Transformation of the Kuzbass Soil Cover Structure Under Conditions of Modern Economic Use of Land Resources

Abstract

With the growth of the industrial potential of the region, which is based on the coal mining industry, the land fund is dynamically redistributed. The purpose is to characterize changes in the distribution of land resources of the Kemerovo region-Kuzbass according to their intended purpose and to identify the impact of redistribution processes on the structure of the soil cover. Materials and methods. Land distribution by purpose has been analysed on the basis of offi cial data for a 37-year period (1985-2022). Soil cover structure is given on the basis of methodological approaches used in cartographic assessment. Results and discussion. The growth of industrial potential determined the redistribution of the land fund by categories of their intended purpose. The increase in the share of the area is characterized by the lands of settlements by 3,3 %, specially protected areas – 4,3 % and the forest fund – 2,1 %, industry – 26,3 %, a decrease was noted for reserve lands by 31,6 % and for agricultural purposes to 27,6 %. The technogenic load leads to the transformation of the structure of the soil cover, the appearance of anthropogenic-degradation and technogenic soil-like formations that are permanently fi xed in the landscapes of the region. Conclusions. The ecological problem of Kuzbass is the irreversible transformation of landscapes by mining enterprises and the formation of disturbed lands on the site of fertile soils, the area of which may have amounted to 120-150 thousand hectares. The overall assessment of soil diversity, excluding anthropogenic-transformed soils, is characterized by a high level (56,1-70,0 %). On the technogenic landscape of the experimental site, this indicator was 1,01 %, with an increase to 20,07 % after the mining and technical stage of reclamation, which confi rms the eff ectiveness of measures to restore disturbed lands.