earliest times, the Caspian Sea has contributed to the Received in revised form: 07.10.2021 settlement of population and structure of the economy. The favourable natural geographical conditions of the coasts, exploitation of offshore oil and gas fields and rich tourist-recreational potential favoured the economy of Azerbaijan significantly. However, sea-level fluctuations and environmental damage observed due to exploitation of natural resources served as curbing factor in the development. In modern times, planning of residential areas in the coastal areas, improvement of industrial, agricultural and tourism infrastructure, and successful management of the ecological situation are achievable through effective use of the natural resources and human potential of the Caspian Sea. The coastal region of the Caspian Sea, composed of three zones, is favourable for the development of Azerbaijan’s economy. Theattractiveness of coastal areas is related mainly to preferences of natural conditions and resources and the advantages of their transport- geographical location. As a result, the development level of the economy of the Pre-Caspian region is higher compared to other regions of the country. The region accounts for 88.7 % of the total industrial output in the country. The main part of it, i. e. 95.7 % is shared by the city of Baku. The cause of significant difference in development level between the regions and the capital Baku is associated with the use of oil and gas resources of the Caspian. Thus, offshore oil and gas reserves in the Caspian have played a notable role in the development of coastal areas, and of the country’s whole economy. This has led to inequality in terms of regional development. This factor prompted the need to study the role of the use of resources of the Caspian Sea in the sustainable development of Azerbaijan’s economy. In order to achieve the goal, a comparative analysis of the leading economic branches in the Pre-Caspian regions was carried out from a historical point of view. The obtained information was systematized, and the socio-economic aspects of sustainable development were identified based on statistical-mathematical materials. Aerospace data were used as well.

Givetian sediments are widely distributed within the Volyn-Podillia margin of the East-European platform (VPO EEP). These are terrigenous-carbonate cyclically constructed formations with a thickness of 102 to 165 m, the stratification of which is complicated due to the facial variability of rocks. Therefore, when studying this stratum, palynology and the implementation of palynostratigraphic delimitation are of great importance. The initial stage of palynological research of Devonian VPO EEP deposits is clear identification of miospores and their monographic study, the main components of which are morphological and morphometric research, taxonomic determination of genera and species by morphological-comparative method, elucidation of their stratigraphic and geographical distribution. The object of research is dispersed miospores. During their taxonomic study, M. V. Oshurkova’s artificial, or formal, taxonomy was used, which modernized the morphological classification of R. Potonier and G. Kremp, clarified palynological terminology, detailed diagnostics of taxa, and gave unified diagnoses of genus forms. For the first time, a monographic description of five species is given according to this classification. They are Geminospora extensa (Naumova) Gao (from 36 to 51 %); up to 10 %: G. decora (Naumova) Archangelskaja, G. tuberculata (Kedo) Allen, G. micromanifesta (Naumova) Archangelskaja, G. notata (Naumova) Obukhovskaja. belonging to the genus Geminospora (Balme) Owens of infraturma Pseudosacciti, subturma Zonocavatitriletes, suprasubturma Cavatitriletes turma Triletes. These are trilete radial zonate cavate hilate spores with ornamented exine. They are main indicators, key and characteristic species of palyzone E of the Givetian of the Middle Devonian.

The lack of effective mechanisms of the methods of basin management, control of and responsibility for the ecological state of surface sources of drinking water leads to the fact that the main man-made objects that determine the ecological state of surface water sources are most often located in one oblast, while the production and consumption of the drinking water from those sources occur in the territory of other oblasts, which complicates the effective management of environmental safety of surface water sources. This is especially true for the regions of Ukraine which are poor in surface water resources, located in the basin of the Siversky Donets River, the water bodies of which are the main sources of water supply in the eastern regions of the country. The main consumer of water is Donetsk Oblast (over 50 % of the annual volume), and Kharkiv and Luhansk Oblasts together consume approximately the same volume of water per year (up to 50 % of the annual volume). Therefore, it is important to substantiate the integrated indicators of the ecological status of the water body to improve the environmental safety of surface water sources. The paper shows that oxygen indicators play an important role in the ecology of a water body. They are associated with the assimilative ability of water, the ability of water to decompose organic matter. Therefore, the content of dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen consumption in water is of great interest not only in terms of life development, but also as a composite measure of the ecological status of the aquatic environment. The relationship between the value of the combined index of water pollution and the value of biochemical oxygen consumption makes the indicator of biochemical oxygen consumption important for the integrated assessment of water contamination with various organic substances. For the tasks for which we justify the choice of composite measures of the ecological condition of surface waters, it is more important to identify the effects of contamination not directly at the site of contamination, but at some distance from it and after some time. Therefore, the use of the amount of dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen consumption as indicators that characterize the oxidation of pollutants present in water is the most appropriate for the tasks of timely monitoring of water bodies. Therefore, as a composite indicator for characterizing the condition of the watercourse and conducting timely monitoring, we chose oxygen indicators.

The article contains analysis of the current demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast. We determined causes and factors influencing the development of the demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast. The paper reveals the specifics of development of the demographic processes in Vinnytsia Oblast according to the data of the Main Statistic Service in Vinnytsia Oblast for the period from 1959 to January 1, 2020. We determined how the totals of the urban and rural populations have changed. Based on the analysis of statistical and literature sources, we researched the specifics of natural movement of population, its sex and age structure, migration, distribution of the employed population and unemployment rate. We provide characteristics of specifics of the territorial differentiation of parameters of birth, death rates, natural increment (decline), migration, sex and age structure in Vinnytsia Oblast. We analyzed the specifics of employment of population in Vinnytsia Oblast, levels of economic activity and unemployment. We etermined modern tendencies of natural movement of the population, its impact on the prospects of further changes. We found out the problems of current demographic development in Vinnytsia Oblast based on determining modern specifics of the demographic parameters of the population in the researched area. The paper suggests ways to improve the demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast in the immediate future. As a result of the research, the demographic situation in Vinnytsia oblast was found to be negative. We observed a number of negative tendencies and patterns, including decrease in the rural population; decrease in the birth rate in the period from 1995 to 2020; high death rates due to diseases of blood circulation and malignant tumors; high parameters of aging of the population, especially in rural areas; decrease in the number of the employable population in the Oblast, etc.

The article describes theoretical foundations of the study of tourism potential of the regions of Ukraine in the context of geography and current state of German cultural heritage. The historical preconditions for the formation and development of cultural heritage of German ethnic minority on the territory of the modern Ukraine are studied. Geography of German ethnic minority of the early XX century within the modern territory of Ukraine and geography of ethnic Germans and German cultural heritage in the modern Ukraine are developed. On the basis of a cluster analysis of indicators of the number of preserved objects and the number of former German settlements, groups of regions with high, medium and low potential for the development of ethnic tourism are identified. Odesa, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and Zhytomyr are the leaders by the number of objects of German cultural heritage among all regions of Ukraine. The group of regions with a medium level of potential for ethnic tourism includes the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Volyn, Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Chernivtsi, and Khmelnytskyi regions. Seven main types of preserved objects of German cultural heritage in Ukraine are identified. Sacred objects and public buildings and structures are best represented. The objects of German cultural heritage preserved to this day in the context of the regions of Ukraine are described. It was found that the main obstacles to the development of German ethnic tourism in Ukraine are the destruction of many cultural heritage objects, lack of funding for restoration of these objects, insufficient involvement of objects to tourist routes and low level of their promotion. The main ways to overcome these obstacles are identified: allocation of budget funds for the restoration of objects, attracting private investors, international organizations and German community; development of new tourist routes; marking places with information stands, publishing information materials about objects; digitalization of objects; organization of international conferences, round tables, festivals, etc.

The article brings light to the study of the nature reserve fund (NRF) of Zakarpatska oblast as a component of the national heritage of the country. Representativeness is considered to be one of the main principles of spatial formation of the NRF object network. Therefore, to determine the current state and ensure further effective development of the region’s nature reserve fund, it is necessary to analyze its territorial and internal structural indicators. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current status of the region’s nature reserve fund with the reference to the possibility of introduction of the further new management practices. The article is based on information and statistical materials, the provisions of regional programs for the formation of the ecological network and environmental legislation of Ukraine. To solve the assigned tasks, there has been done a comprehensive analysis of statistical reporting data and materials of the NRF Register in Zakarpatska oblast of the Department of Ecology of Natural Resources of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration within the period of 2019, and reporting documents of environmental institutions for the same period. The considered indicator is the territorial distribution of nature reserve areas and region areas by administrative districts (before the formation and implementation of changes to the administrative-territorial structure of the Zakarpatska oblast), which is presented in the form of the division into four groups. The spatial distribution of the territory and the NFR objects do not sufficiently meet the criteria of local representativeness, so their spatial structure needs significant improvement, be specific – the creation of nature reserves, especially in the lowlands of the region. The average density of nature protection objects in the region (36 units / 1000 km2) is almost three times higher than the corresponding indicator in the neighboring Lviv region. The average value of the reserve factor in the region makes 14.17 %. It has been found that the reserve ratio demonstrates geographically the largest disproportion in Zakarpatska oblast. It is the highest indicator in turns of administrative entities in the districts of Mizhhiria, Velyky Bereznyi and Rakhiv. The lowest one is in Svaliava and Berehove districts, respectively. In addition, the reserve ratio compared to the national average indicator and in other European countries has been carried out. The quality of the nature reserve network is determined by the insularity coefficient, which indicates the size of the NRF objects and their stability. Further expansion of the network of nature protection objects in Zakarpatska oblast is possible due to the creation of Latorytsa, Shaian and Uzhok landscape parks. A big assumption can be made that by 2020 it will be possible to create new and expand existing areas of NRF in the region up to 100–120 thousand hectares, which will increase the protected area up to 20–22 %. The key issues of nature reserves to be developed in Zakarpatska oblast are primarily related to the imperfection of the management system. To handle this problem, there is an urgent need to develop a strategy, which will envisage the perception of the NRF as a holistic anthropogenic and natural unit in order to put into practice the environmental, scientific, educational and recreational functions.

The article is devoted to the problem of sustainable use of agricultural lands in conditions of active manifestation of water soil erosion, which is typical for all natural zones of Ukraine, but to the greatest extent – for the Forest-Steppe and Steppe zone. The aim of the article is a spatially distributed quantitative assessment and forecast of soil erosion losses and the development on this basis of recommendations to optimize the use of agricultural land on the example of the Pidhayetskyi district of the Ternopil region. The area is located within the Western region of Ukraine with a fairly high intensity of water erosion, where in accordance with the long-term climate forecast a further increase in erosion hazard of land is expected. A quantitative assessment of soil erosion losses for the basic period (1961–1990) and forecast periods (2031–2050 and 2081–2100) was carried out using a spatially distributed physical-statistical GIS-model of soil erosion-sedimentation developed at the Department of Physical Geography, Nature Management and Geoinformation Technologies of Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University. Spatial realization of the model performed using the analytical capabilities of the Software for Environmental Modeling PCRaster (University of Utrecht, Netherlands). The forecast of the changes in the hydrometeorological conditions of water soil erosion was made using the forecast of monthly average air temperatures and monthly average precipitation, developed at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute. It established that most of the arable land (about 52 %) of Pidhayetskyi district is erosively dangerous. Due to the projected increase in summer rainfall in the middle and at the end of this century, further intensification of soil erosion is expected, especially in 2031–2050, when soil losses on arable land will increase to 16.9 t/ha/year, and only due to rainstorm erosion. Soil losses by meltwater will be insignificant. Based on the calculations, it was concluded that it is impossible to protect the agricultural lands of the region from erosional degradation without withdrawal from the arable land about 8.15 thousand hectares (28) of the most erosion-hazardous lands (with annual soil losses exceeding 20 tons per a hectare), changing the structure of sown areas and introduction a soil-protective adaptive-landscape farming system over a significant area.