Rangeland degradation in the Republic of Kazakhstan: causes and consequences

   The aim is to search for the causes of pasture degradation in Kazakhstan, determination of stagnation of pasture massifs on the basis of remote sensing of land and the state of pasture lands using NDVI index.

   Methods - analytical and economic-statistical were used to study the sources of pasture land depletion and factors affecting their condition, to collect statistical data, to study trends in their change; monographic and comparative analysis - allowed to identify local causal links and consequences of degeneration; information from different regions was compared, the most vulnerable zones were shown.

   Results - space monitoring was carried out, images of degraded pastures of Ereymetau district were uploaded through the platform of JSC "Kazakhstan Ғarysh Sapary". Soil types typical for the region were determined on the site of AIS GZK on the soil map. The object is the survey of pasture massifs of Ulenty rural district. Using the European Sentinel-2A satellite  https://dataspace.copernicus.eu space images were downloaded on all available spectral channels to compare images with projective coverage obtained on four dates, subsequently edited in ArcGis 10.4. Radiometric and atmospheric correction works to eliminate interferences were carried out in the program.

   Conclusions - from the processed NDVI data, it is evident that NDVI values of rangelands are declining annually. Solutions to the problems are suggested. The author substantiates the necessity of pasture infrastructure development (irrigation points), strengthening of forage base and use of shifting grazing method, control of taken measures at the state level. Pasture land use requires revision of the institutional framework for pasture management. Competence on these issues should be transferred from the district executive bodies to the local self-government.

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