Ecological restoration of biodiversity and forage productivity of degraded pasture ecosystems in the Central Asian Desert

Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology, 141055, k.1, Nauchnyi gorodok str., Lobnya, Moscow Region, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: aridland@mail.ru

Abstract

The low productivity of pastures and its sharp fluctuations in the desert regions of Central Asia are due to the natural-historical factors of this natural zone. However, in recent years, these shortcomings of pastures have been further aggravated as a result of the rapid growth of the population, the continuous development of industry and transport in desert areas, and the pressure of anthropogenic and man-made factors on vegetation and soil is increasing from year to year. This caused disruption of the structure and normal functioning of pasture ecosystems, and their degradation. Mass degradation of pasture ecosystems in arid regions of Central Asia occurs in a short time, which dictates the need for environmental restoration of these destroyed pasture lands. The United Nations General Assembly, by resolution 73/284, adopted at the 69th plenary meeting on March 1, 2019, decided to proclaim 2021-2030 as the "United Nations Decade for the Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems" and called on UN member states to help strengthen political will, mobilize available resources, strengthening scientific studies on ecosystem restoration at the global, regional, national and local levels. To restore the lost biodiversity of the forage productivity of degraded pasture ecosystems in the Central Asian Karnabchul Desert, dominant species of forage plants were sown in the following ratio: Haloxylon aphyllum (15 %), Halothamnus subaphyllus (20 %), Artemisia diffusa (50 %) and Poa bulbosa (15 %). The conducted studies allow to conclude that use of zonal-typical life forms of dominant species of forage plants and sowing of their mixtures (combinations) ensures formation of multi-species multi-level pasture ecosystems with high and stable forage productivity over the years in the Central Asian desert. The restored multi-level and multi-species pasture ecosystems are endowed with the property of self-renewal and self-maintenance of the structural and functional organization. The restored multi-species shrub-semi-shrub-herbaceous pasture ecosystems with a characteristic set of species inherent in natural pasture communities are characterized by high stable forage productivity and perform a conservation function in the Central Asian desert.