The Current State of Ravine Type Shrub Vegetation in the Area of Lake Elton

Resumo

By the end of the XX century, the ravine forests of the Volga–Ural interfluve degraded as a result of anthropogenic impact and turned into polydominant shrubberies, the area of which continues to decrease. In 2013–2014 the current state of such plant communities was studied on the northwestern coast of Lake Elton. The total area of shrubberies has already decreased by 50% because of fires, and their fire resistance declines constantly as a result of grazing.