Page 26 - Pelc, Stanko, and Miha Koderman, eds., 2016. Regional development, sustainability, and marginalization. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 26
let – s cveta v svet 24 at high risk from natural disasters (e.g., unsafe urban areas), hous-
ing is poorly built and can be easily damaged in the event of a dis-
aster, countries are not equipped with early warning systems, and
they have few assets as well as a weak social safety network to help
them cope with disasters. This paper will present an overview on
the vulnerability of less developed countries to natural disasters as
well as present some case studies.
Key words: natural disasters, vulnerability, cost of natural disasters,
sustainable development, less developed countries, marginal areas
Climate change effect on mountain regions marginalized
by socio-economic transformation: North Caucasus1
Vera Vinogradova, Raisa Gracheva, and Elena Belonovskaya
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences,
119017, Staromonetniy pereulok 29, Russia
The conventional schemes of the development of the spatial distri-
bution of grassland ecosystems in intermountain basins of the Cen-
tral Caucasus have to be corrected, taking into account the histo-
ry of land use. The historical records say that the ecosystems of
the intermountain basins of North Ossetia have been adapted and
used under cropland for more than 3,000 years. Extensive use of
mountain slopes up to 2000–2100 m a.s.l. under arable land, includ-
ing terracing, started in the 13th–14th centuries after the mass pop-
ulation exodus from the plain caused by the invasion of the Mon-
gols and Timur. Sixty to one hundred years ago, mountain arable
land was turned into pastures and hay fields. Recent slope topog-
raphy reflects long-term human impact, and soil memory records
the duration and variety of human activity and its interruption. Us-
ing a multidisciplinary approach, our study revealed that a diversity
of forest-meadow-steppe and subalpine grasslands of North Os-
setia was developed on the former arable lands over the past 60–
65 years. For the last 20 years, the system of mountain land use has
changed significantly. More than 60% of sub-alpine meadows were
being underused or abandoned in that period due to the sharp de-
crease in livestock. Therefore, the mountain regions of the North
Caucasus and the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania can be consid-
ered problem regions in terms of sustainable development. Heat
1 Researchers were supported by RFFI grant No. 14-05 00233a.
ing is poorly built and can be easily damaged in the event of a dis-
aster, countries are not equipped with early warning systems, and
they have few assets as well as a weak social safety network to help
them cope with disasters. This paper will present an overview on
the vulnerability of less developed countries to natural disasters as
well as present some case studies.
Key words: natural disasters, vulnerability, cost of natural disasters,
sustainable development, less developed countries, marginal areas
Climate change effect on mountain regions marginalized
by socio-economic transformation: North Caucasus1
Vera Vinogradova, Raisa Gracheva, and Elena Belonovskaya
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences,
119017, Staromonetniy pereulok 29, Russia
The conventional schemes of the development of the spatial distri-
bution of grassland ecosystems in intermountain basins of the Cen-
tral Caucasus have to be corrected, taking into account the histo-
ry of land use. The historical records say that the ecosystems of
the intermountain basins of North Ossetia have been adapted and
used under cropland for more than 3,000 years. Extensive use of
mountain slopes up to 2000–2100 m a.s.l. under arable land, includ-
ing terracing, started in the 13th–14th centuries after the mass pop-
ulation exodus from the plain caused by the invasion of the Mon-
gols and Timur. Sixty to one hundred years ago, mountain arable
land was turned into pastures and hay fields. Recent slope topog-
raphy reflects long-term human impact, and soil memory records
the duration and variety of human activity and its interruption. Us-
ing a multidisciplinary approach, our study revealed that a diversity
of forest-meadow-steppe and subalpine grasslands of North Os-
setia was developed on the former arable lands over the past 60–
65 years. For the last 20 years, the system of mountain land use has
changed significantly. More than 60% of sub-alpine meadows were
being underused or abandoned in that period due to the sharp de-
crease in livestock. Therefore, the mountain regions of the North
Caucasus and the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania can be consid-
ered problem regions in terms of sustainable development. Heat
1 Researchers were supported by RFFI grant No. 14-05 00233a.
