Export and Resource Potential of Territories Adjacent to the Baikal–Amur Mainline

The article evaluates and analyzes the integral export and resource potential of the territories adjacent to the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM-zone), according to three subpotentials: mineral resource, forest resource and energy resource. An overview of the main studies of the socioeconomic development of the BAM-zone and the role of the highway in the development of the territories of Siberia and the Far East is given. Mathematical-statistical, cartographic and field methods were used during the study. Based on the assumption that the natural resources are fully exported, the reasons for the differences in the assessment of the export-resource potential and its implementation for individual sections of the BAM are determined. The mineral resource subpotential is realized point-by-point mainly in the western sections of the BAM. The largest deposits, located in the middle and eastern regions of the BAM, remain underutilized due to infrastructural undevelopment. It is expected that the potential of the eastern regions will be realized faster due to the proximity of the Far Eastern seaports and the export orientation of the mining industry against the background of favorable global market conditions. The value of the realization of the forest-resource subpotential is also higher for the western part of the BAM-zone, for the middle areas of the zone it is limited by the predominance of less valuable larch forests, and for the eastern regions–China’s demand for round timber. The implementation of the energy-resource subpotential is possible only for one region in the BAM-zone–Amur oblast. It is noted that the western regions of the BAM-zone, to a greater extent than the eastern regions, realize both forest-resource and mineral-resource subpotentials. The most promising resources for export are oil and gas, lumber for the western regions of the BAM-zone, iron ore, gold for the middle regions of BAM, coal, gold, lumber for the eastern regions of BAM.

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