Semiarid Intermontane Basins of the North Caucasus: Landscapes and Land Use Transformationsстатья
Информация о цитировании статьи получена из
Web of Science,
Scopus
Статья опубликована в журнале из списка Web of Science и/или Scopus
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 1 декабря 2021 г.
Аннотация:—Long-term field studies of the semiarid intermontane basins in the North Caucasus region madeit possible since the end of the 20th century to identify their landscape structure and modern changes in thelandscapes that are due to different levels of anthropogenic pressure. In the early 1990s, the pressure on landscapes in the Itum-Kalinskaya basin decreased due to the termination of intense economic use (mainly grazing), and their biogenic components began to recover. As a result, the aridization noted by many authors inthe 1970s–1980s has stopped. The destruction of cultural landscape elements (plow terraces, irrigation systems, etc.) is currently observed in mountain meadow–steppe landscapes. In the Bylymskaya basin, theanthropogenic pressure generally decreased in the 1990s, but its current distribution is extremely irregular. Asa result, some landscapes are degrading, while the state of others is improving. The increased pressure onmountain–steppe landscapes has gradually transformed them into anthropogenic modifications. The mostsevere anthropogenic disturbances are noted in landscapes on north-facing slopes adjacent to the residentialand economic zone, which are used almost year-round. The contrast between landscapes with different uselevels is increasing: landscapes in the vicinity of settlements are exposed to high pressure, while some remotelandscapes may be not in use at all.