Mapping the erosion damage of agricultural landscapes in Cherkasy region

Abstract

Among the ecological problems of the use of agricultural land, soil degradation is important, primarily related to water erosion. Erosion processes have a certain geographical reference and are most active in the steppe zone of Ukraine. Thus, the most eroded are the eastern lands - Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Cherkasy region belongs to the regions with an average level of soil erosion development and ranks ninth among the regions of Ukraine according to this indicator. Thus, the issue of soil degradation due to water erosion is relevant for many regions of Ukraine. The eastern regions suffer the most from this process, while Cherkasy region has a moderate level of erosion damage. Nevertheless, even in Cherkasy region, where soil erosion is less pronounced, a significant share of agricultural land has already been affected by this process. For effective management and conservation of agricultural land, it is important to take into account the level of erosion in different regions and take appropriate measures to prevent further soil degradation. Compared to other regions, the erosion vulnerability of Cherkasy region is not high: the share of eroded soils from the total area of agricultural land in Cherkasy region is 28,3 % (Regional report, 2021). On its territory, the share of weakly eroded soils accounts for 14 %, for moderately eroded soils – 47 %, and for strongly eroded soils – about 2 %. Erosion processes occur in two interrelated phases: planar washing and linear washing, which lead to a decrease in the content of humus and nutrients in the soil, the transfer and accumulation of washed material in streams and watercourses, which give them the character of an ecological hazard, and therefore lead to loss of natural sustainability by agro-landscapes.