Recently, the problem of decrease in soil fertility has become more serious, pos- ing a threat to food safety of the country. The main cause is violation of technologies of rational arable farming, which leads to deterioration of the qualitative condition of soils, their degradation. Therefore, development of protective measures for soils against degradation processes is a relevant problem nowadays, solving which would preserve soils and improve their condition. The article evaluates the current condition of degradation of soils in Volyn Oblast. We determined the main aspect of degradation processes, their scales and territorial distribution. We determined that in the structure of the land fund of the Oblast, 52% is occupied by agricultural land, indicating high level of agrarian cultivation of lands. For the last 15 years, the structure of the land fund of Volyn Oblast had undergone insignificant changes, and the most of the area of the land remains unaltered. The area of agricultural lands has somewhat decreased, whereas the area of forests and forest-covered territory has increased. The area of open lands with no vegetative cover has decreased by 0.15%. Ploughed fields in the southern districts of Volyn Oblast exceed the allowable limits, accounting for over 60%. We analyzed the dynamics of the degradation process of soils in the Oblast. We determined that the degradation of soils was to the greatest degree caused by manifestations of erosion and deflation. Water erosion manifested in the territory of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Ivanychi, Lokachi, Horohiv, Lutsk and Kivertsi districts. Deflatable soils in the Oblast account for 258.2 thousand ha, most of which are in Kovel, Turiisk, Rozhyshche, Stara Vyzhivka districts. Measures for improving low-productive lands, and also land conservation, are being implemented in the Oblast. However, their scale is insufficient. We propose a complex of measures for protecting soils and preventing their degradation.

The consequences of peat fires are complete or partial loss of soil fertility over a considerable area of land, decrease in biodiversity, razing of unique landscapes, deterioration of the conditions for life and health of the population, disturbed carbon cycle, increase in the greenhouse gas emissions, intensification of climate change, etc. Climatic tendencies of recent years will further contribute to increase in peat fires and their negative aftermaths. Therefore, prevention of peat fires and recultivation of burned-out peatlands are extremely important nature-protective measures. The objectives of the article was evaluation of current condition of burned peatlands of Volyn Oblast, their territorial distribution, dynamics according to years, analysis of potential threats for ecological safety and development of recommendations for prevention of peat fires and overcoming the negative consequences. During the study we used: methods of collecting material, methods of statistical analysis of results, cartographic methods, methods of expert assessment. We determined that the problem of peat fires and burned peatlands is extremely relevant for Volyn Oblast, requiring development of a complex of measures to solve it. As of 2002, the area of burned peatlands in the Oblast accounted for 440 ha. For the period of 2002-14, a total of 803 ha of burned peatlands was recorded across Volyn Oblast. In 2015-19, their area increased by another 280 ha. The largest areas of burned peatlands were found in Kamin-Kashyrskyi (137.9 ha), Liubeshiv (26.72 ha), Manevychi (20.35 ha) districts. We determined the tendency towards increase in the number of fires and areas of burned peatlands starting from 2018. To prevent peat fires, two-sided (wetting and drying) regulation of water regime within reclamation systems, alkalinization of peat soils, increase in their fertility, sanding-up of dried peat soils are proposed. Also, important measures include monitoring of burned peatlands and prevention of wildfires. In order to further use, rehabilitate and recultivate burned peatlands, it is suggested to t inventorise burned peatlands, assess economic and ecological damages, develop a plan of further use of territories, determine priorities of development and propose corresponding economic and nature-protection measures.

Конструктивна географія і геоекологія Наукові записки. №2. 2019 138 territorial community, its production specialization, the uniqueness of natural conditions, the degree of preservation of natural landscapes, general trends and needs of socioeconomic development. An analysis of the structure of the land of the Kolodnenska united territorial community has been carried out, which showed its differentiation and deviation of its scientifically substantiated norms due to the high plowing of the territory (96%). Thus, the share of lands under natural vegetation is only 9,5%, while for agricultural land-83,44%, and under urban and industrialized lands-2,3% The estimation of scale and depth of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes has made it possible to determine the priority measures for the protection, support and reproduction of their environmental sustainability in order to create cultural landscapes at the local level. Among the main areas of optimization of nature use are: optimization of land use structure by eliminating unproductive and unproductive arable land in the category of hayfields or pasture; reduction of the share of arable land due to the arrangement of territories with steepness of slopes more than 7 degrees for the afforestation. On the basis of definite and scientifically substantiated norms of optimal arable land, perennial plantations, hayfields, pastures in agrolandscapes, ways of optimizing their use were proposed. The estimation of the coefficient of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes has shown that in the existing structure of land use in the territory of the Kolodnenska united territorial community this coefficient is 7,20-strongly-transformed landscapes. The measures to be implemented for optimizing nature use are proposed: to arrange water protection zones, to clean sources, to clear the riverbeds, to plant trees on the territories with steepness of slopes more than 7 degrees, and to organize a recreational zone near the pond. Implementation of the proposed ways to optimize the landscape and ecological organization of the territory of the Kolodnen United Territorial Community will allow preserving the natural potential and landscape balance, will contribute to the creation of a system of balanced ecological and economic development of the study area, and will allow adaptation of the structure of the land use. The proposed measures will encourage significant adjustments to the development of the agro-industrial complex-its intensification while reducing arable land, increasing the share of natural, and restored natural vegetation.

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