Anthropogenic Load on Transboundary Geosystems of Altai: Current State and Trends

Transboundary areas of the Altai Republic are notable for great diversity and vulnerability of natural complexes. Residential landscapes have one of the highest levels of anthropogenic transformation among the geosystems of the transboundary territories of the Altai Republic. Vacationing people, whose number is increasing every year, also have a significant impact on the environment. We have determined the percentage ratio of residential areas to the landscape area of their location to estimate the residential load. As a major criterion for assessing the recreational load, we propose to use the number of bed spaces for seasonal and year-round recreation at campsites, campgrounds, and hotels. As another criterion reflecting the impact of recreationists on the natural-territorial complexes of the studied areas, we consider the density of the tourist route network to the square kilometer of the landscape. The study has shown that the residential load on the landscapes in the transboundary areas of the Altai Republic is relatively low. Intermountain valley landscapes are the most loaded (up to 4.5% of the landscape area). The human impact on the high-mountain and mid-mountain landscapes is insignificant.