Restoring steppe landscapes: patterns, drivers and implications in Russia\u2019s steppes

Peter H Verburg,Grigory Kazachkov,Robert Pazur,Sergey Levykin,Renat Akhmetov,Ksenya Myachina,Alexander V Prishchepov,Matthias Bürgi,Ilya Yakovlev,Natalia Rogova,Elena V Ponkina

doi:10.1007/s10980-020-01174-7

Abstract

ContextAgricultural land abandonment across the steppe belt of Eurasia has provided an opportunity for the restoration of steppe landscapes in recent decades. However, global food demands are about to revert this trajectory and put restored steppe landscapes at risk.ObjectivesWe analysed steppe development in southern Russia in the last 40 years, assessed its spatial patterns and drivers of change for several periods.MethodsUsing Landsat imagery, we mapped the permanent steppe and steppe restoration from 1990 to 2018. Based on regression tree models, we evaluate and explain its dynamics. Results were compared with district-level trends in land-use intensities of cropland.ResultsWe found 70% of the steppe in 2018 represented permanent steppe and 30% of former cropland dominantly abandoned in the postsocialism (1990–2000). The permanent steppe and steppe restored in the postsocialism (1990–2000) were located far from settlements, on rough terrain and in districts of the Virgin Land Campaign (1954–1963). In recent decades, the patterns of steppe restoration (2000–2018) were mostly determined by unfavourable agroclimatic conditions and distance from grain storage facilities. The restoration pattern reflects regional differences in land-use intensities, e.g., isolated steppe patches mostly appeared in areas of intensive agricultural land-use.ConclusionsSteppe restoration has appeared in areas marginal for agricultural production, with poor natural conditions and little human footprint. Consequently, the permanent steppe became less fragmented and a more continuous steppe landscape resulted. The remaining isolated steppe patches require attention in restoration programs as they are mostly located in areas of intensive agricultural land-use.

Highlights

Steppe and savannah biomes are recognized as globally important ecosystems, playing a fundamental role in global biogeochemical cycling, hosting biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of the global population (Ellis et al 2010; Fetzel et al 2017)
The Boosted regression trees (BRTs) models which aimed at explaining the spatial pattern of steppe restoration, indicated that the selected variables explain a significant part of the spatial variation, but large differences can be seen for the different periods
Our study reveals that agricultural land abandonment in the Orenburg province, an area that is highly representative for the Russian steppe belt, resulted in an increase in steppe landscape from 40% of the province’s total area in 1990 to 57% in 2018

Summary

Introduction

Steppe and savannah biomes are recognized as globally important ecosystems, playing a fundamental role in global biogeochemical cycling, hosting biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of the global population (Ellis et al 2010; Fetzel et al 2017). These biomes are characterized by uneven and low precipitation with frequent droughts, often leading to an agricultural frontier situation where agricultural expansion and contraction (i.e., abandonment) alternate, depending on climatic or socioeconomic conditions (Horion et al 2016). R. Akhmetov Geology-Geography Department, Orenburg State University, Pobedy ave. Akhmetov Geology-Geography Department, Orenburg State University, Pobedy ave. h.13, 460018 Orenburg, Russia

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