THE METHOD OF SELECTING OF PEATLAND FROM SEVERAL SUITABLE AT THE PRE-DESIGN STAGE OF ITS PREPARATION FOR EXPLOITATION

The generalize desirability function of Harrington which can include a variety of particular parameters such as technological, technical and economic, qualitative characteristics is widely used in the search for optimal conditions in various areas of the national economy. The analysis of the tasks solved during the research and project works showed that this method can be successfully applied in the peat industry. The article, as an example, considers the selection method for the peat deposit from several suitable for extraction of sod peat intended for the production of activated charcoals, which at the current time is the best option. It is shown that the use of the generalized desirability function makes it possible to achieve acceptable results at the stage of preproject preparation, without recourse to complex mathematical calculations, which are the basis of a standard feasibility study. Thus, the proposed method allows to reduce labor and financial costs.

Impact of peat industry development on regional sustainability

The study aimed to substantiate the nature of the interaction between the economic efficiency of the peat industry and the sustainability of the region on the example of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area (KhMAA) of Russia. Based on the development indicators of the districts of KhMAA for 2017-2020, the factors characterizing the components of sustainable regional development were determined using the principal components’ method. Using the fuzzy sets’ method, the values, levels of the factors, and the integral indicator of sustainable development were calculated, and the realized and unrealized potential of peat industry development in the context of the districts of the study area were determined. The causal relationships between indicators of regional sustainable development and peat industry potential, and the nature of dependence between the indicators, are argued. The regional development prospects were revealed through the peat industry development based on the regression models built by calculating the elasticity coefficients.

Features of evaluating the economic security of peat industry enterprises in the Tver Region of Russia (the industry review)

The paper is devoted to the urgent problem of sustainable and economically secure development of enterprises in the Tver Region peat-extracting sector of the economy. Despite the fact that peat deposits are widespread in many regions of Russia, the efficiency of their industrial and economic use is extremely low. The purpose of the study was to determine the features of the assessment and analysis of the economic security of an enterprise that develops peat deposits. The paper examines the relationship between the concepts of “peat rent” and “economic security”, and also provides the author’s interpretation of their content and essence. An analysis of the existing approaches to assessing the economic security of peat extracting enterprises was carried out, and the use of the rent approach was substantiated based on the data on the peat industry enterprises used in this study. The indicators for assessing the economic security of a peat production were identified. The authors proposed a methodological approach, a feature of which was comprehensive accounting of technical, economic, and natural factors that objectively affected the level of economic security of peat extracting enterprises. The proposed methodological approach also makes it possible to develop recommendations for increasing the flexibility and adaptability of peat extracting enterprises, taking into account the individual conditions of their work. The methodological research toolkit included the fundamentals of economic theory, information methods for processing statistical data, and economic and mathematical modeling. The methodology approbation was carried out through the example of enterprises of the Tver Region peat-extracting industry, which had been at a low ebb (in protracted economic crisis) for a long time. The conclusions, recommendations, and proposals of the study were used in the development of the Regional program “Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection” for 2017–2022 (Order of the Tver Region Government No. 414-pp of December 26, 2016 as amended on February 7, 2020).

Development of the Latvian peat industry over the last 100 years

Various economic, political and social developments influenced the development of the peat extraction industry in Latvia during the 20th century. In comparison with some other European countries, where peat had been used for the needs of the energy sector for several centuries, the development of peat industry in Latvia was somewhat different. The aim of this study was to find out the nature of the development of the peat industry based on an analysis of historical information and a comparison of advantages over other European countries. In order to understand the changes and factors influencing the development of the peat industry in Latvia, it was necessary to identify and evaluate peat extraction volumes, changes in peat use purposes and technologies, as well as factors influencing the industry’s development. A comparison of historical data on peat industry development in Latvia and in other European countries reveals a number of differences. Latvia was the first country in Europe to restructure peat extraction from using peat for energy to extracting and processing it for horticultural needs. Large amounts of peat were used for combustion in Latvia only for a relatively short time: between 1960 and 1990. Peat extraction decreased significantly in 1992 – a time when export markets were beginning to develop. Since 2003, more than 90% of extracted peat has been exported, mainly for the horticultural peat market.

Latvian Peat Industry – to Be or Not to Be?

This article is devoted problems sector which traditional Latvia face – peat extraction and processing industry. Potential industry, dynamic of development, and contribution to country’s economy has been provided as well. Specifics use of peat extracted in Latvia, namely, use in horticulture, is determined. Unresolved industry problems were identified, threat to industry related to implementation of European Green Investment Plan was also indicated.

Het Wassende Water

Rising water. Deserted settlements in Holland after 1514 The abandonment of villages in Northwestern Europe between 1200 and 1400 AD is a much-studied subject. Little is known about the presence of this phenomenon after 1500 AD. In the historic County of Holland (more or less the western part of the Netherlands) evaluation of an old taxation document from 1514 showed that 7,5% of the villages and 15% of the hamlets present in 1514 had disappeared by 2018. Main reason is the slowly rising North Sea. Another cause is the destructive peat industry, which caused a steady and dangerous enlargement of inland lakes. The research also showed that smaller and economically weaker settlements have a higher chance to be left deserted. Cities, and traditional agricultural villages not close to the sea or big lakes, were practically immune to permanent abandonment in the last 500 years.