Land-Use/-Cover Changes and Their Effect on Soil Erosion and River Suspended Sediment Load in Different Landscape Zones of European Russia during 1970–2017

Contemporary trends in cultivated land and their influence on soil/gully erosion river suspended sediment load were analyzed by various landscape zones within the most populated agriculturally developed part of European Russia, covering 2,222,390 km2. Based official statistics from Russian Federation former Soviet Union, this study showed that after collapse Union 1991, there was a steady downward trend throughout region. From 1970–1987 to 2005–2017, region lost about 39% its croplands. Moreover, significant relative reduction noted forest zone (south taiga, mixed broadleaf forests) dry steppes semi-desert Caspian Lowland—about 53% 65%, respectively. These territories are with climatically risky agriculture less fertile soils. There also widespread agricultural machinery croplands livestock pastures A decrease rates over past decades revealed based state hydrological monitoring data as one indicators temporal variability intensity basins published results some field research parts studied zones. The found Russia’s forest-steppe zone. This presumably due favorable combination above changes cover/use climate change.