Geoinformation Analysis of Anthropogenic Changes in the Landscapes of the Forest-Steppe Zone of Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the publication is to present the results of the study of anthropogenic changes in the landscapes of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine, implemented by assessing the indicators of landscapes anthropogenic transformation, their diversity and fragmentation. The basic research methods are methods of geospatial GIS analysis and decoding of remote sensing data of the Earth, geoinformation mapping. According to the indicators of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes at the level of physical-geographical regions and districts of the Forest-Steppe zone, the features of changes for the period 1992-2018 are determined. The results of assessment of anthropogenic changes in forest-steppe landscapes of Ukraine show that in 1992 as well as in 2018 the vast majority of the landscapes of the territory are strongly and excessively transformed by anthropogenic activity. Such patterns persist, despite the fact that during the analyzed period in part of the investigated area there is a certain decrease in anthropogenic pressure on landscapes. The regular relations between the indicators of anthropic landscape diversity and fragmentation of landscapes are determined, which corroborates to their certain conditionality by the degree and nature of anthropogenic transformation of the territory. The novelty of the study are the proposed methods of spatial and temporal changes in landscapes estimating and identifying such changes in landscapes at the level of physical and geographical regions for the period 1992-2018 and revealing trends in the structure of land use, especially agricultural lands, forests, built-up territories as the leading types of land use in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine.