Small and Medium-Sized Lakes: Characteristics of their Functioning at Present and Methodological Issues of their Recreational Potential Assessment (on the Example of Lakes on the Territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan)

Abstract

—The article reveals the main characteristics of the functioning of small and medium-sized lakes at present under the influence of a set of natural and anthropogenic factors, as well as methodological provisions for assessing their recreational potential. It is shown that the most significant negative changes in them occur especially in those regions which are characterised by high scales of influence of economic activity confined on their catchments. The main factors influencing the level of eutrophication of lakes and, consequently, their use for recreation purposes include such factors as the removal of dissolved and undissolved substances from catchments into water bodies themselves, siltation, changes in morphometric characteristics and reduction in the intensity of external water exchange. In order to justify the optimal parameters of recreational loads on the studied water bodies, the analysis of currently used methodological approaches was carried out, their advantages and disadvantages were revealed, which allowed to justify new approaches to the assessment of recreational potential of water bodies.