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Soil-ecological zoning map

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Soil-ecological zoning

The principles of “Soil-ecological zoning of Irkutsk oblast” [Kuzmin, 2004], “Soil zoning of the Baikal region” [Kuzmin, 1993], and “Soil-geographical zoning of Mongolia” [Dorzhgotov, 2010], the map of the soil cover, information on soils, their connections with the natural conditions, obtained as a result of the in-house long-term research, and materials on geology, topography, and other natural components were used when developing the zoning.

In the map of the soil-ecological zoning, nine provinces are singled out, reflecting the peculiarity of the surface topography, since the ratio of the heat and moisture balance, which serves as the basis for zoning, manifests itself against the background of the complex orography. Here bioclimatic factors play a key role. Twenty-eight districts are distinguished in the provinces according to the lithologic-geomorphological features. From the standpoint of the structural approach, the districts are regarded as territories with a specific regular change of several types of the soil cover structure, associated with the features of terrain and parent rocks.

The complex of all natural conditions that influence the formation of the soil cover is taken into consideration in the soil-ecological zoning. Connections of soils with other components of the landscape are identified. It is necessary to consider regional features of the soil cover when planning the distribution of agricultural production, while knowledge of the interrelations of soils with the natural conditions is essential to develop the measures aimed at avoidance of negative consequences of the anthropogenic impact.

The maps of soil cover can be used as independent scientific works, characterizing the soil cover of the area, which is an important component of the landscape, as a starting material for the soil (land) resources accounting, as a support material for planning the chemicalization of the agricultural production, agroforestal and erosion control measures, development of forest resources, environmental protection, as a basis for various types of zoning, and as a manual for students of higher education institutions.

References

Dorjgotov, D. and Batkhishig, O. (2009). Soils. Soil-geographical zoning of Mongolia, in National Atlas of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, pp. 120-122.

Dorjgotov, D. (1976). Soil classification of Mongolia.Ulaanbaatar, 170 p.

Dorjgotov, D. (2003). Soils of Mongolia.Ulaanbaatar, 370 p.

Classification and Diagnostics of Soils of Russia. (2013). Authors and compilers: Shishov, L.L., Tonkonogov, V.D., Lebedeva, I.I., and Gerasimova, M.I. Moscow: V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute RAAS,  http://soils.narod.ru/obekt/obekt.html.

Kuzmin, V.A. (2004). The soil cover. Soil-ecological zoning of Irkutsk oblast, in Atlas of Irkutsk Oblast, pp. 40-41.

Kuzmin, V.A. ( 1993). Soil zoning, in Atlas of Baikal, p. 130.

Ubugunov, L.L., Ubugunova, V.I., Badmaev, N.B., Gyninova, A.B., Ubugunov, V.L., and Balsanova, L.D. (2012). Soils of Buryatia: diversity, taxonomy and classification, in  Bulletin of the V.R. Filippov Buryat State Academy of Agriculture, no. 2, pp. 45-52.

Shishov, L.L., Tonkonogov, V.D., Lebedeva, I.I., and Gerasimova, M.I. (2004). Classification and diagnostics of soils of Russia. Smolensk: Izd-vo Oikumena, 342 p.

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Soils map

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Soils

Soil associations are presented in the contours on the map. Combinations of soils, united in a contour, are associated with the altitudinal and expositional differentiation, and are determined by the character of mesorelief (combinations) and microrelief (complexes), and by the heterogeneity of the soil-forming material (mosaic). The predominant soil is the first in the legend, followed by accompanying and occurring soils. Most soils are distinguished at the type level, rarely at the subtype level.

The great extension of the territory of the Baikal basin from south to north determines latitudinal variations of the thermal factor and the associated vegetation and soil cover. In addition to these basic regular patterns, the influence of exposure and meridional arid mountain zonality is manifested here. The role of permafrost and heterogeneity of parent rocks, complicated and insufficiently clear evolution of landscapes in the past, and their changing as a result of the human impact are essential.

Within the mountain taiga, independent contours are distinguished in the south-western and north-eastern parts of Cisbaikalia. They are represented by combinations of soils with the eluvial-illuvial and undifferentiated profile. The Baikalsky Ridge and the North-Baikal Highland are dominated by podzols and podburs, involving peat-podburs and sod-podzols. They are characterized by a thin profile, which averages 30 cm in podzols of the highland, while in the mountains of Cisbaikalia it is about 40 cm. Thickness of the profile of podburs, which can be regarded as being in the early stage of soil formation, is even less.

Soils of piedmont dry steppes of Cisbaikalia are common in the Priolkhonie region and on Olkhon Island. Formation of dry steppe landscapes with chestnut soils is due to the arid mountain zonality (location in the rain shadow). The lack of atmospheric moistening is compounded here by a high water penetration capacity of woody-loamy soils. The territory is similar to that of the dry steppe of Kazakhstan in the nature of moistening, and to the middle taiga of Yakutia in heat supply. A consequence of the extreme soil-climatic conditions is a low biological productivity. Agroecosystems here are in a state of crisis; the vegetation and soil cover undergoes degradation.

In the high-mountain part of the Khamar-Daban, Muisky, Verkhne-Angarsky and Barguzinsky ridges the basic soils are petrozems, peat-lithozems, and coarse humus lithozems. Coarse humus, humic and humic-dark-humus soils are formed under the sub-alpine meadows. On the northern slopes, in relatively low relief elements, and in areas composed of parent rocks of heavier particle-size distribution, gley podburs are formed.

Cryo-lithozems, petrozems and cryo-carbo-lithozems accompany nival dissected landscapes of the Khangai region of Mongolia. Cryozems (coarse humus) and peat-cryozems are developed in the sub-goletz altitudinal belt, locating in a relatively narrow band near the forest line. In soils of taiga massifs permafrost areas are of frequent occurrence; moreover, seasonal frost is longstanding, and cryoturbation phenomena and solifluction are usual.

The structure of the soil cover of the mountain-taiga zone of Transbaikalia is heterogeneous and is largely associated with the manifestation of vertical zonality, slope exposure, and permafrost. The main soil background is comprised of podburs, podzols, sod-podzols, sod-podburs, gray-humus, humic, humic-dark-humus soils and coarse humus burozems. The main background of the soil cover of taiga territories of Mongolia includes cryozems, podburs and dark-humus soils. Soils of podzolic type are rare here. In the upper part of the taiga belt, cryozems and podburs are formed; higher there are peat-lithozems. In mountainous taiga there occur steppe "islands" with chernozem-like soils. They can be found on steep parts of the southern slopes, facing the broad areas of intermontane depressions.

The natural-climatic zone of forest-steppe is dominated by gray metamorphic soils, which are formed on the foothill areas of depressions and on the northern slopes of hills inside intermontane lows or at the bottom part of the forested slopes of ridges, facing the steppe depressions. These soils occupy the largest areas in the forest-steppe of the southern part of the Trans-Baikal middle mountains. In the forest-steppe landscape belt of Mongolia of light-coniferous and mixed subshrub and herbaceous facies there occur dark-humus metamorphosed soils, located mainly along the southern slopes of ridges and hills. Gray humus soils formed under woody communities with forbs on carbonate rocks. This combination of soils, characteristic of different environmental conditions, is the main feature of the soil cover at the junction of taiga and steppe.

In steppe landscapes of Transbaikalia the main background of the soil cover is comprised of chernozems. They are formed under meadow and true steppes. The main massifs of these soils are located in the Tugnui-Sukhara basin: on the Tugnuisky ridge and on the southern slopes of the Zagansky ridge, on the northern slopes of the Kudarinskaya range and the Small Khamar-Daban, Monostoisky, and Borgoisky ridges. In the more northern part of the territory, chernozems are formed in individual spots on the north-western slopes of the Unegeteisky ridge and along the Uda and Itantsa river valleys.

The soil cover of dry steppe is dominated by chestnut soils. They occupy vast tracts in the Udinskaya, Priselenginskaya, and Borgoiskaya steppes, and wide gently sloping terraces in the valleys of large rivers; they are common on the southern slopes of the ridges. On the watersheds of high ridges there occur soils of the lithozem group. Humus psammozems are formed on aeolian sand deposits of the dry steppe zone, especially in the Selenga-Chikoy and Chikoy-Khilok interfluves, and on pine-forest sands.

Soils of the river valleys of Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia are represented mainly by alluvial humic-gley, peat-gley, dark-humus, gray-humus, and dark-humus quasi-gley soils. In the structure of the soil cover of the floodplains of the upper and middle reaches of the rivers stratified alluvial soils are of frequent occurrence. In the steppe and especially in the dry steppe zones of Transbaikalia solonchaks and less frequently solonetzic soils are formed in the river floodplains. They occupy mostly lacustrine depressions and lower parts of gentle slopes, generally adjacent to the river floodplains, where there is a zone of accumulation of waters of the valley runoff enriched with soluble salts or a discharge of mineralized groundwaters. The most common types of salinization of solonchaks and solonetzic soils are sulfate-soda, soda-sulfate, sulfate, and chloride-sulphate. Large massifs of saline soils are widespread in the Borgoiskaya steppe and lacustrine lows of Lakes Verkhnee Beloe and Nizhnee Beloe. Their proportion in the Ivolginskaya depression is quite substantial. Solonetzic soils and solonchaks also occur in lacustrine depressions of the Bichursky district and the Tugnuiskaya steppe. In the Selenga river delta, in the Barguzin river valley, and in some other regions relatively large massifs are covered with bogs, where mainly peat eutrophic and peat eutrophic gley soils develop.

Soils of waterlogged meadows and lacustrine-boggy complexes of Mongolia are widespread in the near-shore zone of Lakes Khovsgol and Doot-Nur, in the Dzhargalant-Gol and Mungaral-Gol interfluve, in the northern and southern part of the Darkhatskaya depression, and along river valleys. Alluvial dark-humus soils are formed in river floodplains on elevated areas, in deltas, and on alluvial fans of temporary streams. Alluvial humic gley soils are formed under the conditions of additional inflow of moisture. In elevated locations of the riverbed floodplain of mountain rivers on sandy-gravel deposits gray-humus alluvial and stratified soils were formed. Alluvial peat-gley (peat-mineral) soils are formed in relatively low locations of river floodplains with the conditions of long-term surface and subsurface moistening, as well as on the edges of water bodies overgrown with bog vegetation. Humus-hydrometamorphic seasonally freezing for a long time soils are formed in the central floodplain of the rivers. In the lacustrine part of the depressions humic-hydrometamorphic (silty-humic) cryogenic soils are developed.

In the territory of Mongolia a series of relatively small contours of saline soils occurring in different parts of the country was distinguished. Processes of erosion and deflation are widespread, which is due to the shower precipitation pattern, and periodic occurrence of dust storms and strong winds, especially in spring when soil is dry and vegetation grows poorly.

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Specially protected natural areas map

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Protected areas

The Baikal basin is a unique region with a high biotic and landscape diversity. Specially protected areas ensure the protection of the ecosystems of the basin.

The importance of the principle of territorial nature protection is shown by the history of creation of protected natural territories (PNT). The first protected area in the Baikal basin – near the Bogd mountain range – was created in 1778, which is documented in the Mongolian written sources. Barguzinsky Reserve, founded in 1916, became the first of the currently operating Russian state reserves. The international significance of PNTs in the Baikal basin is underlined by the inscription of Lake Baikal on the UNESCO World Heritage list, as well as by the inclusion of four PNTs of the basin into the network of natural biosphere reserves run by the UNESCO program “Man and Biosphere” (MAB). In the recent years, determining factors of environmental policy included the implementation of the concept of sustainable development and Convention on Biological Diversity and other international environmental conventions ratified by Russia, as well as the compliance with the requirements concerning the ecosystem of Lake Baikal as a World Heritage Site.

A special federal law "On the Protection of Lake Baikal" was passed by Russia to preserve the World Heritage Site. This law established two ecological zones – central and buffer zones – within the Russian part of the Baikal basin, which, in turn, is part of the Baikal Natural Territory (BNT). In order to determine the nature protection regime in each of the category of PNTs in Russia and Mongolia, quite similar laws were passed in both countries including the Russian federal law “On Specially Protected Areas” (dated March 14, 1995) and national law of Mongolia “On Specially Protected Areas” (dated November 15, 1994, entered into force on April 1, 1995) [Mongolian…, 1996]. Due to the differences in the definition, we use the general term “Protected Natural Territory” (PNT).

It should be noted that a significant number of PNTs are divided by the basin’s borders. Nevertheless, they are also discussed in this Atlas.

The PNTs within the basin are unevenly distributed [Savenkova, 2001, 2002]. The Irkutsk part of the basin is almost completely covered by the reserve regime (Pribaikalsky National Park, Baikal-Lena Reserve, Kochergatsky wildlife refuge) and represents an almost uninterrupted protected belt along the western shore of the lake. In Buryatia, the largest protected areas are located near Lake Baikal, while the rest represent only small-sized sanctuaries. In the Zabaikalsky part of the basin, PNTs are small, but they help protect the environment at the sources of key rivers. In the Mongolian part of the basin, PNTs are distributed along the basin’s boundary. Their number in the center of the basin is small. A small national park Tuzhiyn Nars can be mentioned among them. Thus, the ecosystems in the nearest surroundings of Lake Baikal are sufficiently protected, although the PNT distribution on the rest of the basin and the protection of the lake’s water area are not always optimal.

As of 2009, there are 46 PNTs of the main categories (see table) with a total area of 10442,171 thousand hectares within the Baikal basin. They include 10 reserves (incl. four biosphere reserves), 13 national parks, 23 wildlife refuges and sanctuaries. Moreover, in the Russian part of the basin, there are the so-called recreational areas, which are basically PNTs under district jurisdiction. In the Mongolian part of the basin, there are PNTs under aimag jurisdiction [Mongolia’s Wild Heritage…, 1996; Mongolia’s tentative…, 1999; Savenkova, Erdentsetseg, 2000, 2002; Oyungerel, 2009]. The map also shows four National Natural Monuments of Mongolia: Khuisiin Naiman Nuur, Uran Togoo-Tulga Uul, Bulgan Uul, and Dayan Derkhi.

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There are plans to create 20 new PNTs of different categories in the Baikal basin.

In the Russian part these will include the “Selenga Delta” (Buryatia) and “Ikh Tayrisin” (Tuva) reserves, national parks "Chikoysky" (Zabaikalsky krai) and "Onotsky" (Irkutsk oblast), wildlife sanctuaries “Verhneulkansky” (Buryatia/Irkutsk oblast), "Khila" (Buryatia/Zabaikalsky krai), "Malkhansky" (Zabaikalsky krai), "Talovsky Lakes" (Irkutsk oblast), as well as the most numerous type of PNT – natural parks "Arey", "Yamarovka" (Zabaikalsky krai), "Utulik - Babkha", "Chersky Peak", "Warm Lakes" (Irkutsk oblast), "Upper Angara", "Kurkulinsky", "Mezhdurechye", "Posolsky Sor"," Slyudyanskiye Lakes", "Tagley", "Khakusy", "Yarki" (Buryatia) [Kalikhman, 2007].

In the Mongolian part of the basin, 11 territories will become new PNTs, including "Burengiyn Nuruu" reserve and nature reserves "Arkhan Buural-Badaryn Nuruu", "Bohloo-Chagtayn Nuruu", "Ikh Tunel-Emged Ovgod", "Tovhonhaan uul", "TerhenTsagaan uul", "Khalkhan bulnai" [Kalikhman, 2011; Special Protected Areas…, 2000].

Moreover, there are plans to organize five transboundary PNTs in the basin: "The Amur Source ", "Khentei – Chikoyskoye Highlands", "Selenga", "From Khovsgol to Baikal", "Delger - Muren" [Savenkova, 2001; Oyungerel, Savenkova, 2004]. A relative similarity in the legislature concerning the PNTs in Russia and Mongolia helps coordinate their activities, as well as the general nature protection efforts on neighboring territories. It can be proved by the already operating transboundary Russian-Mongolian PNTs outside the Baikal basin: the trilateral cluster transboundary reserve "Dauria", which includes the Russian reserve "Daursky" (Zabaikalsky krai), Mongolian reserve "Mongol Daguur", and Chinese reserve "Dalainor", has been working since 1994. A cluster transboundary World Heritage Site "The Uvs Nuur Basin" was founded in 2003. It consists of 12 different areas, five of which are in Mongolia and seven – in the Republic of Tuva, Russia [Kalikhman, 2012].

In general, it is possible to conclude that the currently existing system of the PNTs in the Baikal basin does not fully cover the region’s ecosystems and is unevenly distributed. In this regard, an increase in the number and size of PNTs is expected in order to improve the effectiveness of conservation measures.

 

 

References

Kalikhman, T. P. (2007). Specially protected natural areas within the boundaries of the Baikal Natural Territory. Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Geography, 3, p 75-86.

Kalikhman, T. P.  (2011). Territorial nature protection in the Baikal region. Irkutsk: IG SB RAS Publishing. p 322.

Savenkova, T. P. (2001). Protected areas of the Baikal basin. Irkutsk: IG SB RAS Publishing. p 186.

Savenkova, T. P. (2002). Atlas of protected areas of the Baikal basin. Irkutsk: p 96.

Savenkova, T. P., Erdenetsetseg, D. (2000). Development of a network of protected areas within the Baikal basin in Mongolia. Geography and Natural Resources, 2. p 131-138.

Savenkova, T. P., Erdenetsetseg, D. (2002). Protected areas of the Baikal Natural Territory. Gazarzuyn Asuudluud, 2. p 45-53.

Kalikhman, T. P.  (2012). The Nature Conservation of Baikal Region: Special Natural Protected Areas System in Three Environmental Models. In J. Tiefenbacher (Ed.,), Perspectives on nature conservation: Patterns, pressures and prospects. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech Open Access Publisher. p 199-222.

Mongolian Environmental Laws. (1996). Ulaanbaatar. p 152.

UNESCO Beijing office, Ministry of Education of Mongolia. (1999). Mongolia’s tentative list of cultural and natural heritage.  p 54.

Finch, C. (1996). Mongolia’s wild heritage: Biological diversity, protected areas, and conservation in the land of Chingis Khaan. Boulder, CO: Avery press. p 42.

Оyungerel, B. (2009). Tusgai khamgaalaltai gazar nutag. Scale 1 : 5,000,000. Mongol ulsyn undesniy atlas, II khevlel. Ulaanbaatar. p 156-157.

Special Protected Areas of Mongolia. (2000). Ulaanbaatar. p 105.

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