METHODS FOR THE OPTIMIZATION OF LANDSCAPE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF SMALL RIVER BASINS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE TURIYA RIVER BASIN)

Abstract

Implementation of an integrated method to water resources management based on the basin principle is one of the main provisions of the EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. Integrated river basin management is based on the fact that natural ecosystems within it, including nearby wetlands and groundwater systems, are a source of freshwater. In the basins of small rivers, the nature and usage intensity of the catchment area determine the hydrochemistry of water and the general state of aquatic ecosystems. In this regard, research in this direction is relevant. The article presents methods of optimizing the landscape territorial structure of small river basins within the framework of integrated river basin management using the example of the river Turia basin. The general ecological condition of the river widely depends on the level of anthropogenic load on the small river basins, which are tributaries of the 1st and 2nd order. Violation of the optimal ratio between stable and unstable elements of the landscape, imperfect anti-erosion organization of the territory of agricultural land leads to a rapid passage of surface runoff, activation of erosion processes and, as a result, siltation of rivers. Excessive agricultural development of river basin territories causes diffuse pollution of surface waters with biogenic substances, pesticides and other plant protection products, which negatively affects the state of aquatic ecosystems. To optimize the basin landscape-territorial structure, we propose to use a methodology for assessing the ecological state of small rivers according to a complex indicator of anthropogenic load, which makes it possible to assess the ecological state of the river basin and outline the main directions for optimizing its landscape-territorial structure and general ecological state. Optimization of the landscape structure in river basins can be achieved through the creation of a system of anti-erosion, water protection, field-protective forest belts and continuous plantations on lands, which are not in use for agricultural production. To restore river ecosystems, it is necessary to enlarge the territory of floodplain meadows and ecotones and to form a multispecies herbage. In this case, a special role is played by the arrangement of water protection zones and coastal strips, within which economic activity must be strictly regulated by the requirements of the legislation.