ИСТИНА

Urban protected areas (PAs) are specific nature and cultural spaces in cities exposed to various negative and positive transformations. Classic 3-component system of PAs negative transformations (PADDD) was expanded (PA4D), an indicator of proposed PAs design was introduced. Detailed structure of negative (PA4D) and positive (PA4P) transformations and its subtypes/levels of case-study city (Moscow, Russia) PAs were explored through QGIS spatial analysis and remote sensing tools (2000-2021). There is significant prevalence of PA4D (53.8% of ever protected area) over PA4P (22.6%). Positive transformations occur mostly due to proposals design (49.5%), while negative result from downgrading (60.3%, mostly mitigation of protection restrictions), and failures of proposed PAs design (22.8%). Downsizing cases are quite rare (7.1%), whereas upsizing to compensate exclusions contributes 20.5% to PA4P. Degazettment is the less important component of Moscow PA4D (5%). NDVI analysis has shown a quite large share of barren areas (5.9%) in proposed PAs, thus suggesting that a lot of them finally will be not designed. Moreover, there is a slight increase of barren areas (+40.4% of 2000 value). Grasslands are the most fragile biotopes in included PAs parts (-38.3%) due to secondary succession and replacing by modern parks. At the same time, a share of cultural landscapes is dramatically growing in excluded parts (+86.5%). The crucial causes of negative PAs changes are: large downsizing of PAs cores (67.9%), using of mostly distant green areas (75%) while compensating exclusions, decrease of proposed PAs area (25% of total proposed area were excluded), low share of designed PAs, appending to existing PAs (54.4%) and rather high share of barren areas in lands reserved to PAs establishment (5.9%). Such PA4D-PAUUSD analysis can provide a set of effective tools to influence urban environmental policy. It might become an international project due to strong nature and political differences between world countries, regions and cities. Only global scientific network could provide tools to compare environmental value of urban PAs of different countries, to adopt positive cases of PAs functional zoning and regulations, and to increase its influence on PAs design and transformations.