ANTHROPOGENICALLY TRANSFORMED GEOSYSTEMS OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE LENA-ANGARA PLATEAU

Abstract

The history of economic reclaiming taiga geosystems of the southern part of the Lena-Angara Plateau is examined with a research objective of their anthropogenic transformation. Fluctuating changes of the intensity of the agricultural and forestry activity of local population are pointed out. Agricultural area enlarged and the industrial development of forest resources increased for the time interval since the late 19th century till 1980s. Since the end of the 20th century the economic activity decreases that is associated with the state reorganization of national economy and with the creation within the studied site of the nature reserve. The map of the modern landscape structure has been compiled. Its analysis showed that despite the lack of permanent settlements and low activity of production facilities, about half of the study area is occupied by the transformed complexes. Forest fires became the reason of this process. Their appearance on the territory of the Lena-Angara Plateau is associated with human activity. Based on historical and geographical materials the evaluation of the recovery dynamics of the transformed geosystems is carried out. In lack of an anthropogenous factor on restoration natural mountain taiga larch forests will be required about 70 years; for emergence of the cedar forests which are absent now, perhaps, centuries are necessary.