GEOECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF LAND USE STRUCTURE OF THE PIDGORODNYA TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY
Authors: Kuzyk Ihor , Novytska Svitlana , Yankovska Lubov 
Published: December 2023

The purpose of the study is to assess the geo-environmental parameters and optimize the land use structure of the Pidgorodnya territorial community. The authors used special methods to determine the anthropogenic load, coefficients of ecological stability and anthropogenic transformation of the territory of the Pidgorodnya territorial community.

The Pidgorodnya territorial community is located in the center of Ternopil region and Ternopil district, covering an area of 123.47 km². The community is home to 7418 people. The Pidgorodnya community was established in 2020 and unites 7 rural settlements, on the basis of which 6 starosta districts and a center in the village of Pidhorodne were created. The soil cover of the study area is among the most fertile soils in the region. There are two rivers and 8 ponds within the community.

The article analyses and geo-ecologically assesses the land use structure of the Pidgorodnya community. It is established that the structure of land use in the study area is dominated by arable land (71%), forests occupy 7%, built-up land - 4%, pastures - 9%, hayfields - 5%, perennial plantations - 3%, land under water and swamps - 1%. The share of natural lands in the community is 27%, and the level of community conservation is 1.1%. The community has created 5 protected areas: a botanical garden, 2 botanical reserves and 2 botanical natural monuments with a total area of 135.5 hectares.

Based on the results of the calculations, the coefficient of anthropogenic transformation of the territory of the Pidgorodnya territorial community was determined, which is 6,16; the coefficient of ecological stability – 0,28; anthropogenic load score is 3,7 and the coefficient of anthropogenic load – 3,7. According to the results obtained, it was found that the territory of the Pidgorodnya territorial community is ecologically unstable with an average degree of landscape transformation, and an average degree of anthropogenic pressure. Based on the calculations and results obtained, we can state the need to optimise the land use structure of the Pidgorodnya territorial community.

In order to correct and improve the situation and bring the study area to the normative indicators of environmental stability, a number of optimization measures a number of optimization measures should be taken. The article substantiates the optimisation model of land use of the Pidgorodnya territorial community, which provides for a reduction of arable land by 25%, an increase in forest cover by 17%, and bringing the share of natural lands to the optimal level of 50%. Given the landscape features of the study area, we propose to reduce arable land at the expense of low-productive and eroded lands. Thus, the optimised land use structure of the Pidgorodnya territorial community will include 46% arable land, 24% forests, 25% pastures, hayfields and perennial plantations, 4% built-up land, and 1% land under water and marshes. Implementation of this approach requires changing the designated purpose of individual land plots and organising their landscape-adapted use. The prospect of further research is to determine the areas of land for transferring them from the anthropogenic category to the natural category, with further optimisation.

Key words: geoecological assessment, land use, ecological stability, anthropogenic load.