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The study aims to comprehensively assess the negative impacts of various activities carried out by visitors to natural areas, including forest parks, on ecosystems. The research methodology included an analysis of forest park ecosystems Gotova-Dangel and Logara forest parks, monitoring ecosystem changes, which provided objective data on the impact of human activity. The study developed recommendations aimed at minimising the negative effects of these activities on the environment. The main results of the study demonstrated that walking leads to soil compaction, which in turn hurts water circulation and aeration of soil layers. This phenomenon can also cause damage to rare species of plants and trees that are vulnerable to changes in their natural environment. In addition, cycling causes soil erosion, which leads to the destruction of vegetation, which in turn negatively affects the environmental sustainability of the region. This can create conditions for the degradation of natural ecosystems and a decrease in biodiversity. Camping causes pollution of the area, including dumping garbage and other waste, which leads to a decrease in the number of animals living in forest environments, with serious consequences for the ecological balance and conservation of wildlife. The findings highlight the need to introduce clearly defined trails for pedestrian traffic, create specialised bicycle routes, and develop environmentally responsible camping practices. This will significantly reduce the negative impact on the forest ecosystem. The research is relevant for the conservation of biodiversity as well as for maintaining the ecological balance in forest parks, which is critical for the sustainable development of natural resources and the preservation of the environment for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to preserve natural values, which are considered the heritage of all mankind, namely the primaeval forests and old-growth beech forests of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. The aim of the research was to study the state and structure of the beech primaeval forest in the national nature park "Zacharovanyi Krai". For the study, a permanent sample plot of 1 ha (100×100 m) was laid down in the prevailing forest type - moist pure beech forest. This plot is located in the optimal forest-growing conditions for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) within the Vyhorlat-Hutyn volcanic ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians. It was found that the beech forest stand on the plot is pure in composition and complex in form, characterised by different development phases (age groups by diameter): the first layer stand belongs to the mature age group (senile), the second layer - to the middle-aged group, and the third - to the pole (virginal). It was determined that 95% of the primaeval forest stock is the stock of the first layer, while the share of commercial trees of the first layer is 89% (66% of the total volume of stem wood of trees on the permanent sample plot). The main types of damage in the site are caused by abiotic factors. As a result of such damage, 43 m3‧ha-1 of deadwood was recorded, characterised by all 5 stages of decomposition. Under the canopy of the stand, 10,375 pcs‧ha-1 of undergrowth was recorded, of which the share of beech is 88%. Beech undergrowth is weakly differentiated by age groups: it was recorded only in the group of 7-year-olds and older and well-differentiated by height groups. By age group, undergrowth belongs to the juvenile-immature age state. The herbaceous cover is typical for nemoral forests. The presence of stationary research plots in the National Nature Park "Zakharovanyy Kray" makes it possible to constantly monitor the trends of natural development of the ecosystem - the beech primaeval forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity conservation is one of the fundamental prerequisites for sustainable environmental development. This research aims to study the diversity of fungi in the Carpathian Mountains and their distribution across major biotopes, analyze the results of anthropogenic influence, and develop practical adaptation strategies. The study employed general scientific methods of cognition, including systematic analysis and synthesis, specification, deduction, generalization, abstraction, and formalization. This article critically synthesizes the species composition of fungi in the Ukrainian Carpathians, investigates the distribution of fungal species within their ranges, and assesses the current coverage of this topic in scientific literature. The research aimed to establish a system of regularities and peculiarities of the research object, such as the impact of climate change and anthropogenic pressure on fungal diversity in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The formalization method was employed to formulate priority vectors for stabilizing and optimizing mycocoenoses in the Ukrainian Carpathians and to document the research results for active practical implementation in the region's environmental optimization process. A system of preventive measures is proposed as part of the strategy for adapting the environment to anthropogenic-climatic dynamics. Key measures for optimizing the ecological situation in the field of mycology in the region have been developed. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in their potential use for studying the dynamics of fungal diversity in the Ukrainian Carpathians during periods of global climate change. This research also contributes to developing adaptation strategies at regional and national levels and forming a comprehensive approach to biodiversity preservation in protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uniqueness of the Carpathian Mountain Forest ecosystems, a large part of which belongs to nature conservation areas, attracts a significant number of visitors annually. Intensive tourist flow on popular hiking trails leads to recreational digression, topsoil compaction, development of erosion processes and deterioration of forests. The research aims to determine the impact of recreation as an external mechanical impact on soil compaction by determining the soil penetration resistance under the canopy of predominant spruce stands. For this purpose, soil penetration resistance was measured with a penetrometer along two hiking trails within the root layer of the soil at four measuring sites at different distances from the hiking trail. In general, under the canopy of a forest stand, the soil cover is not homogeneous and the obtained penetration resistance values are characterised by considerable variability. It was revealed that for the “Zelene village – Uhorski skeli rocks” hiking trail in the areas close to the path (up to 20 m) there is a significant increase in soil penetration resistance compared to remote areas: at a depth of 10 cm itdoubles, at a depth of 20 cm – by 20-40%, but with further deepening, the penetration resistance level off. At the same time, for the more popular “To Mount Pip Ivan Chornohirskyi” hiking trail, in the area adjacent to the trailbed, the penetration resistance reaches 19.6 kg·cm-2 in the upper 10 cm layer, and at a depth of 30 cm, it peaks at 37.8 kg·cm-2 (over 3 MPa), which affects the root spatial distribution of spruce forests. Intensive erosion processes due to soil compaction with an increase in soil penetration resistance above 60 kg·cm-2 (~6 MPa) are observed on the trailbed. The practical significance of the results obtained, and the established patterns is to complement existing methods for assessing the degree of recreational digression in mountainous conditions and can be the basis for designing measures to regulate tourist flows and restore affected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, the word 'innovation' can be heard more and more on the entrepreneurial side. It has a crucial role in satisfying the customers, competition with other companies, and increasing the turnover of the enterprises. SMEs economic performance is directly affecting the national budget. Still, there is not a precise method of assessing and improving the innovation process at neither firm nor national level. The paper aims to analyse the current innovative performance of Moldovan SMEs. The analysis will explore factors affecting enterprise innovation. It will determine how the existing innovation ecosystem affects the one in an enterprise, and what methods should be applied to improve innovation as well as the ecosystem. To gain insight, the study conducted an email survey of 150 companies, which were the object for research in the Republic of Moldova. The primary purpose of the study is to emphasise the importance of innovation issues related to increasing SMEs competitiveness, in connection with presenting the theoretical aspects in the field, proving basic concepts and quantifying them in the study of innovation as well as various forms, types and factors influencing innovative organisations. The objective of these enterprise questionnaires is to accumulate substantial and reliable information that is significant to responding to the fundamental research questions. Methodological tools of the research methods were the tools for statistical analysis based on using primary data from the questionnaire research. The reference period for statistical research was 2013 and 2017. The author collected the data between August and September 2018 based on questionnaires filled in on paper or sent through the email by the enterprises included in the research. The results of the study provide the following insights: product innovation is the primary innovation type among Moldovan SMEs; the country lacks financial resources for innovation support. Also, Moldova's weak innovation ecosystem and lack of highly qualified workers slow down the development of enterprises. At the end of the thesis, the several recommendations for enterprise managers as well as high-level government organisations were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the concept of an innovative ecosystem to describe the open dynamic network (non-hierarchical) environments consisting of organizations, people and institutions that are interacting in creating, using and diffusion of innovations. The origins of the «innovation ecosystem» concept have been explored, the extensive review of the literature on ecosystem issues have been carried out. Analysis of the Scopus database for 1996-2019 showed that the frequency of mentioning the phrase «innovation ecosystem» has increased over the past decade in dozens of times and is growing exponentially. In 2019, the phrase «innovative ecosystem» found in scientific journals 119 times more likely to 2009. Moreover, the interest to this topic has not faded over time, but it is increasing -- in 2015-2019 the frequency of mentioning of this phrase has augmented by 3.35 times, demonstrating the relevance of the research issues. The literature review has shown that, despite the wide application of the term "innovation ecosystem" in the academic, political and business environments, there is no consensus among experts about what is really an innovation ecosystem. To that end, various views of scholars and practitioners on the phenomenon of innovation ecosystems have been analyzed, which have been systematized and grouped into four approaches: ecosystems organized around a focal (central) company; ecosystems as "structures" built around a focal value proposition (focal innovation); ecosystems as defined environments (spaces) that are forming at different levels -- from local to global; ecosystems as platforms, around which the activities of stakeholders are organized. The key characteristics and features of these approaches have been defined, which allowed to ensure the theoretical organization of existing knowledge. The differences between ecosystems and systems of innovation have been substantiated, the advantages of the ecosystem approach have been defined compared to the traditional systematic view of innovation creation. The properties of innovation ecosystems and modern innovation processes have been highlighted. Given the purpose the Strategy of Innovative Development of Economy of Ukraine till 2030 to develop the national innovation ecosystem, the paper accentuates on the need to establish innovative ecosystems at the regional level (in regions or in a few of them within the economic regions) as organic components of the national innovation ecosystem, bearing in mind the rapid, large-scale and constant changes in the global environment, in which they are forming. The definition of the innovation ecosystem of a region (economic region) has been proposed. By adhering to the systemic and structural-functional approaches, the regional innovation ecosystem has been presented and described as a multidimensional model consisting of the ecosystem goal, actors (organizations), their environment and the system of relationships between actors within the ecosystem and the external environment. The conceptual model of the regional innovation ecosystem of Ukraine from the perspective of systems theory has been developed. Basic provisions of the paper and its conclusions could be considered, when implementing innovation policy to form innovation ecosystems at different levels, including at the regional level (economic regions) of Ukraine as the most suitable for innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes to consider industrial ecosystems in the context of technological development. Researches in this area require the application of an evolutionary economic methodology that uses the tools of evolutionary biology, in particular - the notion of an ecosystem. This methodology offers new approaches to solving economic problems that cannot be solved by the traditional economic mainstream, focused on the selfish rational behavior of economic agents and analysis of equilibrium states. At the same time, it still remains debatable, fragmentary and needs further development. The concept of ecosystems in biology and economics is analyzed, and general characteristics of the latest economic researches, from standpoints of evolutionary methodology as a stable network of interconnected enterprises, based on corresponding manufacturing technologies, is presented. In this case, diverse by the degree of development industrial ecosystems correspond to different stages of technological development, between which there are technological gaps. It is justified that dominant technologies and relevant institutions are changing under the influence of geographic, historical, genetic and cultural factors, which determine the ability to survive, longevity and reproductive potential of ecosystems. It was established that, as in biology, industrial ecosystems can be of different levels: local ecosystems located in the same city, district or region; regional ecosystems, spanning individual regions; national ecosystems, that is, the systems across the states having sovereignty, national institutions and culture; supranational ecosystems that unite interconnected and interacting enterprises and institutions of neighboring countries or even continents. To characterize industrial ecosystems at the national level, indicators of the economic, industrial, and innovative development in the context of groups of relatively homogeneous countries have been examined. It was established that in the group of countries of the Western tradition the USA are still ahead of Europe: the innovative and organizational culture of American corporations is higher than that of EU competitors. According to given indicators, representatives of Confucian and Hindu cultures are also becoming contemporary leaders, routines of whose many enterprises have already undergone a natural selection and allow them to generate economically meaningful knowledge that contributes to their survival and further successful development. Unlike economic ecosystems of leading industrial countries, Ukrainian industrial ecosystems have failed to be preserved and inherit organizational routines and cultural capital that underpin high industrial technologies, which widens technological gaps between the domestic industry and the industry of developed countries. In order to accelerate the development of the industrial ecosystem of Ukraine and overcome its negative trends, it is proposed to make appropriate adjustments to the draft of Strategy of innovative development of Ukraine, aimed at creating high-level groups by key technologies; to define and periodically update the national list of key technologies; to raise the level of R&D funding; to stimulate private R&D funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new priorities of the regional development need to be implemented in Ukraine based on the European experience. These must provide development of the national economy as well as of the particular region. It is considered that strategic planning approach must be based on smart specialization, economic clusters and ecosystem formation. Interaction between the regional players implemented in various combinations (business- educationscience- community-authorities) must be formed as a key element. Today, the potential of crossborder projects in the sphere of workforce competences is higher than it is used. The formation of economic clusters at the regional level is the most successful in the IT field. Particular attention needs to be paid to finding new areas for the regional economy development. This would allow to increase export potential based on innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Оbjective. The aim of this study was to investigate the soil microbiome of primeval forest ecosystems, namely the structure of microbial communities, the number of major ecological-functional groups, functional parameters such as: soil toxicity, as well as enzymatic activity of the soil by the level of catalase and invertase. To analyze the successional processes in the soil microbiocenosis due to the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors. To estimate the integrity of microbial communities in different edaphotopes of primeval forest ecosystems. Methods. Microbiological studies of soil were carried out according to generally accepted methods in soil microbiology. Enzymatic activity of the soil: catalase - was determined by gasometric method and invertase - by colorimetric method. Biotesting was used to determine soil toxicity. An assessment of the integrity of microbial communities in different edaphotopes of primeval forest ecosystems was carried out using correlation-regression analysis. Statistical analyses were performed by using Statistica 10 software. Basic descriptive statistics was calculated, that is, the arithmetic mean and standard deviation. Results. Anthropogenic impact: deforestation and soil compaction led to significant negative changes in the structure of soil microbiome. It was observed in the decreasing of the functional biodiversity and the number of microorganisms. In particular, among the disturbed edaphotopes, the level of soil toxicity was increased and also the processes of decomposition of organic matter were slowed down. The level of enzymatic activity of the soil was decreased and the integrity of microbial communities of the soil was violated. Conclusions. The influence of endogenous and exogenous factors in primeval forests ecosystems violates the integrity of the soil microbiome and leads to negative changes of its functional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of the Global Competitiveness Index, Ecological Footprint and Biological Capacity, Investment Ratio author observed low competitiveness and investment activity as well as environmental challenges of the Ukrainian economy. Analysis of existing approaches to estimating the size of green markets was conducted. The structure of goods and services' supply and demand, agents of influence and development drivers of the «green» market are summarized. Background, that maximize the potential for the development of the «green sector» of industry; was defined: rapid industrialization; strict environmental legislation; high requirements to the environmental quality of the product life cycle; high level of an intellectual capital development, access to markets of economies with a high level of industrialization; low level of intellectual capital development and low biological capacity; access to ecosystems with a high biological capacity. Approach to the assessment of the development potential of the «green sector» of industry in Ukraine have been offered. The basis for the calculation of adopted indicators: the total volume of capital investments and current expenditures for protection and rational use of natural resources; the environmental taxes; the price of specific natural resources; the funds received from land sale and greenhouse gases' emissions trading schemes, also provision of services in the field of energy from renewable sources (nominally «green» energy), water and wastewater, waste management. An assessment of the «green» market of Ukraine as of 2015 was received. It amounted to UAH 65.7 bn. Given that a number of indicators were not taken into account, this assessment can be considered as a minimum capacity of the «green» sector of the industry. In particular, due to the lack of statistical monitoring for the specific types of economic activity, sales of professional services of environmental audit, insurance and other environmentally oriented services, provided by private enterprises, were not taken into account. Prospects for further research are: refinement of the methodology for assessing the «green» market capacity, substantiation the set of key indicators, development of recommendations on reforming statistical reporting forms of enterprises, that would allow to monitor ecologically-oriented entrepreneurial activities according to the sectors of the green industry («sector of environmental goods and services», «green business», «economic entities, that use green solutions»). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the research of the information service of open data in the context of influence on the development of the regional economy. The concepts of "ecosystem", "open data", their essence and significance as endogenous and exogenous factors are considered. The state of development of separate elements of the open data ecosystem formed in Ukraine is characterized. The foreign experience of organizing such information resources has been analyzed. The main problems are identified, such as weak integration of regional information resources into a single open data system, insufficient use of the potential of domestic IT professionals. The directions of improving the ecosystem of the open data of Ukraine are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the influence of the military-ecological and man-caused-anthropogenic factors on the environment state and natural processes. Epidemic risks and consequences resulted from landscapic changes of the environment which arise as a result of war and destruction of ecosystems are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of innovation development was studied in this article. This problem is actual because the level of maturity of innovation is directly proportional to the level of economics development. Global Innovation Index confirms this fact. The elements of startup- ecosystem were studied based on the experience of state Israel in the hi-tech area. The life cycle of startup-projects was shown. The statistic information about quantity of startups in Israel with index of success has been researched. The areas of investment have been allotted. The comparative analysis of investments volume in innovation activities of Israel and Ukraine has been performed. Information of Ukraine accelerators/incubators, R&D and scientists, the laws of innovation activities were considered. Also there were described stages of financing of startup-projects. Factors, which influence negatively on the level of hi-tech development, were determined in research. The model of support for development of innovation has been proposed that emend these determined factors. The results can be adopted for acceleration of hi-tech projects on the existing production facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The result of the increased anthropogenic global influence has become a planetary phenomenon of fragmentation of natural landscapes. One of the relatively preserved natural systems of landscape diversity is national park «Slobozhanskiy» in the Kharkiv region. The article analyzes the retrospective prerequisites for the formation of not simple relationship in the system «man - nature» after the settlement of Sloboda Ukraine in the XVII century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]