Assessment of the Ecological Condition of Landscapes of the Volgograd Trans-Volga Region

DOI

10.2991/aer.k.200202.026How to use a DOI?

Keywords

landscape assessment, ecological condition of landscapes, anthropogenic load, land degradation, soil suitability for forest growth, protective afforestation, mapping

Abstract

the article analyses the main reasons for decrease in productivity and ecological stability of agricultural landscapes in the Volgograd Trans-Volga region: plowing of virgin lands, haphazard mode of pasture lands use, unsustainable agricultural land use, lack of forest reclamation measures. Authors define adaptive landscape approach to nature management. They showed the role of protective afforestation in stabilization and improvement of ecological situation in the territory. The paper presents the method of complex assessment of combined impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on landscapes condition of the Volgograd Trans-Volga region. The main criteria were as follows: soil suitability for forest growth (dominance of the group of soil suitability for forest growth in the landscape), protective forest cover of arable land, plough-disturbance, indices of agricultural land degradation (erosion, deflation and salinization). The method of zoning of ecological conditions by B. V. Vinogradov was considered as the basis for characteristics of landscapes environmental distress according to the following categories: norm, risk, crisis and disaster. The article revealed that the most part of landscapes of the Trans-Volga region (that makes 66.7%) is at a crisis stage, disaster – 28%. Category of norm accounts for 1.2%, at risk – 4.1% of the area of agricultural land in landscapes. On the basis of GIS technologies and previously developed original thematic maps (landscape, soil, forest reclamation, etc.) for the study region, the final map of ecological condition of landscapes of the Trans-Volga region was constructed. When optimizing the structure of farmland, first of all, it is necessary to focus on forest reclamation measures that will ensure the agro-ecological stability of landscapes, reducing the damage from anthropogenic impact on the territory. Authors suggest recommendations for planting protective forest plantations depending on the forest conditions of the territory and the ecological condition of the landscapes.

Copyright

© 2020, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Alexander Koshelev
AU  - Natalya Tkachenko
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/02/08
TI  - Assessment of the Ecological Condition of Landscapes of the Volgograd Trans-Volga Region
BT  - Proceedings of the IV International Scientific and Practical Conference 'Anthropogenic Transformation of Geospace: Nature, Economy, Society' (ATG 2019)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 122
EP  - 127
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/aer.k.200202.026
DO  - 10.2991/aer.k.200202.026
ID  - Koshelev2020
ER  -