The Functional Zoning of the Syr Darya River’s Delta

Abstract

The article presents the results of the functional zoning of the delta of transboundary river Syr Darya, which is located in an ecological disaster zone and is the only watercourse in modern conditions that supplies the remained part of Aral Sea. Under the conditions of global climate change, the territories of river deltas in arid regions are subject to active degradation processes, which are associated both with decrease of their water content and increase of anthropogenic impact. To determine the current condition of Syr Darya river delta landscapes, a component-by-component analysis of its main components was carried out. Based on the assessment of use of delta natural resource potential, the degradation processes associated with the types and intensity of anthropogenic impact in the conditions of arid climate were identified. The conducted studies formed the basis for the functional zoning of the territory of Syr Darya river delta, which is a spatial planning of sustainable land use and landscapes preservation. The developed scheme of functional zoning of Syr Darya River delta allowed to propose a number of measures with allocation of landscapes recommended for conservation, restoration, or sustainable use by the certain type of land use with the minimization of degradation processes.