Project of basin nature management of the Vorskla river within the boundaries of Prokhorovsky district

Abstract

Belgorod Oblast, which occupies 0.2% of the country’s territory, is among the leading subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of agricultural production. At present, about 61% of the oblast’s territory is occupied by arable land, at least half of which, to varying degrees, is eroded. High agricultural load combined with accelerated water erosion of soils has led to a significant deterioration of the resource and environmental condition of agricultural landscapes. Negative changes affected almost all components of agro-ecosystems. First of all, it affected their central component - the soil cover: as a result of long-term exploitation and increasing water erosion, the reserves of humus and mineral nutrients decreased significantly. The region’s river network has also undergone significant changes: over the last century, its length has decreased by 35% from its original state. The above trends in the development of degradation processes determine the need for geoplanning solutions to ensure the soil conservation organization of nature management in the Belgorod region. In the current situation it is necessary to scientifically justified transformation of agricultural landscapes into sustainable agro-ecosystems. In this case, it is necessary to use a comprehensive geo-ecological approach to the organization of the landscape envelope with a rational spatial combination of natural and economic components. This idea is the basis of a new synthetic direction of socio-economic geography - geoplanning. Geo-planning approach will allow to embody geo-ecological aspects of ecosystems functioning through a set of design solutions.