Dynamics of Land Degradation in Rostov Oblast

Our research concentrates on the stability assessment of geosystems (including agroecosystems) in Rostov oblast. The southeast area of the region is considered the most vulnerable and was selected to conduct calculations on the degradation processes in comparison with the average indicators for the region. We provide a comparative assessment of aridity in the spatio-temporal aspect, including values for the moisture deficit, one of the main indicators of aridity in general. The aridity index, determined using various calculation methods based on data from representative meteorological stations, has shown that the degree of aridity increased in all areas of the region, which indicates a general trend towards an increase in climate aridity. Based on archived and current satellite images we calculated the vegetation index NDVI, and subsequently evaluated changes in the state of natural vegetation cover of Rostov oblast: sparse vegetation is predominant for the southern, southeastern, and northern parts of the region, and a tendency towards a decrease in areas with dense vegetation is noted. In the western and central parts of the region, there is a tendency towards a gradual increase in the area of dense vegetation. In the soils of agricultural landscapes, according to the results of a continuous agrochemical survey, it was found that from 1960 to 2000 there was a gradual decrease in the humus content, the rate of decrease over 40 years was 1.2–1.3. Since the 2000s, the humus content in the arable layer has been in a certain equilibrium, characteristic of the bioclimatic and production conditions of Rostov oblast, in the absence of erosion processes, a decrease in the humus content is not observed. Furthermore, we were able to assess the state of forest shelter belts using the same satellite images, and with the additional help of archival soil surveys from the Southern Research Institute of State Land Design. We consider a decrease of forest shelter belts to be one of the contributing indicators to the climate change process. Therefore, we suggest using this indicator for assessing various desertification processes.

1. Akimova T.A., Khaskin V.V. Osnovy ekorazvitiya [Eco-Development Fundamentals]. Moscow: 1994. 312 p.

2. Bengtsson J., Angelstam P., Elmqvist T. et al. Reserves, resilience and dynamic landscapes. AMBIO, 2003, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-32.6.389

3. Bezuglova O.S., Nazarenko O.G., Il’inskaya I.N. Land degradation dynamics in Rostov Oblast. Arid Ecosyst., 2020, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 93–97. https://doi.org/10.1134/S207909612002002X

4. Bezuglova O.S., Nazarenko O.G., Il’inskaya I.N. Problems of desertification, land degradation and droughts in the Rostov region. In Natsional’nyi doklad “Global’nyi klimat i pochvennyi pokrov Rossii: opustynivanie i degradatsiya zemel’, institutsional’nye, infrastrukturnye, tekhnologicheskie mery adaptatsii (sel’skoe i lesnoe khozyaistvo)” [National Report “Global Climate and Soil Cover of Russia: Desertification and Land Degradation, Institutional, Infrastructural, Technological Adaptation Measures (Agriculture and Forestry)”]. Edel’geriev R.S.-Kh., Ed. Moscow: MBA Publ., 2019, vol. 2, pp. 208–217. (In Russ.).

5. Bulatov V.I., Igenbaeva N.O. Designing environmental indicators of sustainable development at the regional level. Vestn. Yugorskogo Gos. Univ., 2008, no. 1 (8), pp. 9–16. (In Russ.).

6. Cardinale B., Duffy J., Gonzalez A. et al. Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. Nature, 2012, vol. 486, no. 7401, pp. 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11148

7. Elizbarashvili N., Sulkhanishvili N., Elizbarashvili R. Main concepts of sustainable development of mountainous regions (on the example of the Caucasus). Chasopis Sotsіal’no-Ekonomіchnoi Geografii., 2018, vol. 25, pp. 66–74. (In Ukr.).

8. Golozubov O.M., Litvinov YU.A., Kolesnikova V.M. Vektorizatsiya krupnomasshtabnykh pochvennykh kart. Metodicheskoe posobie [Vectorization of Large-scale Soil Maps. Toolkit]. Moscow, 2020. 72 p. Available at: https://soil-db.ru/nauchnaya-deyatelnost/publikacii (accessed: 15.06.2021). (In Russ.).

9. Hector A., Schmid B., Beierkuhnlein C., Caldeira M.C., Diemer M., Dimitrakopoulos P.G., Finn J.A., Freitas H. Plant diversity and productivity experiments in European grasslands. Science, 1999, vol. 286, no. 5442, pp. 1123–1127. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.286.5442.1123

10. Il’inskaya I.N. Normirovanie orosheniya i produktivnosti agroekosistem na Severnom Kavkaze [Rationing of Irrigation and Productivity of Agroecosystems in the North Caucasus]. Rostov-on-Don: RosNIIPM, 2005. 112 p.

11. Ivanov N.N. Determination of the values of volatility. Izv. VGO, 1954, vol. 86, no. 2, pp. 189–196. (In Russ.).

12. Khromov S.P., Mamontova L.I. Meteorologicheskii slovar’ [Meteorological Dictionary]. Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat Publ., 1974. 567 p.

13. Kuznetsov Yu.G., Markarova Zh.R. The productivity of crop rotations of various designs on Kashtanozems. Izv. Orenburg. Gos. Agrar. Univ. 2014, no. 5 (49), pp. 28–31. (In Russ.).

14. Lur’e P.M., Panov V.D. Reka Don: Gidrografiya i rezhim stoka [Don River: Hydrography and Flow Regime]. Rostov-on-Don: Donskoi Izd. Dom, 2018. 592 p.

15. Poluektov E.V., Tsvylev E.M. Pochvenno-zemel’nye resursy Rostovskoi oblasti [Soil and Land Resources of the Rostov Region]. Novocherkassk: UPTs “NABLA” YURGTU (NPI), 2008. 355 p.

16. Sachs J.D., Kroll C., Lafortune G., Fuller G., Woelm F. The Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Development Report 2021. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2021. 505 p. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009106559

17. Selyaninov G.T. On agricultural climate assessment. Tr. Po S-kh. Meteorol., 1928, no. 20, pp. 165–177. (In Russ.).

18. Shashko D.I. Considering bioclimatic potential. Zemledelie, 1985, no. 4, pp. 19–26. (In Russ.).

19. Tilman D., Downing J.A. Biodiversity and stability in grasslands. Nature, 1994, vol. 367, pp. 363–365.

20. Uskova T.V. Sustainable development of the territory and modern management methods. Probl. Razvitiya Territorii, 2020, no. 2 (106), pp. 7–18. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.15838/ptd.2020.2.106.1

21. Zakrutkin V.E., Ryshkov M.M., Shishkina D.Yu., Tsvylev E.M. Agroecosystems of moisture-deficient areas, their economic capacity and prospects for sustainable functioning. Izv. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Geogr., 2002b, no. 3, pp. 69–78. (In Russ.).

22. Zakrutkin V.E., Ryshkov M.M., Tsvylev E.M., Shishkina D.Yu. Agroekosistemy v ekstremal’nykh prirodnykh usloviyakh [Agroecosystems in Extreme Natural Conditions]. Rostov-on-Don: SKNTs VSh Publ., 2002a. 125 p.

23. Zolotokrylin A.N., Cherenkova E.A., Titkova T.B. Aridization of drylands in the European part of Russia: Secular trends and links to droughts. Izv. Akad. Nauk, Ser. Geogr., 2020, vol. 84, no. 2, pp. 207–217. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31857/S258755662002017X