Indicators of the state of forage ecosystems arid and semi-arid territories of Siberia and Kazakhstan

Science-based management of forage ecosystems of arid and semi-arid territories and the fight against their degradation, carried out on the basis of systematic monitoring, assessment and accounting of their state and dynamics, are becoming actual state problems in Russia and Kazakhstan. As a result of studying, evaluating and agro-landscape-ecological zoning of territories of Siberia and Kazakhstan, creating databases of land resources and natural forage lands, using literary and stock data, the authors developed indicators of the state of forage ecosystems of arid and semi-arid territories. One of the most important ways to improve the effectiveness of assessments of the state and dynamics of degradation of forage ecosystems, as well as the most accurate diagnosis of negative processes is to solve the problem of creating and using a system of geobotanical and soil indicators of degradation of forage ecosystems. The full assessment of the state and development of the process of degradation of forage ecosystems can only be provided by using the entire system of indicators compiled on the basis of a combination of a number of main indicators of forage ecosystems. Geobotanical indicators of forage ecosystems include the following main indicators: change of plant communities, degradation of pastures, projective cover of indigenous and ruderal vegetation, productivity of natural pastures, etc. Soil indicators include: the area of allotments disturbed by erosion, the degree of destruction of surface soil horizons by erosion, the intensity of erosion, etc.