Ecological networks as a means for maintaining the sustainability of agroecosystems in Bryansk Oblast

Abstract

Bryansk Oblast is one of the most vulnerable regions to the effects of agricultural and industrial activities resulting in ecosystems’ sustainability decreasing. For the last decade, agricultural sector has been developing rapidly and now overtakes the industrial one. The dynamics of agricultural lands has positive trends in spite of the rising fragility of agroecosystems exposing them to further degradation. The goal of the study is to show a spatial distribution of the most vulnerable ecosystems involved in agricultural use on the territory of Bryansk Oblast and to propose an optimal structure of ecological networks that is able to support landscape sustainability during agricultural activity. Based on the technique for identifying the combination of agroecosystems with destabilizing features and protective properties, four ecological belts that form ecological networks were revealed. These belts consist of 65 sites of high nature concentration. The results of this research correlate well with the modern territorial planning scheme of Bryansk Oblast. Ecological networks are viewed as a necessary element of this scheme, as they will be able to mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture and to maintain the sustainability of agroecosystems at both the regional and intraregional level.