Introduction. The effectiveness of interaction between education and science is determined not only by quality of educational content, but also by characteristics of its perception by potential participants. This article is devoted to the main component of students' motivation – their learning readiness –within protected natural areas and other natural objects. The goal of the article is to evaluate the readiness of potential visitors of Russian botanic gardens to participate in educational processes arranged within protected areas. Materials and Methods. The research methods included reviewing and analysis of Russian and international studies on creating learning environments within protected areas, promotion of sustainable development and transmission of natural science knowledge by means of educational and motivational tools of educational tourism. The research data were collected using Google Forms (a survey administration software). In order to process the data, the authors used Fischer criterion and graphical analysis tools of Microsoft Office Excel. Results. The study evaluated readiness and motivation to participate in a relevant educational interaction among potential visitors of Russian botanic gardens. The article examined factors contributing to the efficiency of this process: participants’ experience of interaction with botanic gardens, needs and interests in interaction with botanic gardens within different age groups. It was found that high number of respondents pursued educational goals in visiting botanic gardens. Integrative programs which combine educational, creative and entertaining components were chosen by visitors aged up to 55 years. Visitors aged 55 years and over preferred mainly educational programs aimed at obtaining natural science knowledge and mastering relevant skills. At the same time, the absolute majority of respondents believed that they had no experience of participating in educational events in the studied protected areas. Conclusions. In general, the study found a certain readiness for educational interaction among potential visitors of Russian Botanic gardens. The authors conclude, that it is necessary to pay special attention to arranging this interaction taking into account participants’ age characteristics.

The relevance of exploring the ways to impact the Russian Arctic schoolchildren’s attitudes towards nature is explained by the contradictions between the obvious social significance of this issue (and at the same time its wide application possibilities) and the lack of Russian researchers interested in it. Our hypothesis was that occasional visits to botanical gardens can have a significant impact on the development of personal attitudes towards nature in primary schoolchildren of the Russian Arctic. The aim of this study was to identify the specifics of environmental attitudes in a group of primary school students of the Russian Arctic region and to evaluate the impact of occasional visits to the botanical garden on these attitudes. The study involved 60 students of 2-4 grades of secondary schools of the Murmansk region and was conducted using the technique by S.D. Deryabo and V.A. Yasvin "AESOP" (Emotions, Knowledge, Protection, Benefit) on the basis of the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden of the the N.A. Avrorin Institute of the Kola Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences. The outcomes of the study show that primary school children living in the Russian Arctic, just like their peers from other regions, generally perceive nature as an aesthetic object. However, their perception of nature tends to have a decreased cognitive component (‘Knowledge’). We conclude that occasional visits to botanical gardens that engage children in a specially organized cognitive activity can be considered significant only in terms of the pragmatic component (‘Benefit’) of the environmental attitude.