**2. Natural and anthropogenic landscapes of Ukraine**

**1. Introduction**

54 Land Degradation and Desertification - a Global Crisis

serious land degradation [5].

the agrarian landscapes.

deterioration.

Land degradation is a relevant and important problem for Ukraine. The solution to this problem requires not only a detailed study of land degradation causes, but also involves identifying a risk of land degradation [1]. Unprecedented human activity destroys the landscape complexes globally. In this publication, the authors consider in brief the effect of such unpractical land use into land degradation and desertification processes in Ukraine on

Ukraine is known for its fertile arable lands as a key natural resource. But throughout the twentieth century, Ukraine's lands were dramatically changed by anthropogenic stress. Virgin lands were ploughed and mires, swamps and wetlands drained, forests shrunk and steppe lands were severely mined. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), data as much as 76% of the total land are severely degraded due to human activities [3]. This high figure results largely from a history of intensive agriculture and mining development. As land degradation is considered one of the major environmental problems, Ukraine joined the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) [4] in 2002. The Convention's annex on Regional Implementation for Central and Eastern Europe cites Ukraine as an example of

The Law on land protection (2003, No. 962-IV) and the Law on state control of use and protection of land (2003, No. 963-IV) approved after joining UNCCD, include provisions to restrict improper use of land, but resources for ensuring their application are strictly limited.

From year to year, we observed the great growth of lands under mines, open pits and other industrial facilities that led to numerous lands subsidence, rocks slide, decrease areas of arable lands, etc. The arable areas had also greatly suffered from development of terricones, waste banks, pit refuse heaps as well as from building of an earth dams, bridges, roads, water reservoirs, etc. The enormous contaminants emitted into the environment from different

Soil dehumification and consequently increased emissions of carbon dioxide (agent of the greenhouse effect) are significant causes of change in meteorological conditions. This enables another destructive mechanism of land degradation—desertification. In the spatial context, desertification can be considered as the phenomenon, which is to increase the area of depleted ecosystems. Desertification is a manifestation of the effects of biodiversity and biomass loss, and evaluation of the soil fertility impacts on primary productivity of ecosystems formed in

Large extent or inaccessibility of degraded areas, insufficient funding for soil and vegetation cover research, as well as unsatisfactory quality of relevant archival materials, makes multispectral satellite imagery a reliable information source for the assessment of potential land

industries have tangible effect on almost all the landscapes in the country.

the examples of natural and human-inspired landscapes [2].

As a result of long-term landscape changes, the level of territory transformation has deviated significantly in different parts of the country, the highest percentage of natural landscapes being observed in mountainous areas (**Figure 1**). However, mountainous landscapes occupy relatively insignificant parts of the territory (around 6%). According to **Figure 1**—the northern, northern-western, the mid reaches of the Dnieper River and the part of the territory under natural components makeup to 50%, and the forest–steppe and steppe geographical zones transformation exceed 90% of the total area. Natural components here are located on the restricted areas adjacent to rivers and to the Black sea coastal area.

**Figure 1.** Anthropogenic landscapes of Ukraine.

Out-of-balance and unpractical natural resource management from the previous century have led to the environmental situation and the landscape architecture we see nowadays. It is too far from optimism. However, what is evident is that the level of land degradation is unequal (**Figure 1**). It is associated with human impacts of different intensities depending on territorial differentiation of natural conditions and resources, level of social and economic development and other factors peculiar to different areas of Ukraine.

In general, the percentage of tilled lands at the level of 60–80% (from the total area) is considered as unfavourable; 25–60%—conditionally favourable; and <25%—favourable. Optimal assessment of tillage is still met in the Ukrainian Polissya, mountainous areas of Carpathians and Crimea. Ukraine is characterized by highest percentage of tilled lands: As it mentioned above, just around 8% (5 million ha) of lands are in natural conditions. Agricultural development of the land resources is 72.2%. And the steppe oblasts are characterized by the highest value of cultivated lands: Zaporizhia (88%), Kirovograd (86%), Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa oblasts (83% each), and Kherson (82%). A bit lower level is observed in the forest–steppe oblasts, and significantly lower level of cultivation (by 1.5–2 times) is within the Polissya territory. The percentage of cultivated lands in Ukraine is the highest in the world and the main contributors to that are the territories of forest–steppe and steppe zones [6]. For comparison: the percentage of tilled lands in the USA is 19%, France and Germany—33%, Italy—31% [7], that is these factors correspond to favourable and conditionally favourable characteristics. Such a high level of cultivated lands is unfavourable as from economic as well as from environmental points of view. It abruptly decreases a natural potential of the territory and makes it monotonous, and economy activity—highly specialized [8].
