Assessment of the Grassland Degradation Stages in Highland Semiarid Ecosystems of the Central Caucasus
Journal: Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk Seriya Geograficheskaya
Year: 2023

Overgrazing, grassland degradation, and soil erosion are significant problems in mountain semiarid ecosystems of the Central Caucasus. Semiarid highland grasslands mainly occur on southern slopes with shallow soils covering a rocky impermeable layer. These ecosystems experience more drought than the grasslands on the northern slopes, and like other drylands, they are especially prone to climate change and desertification. Year-round overgrazing in rural semiarid pastures, as a result of the incr