The environmental problems of cities emerged almost simultaneously with the cities themselves. The creation of an environmentally sustainable urban environment is one of the key scientific and practical challenges of our time. The Korolev urban district is one of the major research and production centres of the Moscow region. Here, in 2007, due to the intensification of cottage construction, there was a threat of reduction of the area occupied by urban forests. In this connection, an environmental project was carried out aimed at: 1) development of criteria for identifying sites with high potential for establishing protected areas of local importance, and application of these criteria in the ecological and biogeographical assessment of the urban district; 2) drawing up of certificates of protected areas of local importance and description of their boundaries. The obtained cartographic materials and passports were handed over to the Korolev city administration and they will be used in the creation of the scheme of protected areas of regional and local levels.