Anthropogenization and rational use of the streambed and the floodplain of the Southern Bug

Abstract

In early XXI, the economic development in landscape complexes of the streambed and floodplain of the Southern Bug has been mostly occurring spontaneously. Our objective was to analyze this process based on available materials so as to develop measures of rational use of the streambed and floodplain of the Southern Bug. We used the paragenetic approach, the principles of complexity and combination; methods of systematization of factors, historical-genetic analysis, and cartographic method. We analyzed anthropogenization of natural landscapes of the streambed and floodplain of the Southern Bug, driven by the main types of economic activities: agriculture, forestry, water economy, industries, recreation tourism, and other. In early XXI century, the main factors of the restructuring of the streambed and floodplain of the Southern Bug were agriculture and recreation tourism. Regarding the areas popular for recreation tourism, those deserving special attention are landscape complexes, streambeds, and flood- plains that have started to be actively used by extreme-sports tourists. Such landscape complexes include cascades of rapids, rocky ar- eas of the floodplain, cliffs adjacent to them, and also a system of water reservoirs on the Southern Bug, in particular Sabariv, Ladyzhyn, Trostianets, and Haivoron Reservoirs. We distinguished negative implications of spontaneous use of the streambed and floodplain, including complete replacement of the natural landscapes by anthropogenic, drying, presence of technogenic elements and objects that are alien to the streambed and floodplain of the Southern Bug, etc. We also must pay attention to the new phenomenon for the landscape of the floodplain of the Southern Bug – steppization. It is becoming more active even within the forest-steppe Middle-Bug region, in particular herbaceous cover and the fauna in floodplain areas that had been subject to irrational drying, overgrazing of cattle near the lower canal pounds of the hydroelectric power plants and dams, where the streambed deepens into the lithogenic base, and excessive recreational loading. We have proposed and substantiated directions of reconstructions of the landscape structure of the streambed and floodplain, sustainable use and protection of their natural resources.