Autumn condition of rangeland vegetation in the foothills of the Chu-Ili mountains

Abstract

Currently, human settlements, farms and areas with water points are hotspots of land degradation.
One of the main causes of land degradation is overgrazing. The overgrazing of rangelands around villages is a problem, together with the drastic depletion of natural rangelands around densely populated
areas, especially in the South-Eastern part of the country. Traditional methods of mapping of soils and
vegetation by expert-extrapolation method require considerable financial and time costs. At the modern
technical level, the problem of obtaining information on the state of the land depends on the availability
of remote sensing methods, which make it possible to quickly obtain a fairly complete amount of data on
the state of rangeland ecosystems. It is well known that remote sensing methods should be accompanied
by extensive corrective research.
A new approach for assessing the state of rangeland resources was evaluated, which consists in
choosing “hot spots” by applying GIS data and conducting field research in selected basic plots for creation digital cartographic materials.
The article presents the results of field geobotanical studies conducted in the foothill areas of the
Chu-Ili Mountains, in the zone of piedmont deserts. The state of rangeland vegetation and biological
indicators of degradation were studied. The spectral characteristics of vegetation of the study area are
revealed. By the analysis of field data and the use of remote sensing methods, the state of rangelands
was assessed.
Key words: rangeland, foothills, vegetation, biological indicators, degradation, spectral characteristics, community, ephemerals.