The cultural and natural heritage of the south of Russia as a resource for sustainable development of territories (based on local studies)

The authors deal with the mechanisms of involving heritage objects in the economic circulation of the territories of the South of Russia. It is revealed that the use of historical, cultural and natural wealth for many regions is a real opportunity to attract additional investments in the economy, labor and social development. In the paper the idea of the state of local lore activities in the Southern regions of Russia is given. The local lore studies are considered as a form of exploring the cultural heritage. The features of the regional heritage as a resource of sustainable development of the territory are revealed. The authors note that the elicitation of the entire heritage potential through local history activity provides opportunities for the revival of historical crafts and industries in the Southern regions and opens new directions for the tourism industry taking into account the security of rural settlements and the prospects for socio-economic development of the territories.