In accordance with the standards of education for the development of cognitive activity and creative abilities, to work with a large amount of information and interact in a group, the paper suggests using the possibilities of a demonstration experiment in all courses of physical geography. In accordance with the standards of education for improving the quality of students’ knowledge, developing their cognitive activity, creative abilities, the mechanism of forming positive motivation in the process of independent activity in the acquisition of new knowledge and creative approach to the learning process is shown. The conducted pedagogical research on the selection of the content and forms of organization of the demonstration experiment showed the possibility of forming critical thinking in students on the basis of experimental activities in geography lessons. A wide introduction of a demonstration experiment that brings the quality of the lesson and extracurricular work to a new level with the provision of differentiation and individualization of the learning process is proposed.

The author’s definition of marginal territories is based on the principle of their uniqueness, specificity, and isolation. Marginal territories mean closed border areas located on the edge of districts or isolated areas in the center under the influence of factors and released a higher diversity and number of species, characterized by isolation from the center, which are based on the isolation of life of the population of the district. The assessment of the quality of the environment for the comfort of living in marginal territories was carried out in comparison with the control areas related to the lands of localities and recreational territories. It is carried out on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the habitat of groups of organisms sensitive to environmental degradation, belonging to the department of Lichens. The assessment of the condition of marginal territories was carried out by methods of determining the degree of lichen cover and the air pollution level parameter, the biotic index parameter, and the poleo-tolerance index in comparison with control territories related to the lands of settlements and recreational territories.

The article analyzes the levels of socio-economic development and environmental situation in the Krasnoyarsk territory in comparison with the subjects of the Federation of the Siberian Federal district. The key indicators of socio-economic and environmental development of the Krasnoyarsk territory were shown. The ecological problems of the territories of large cities with high and very high levels of water, air and soil pollution are highlighted. The spatial differentiation of anthropogenic impact on environmental components and the severity of geoecological problems in the region are emphasized.