ECO-REGIONS OF UKRAINE: TERRITORY, POPULATION, NATURERESOURCE POTENTIAL

Abstract

The ternary of territory, population and nature-resource potential (NRP) is considered to be the basis for “scrupulous ecological cadastre of each landscape ecosystem”. The assessment results of the territory, population and NRP are highlighted for each of 57 oblast-level natural ecosystems, 14 provincial ecosystems, 3 sub-zones, 4 zones, and 3 countries (biomes) of Ukraine. It is argued that the assessed territory (water area), population and NRP possess essential spatial differences among eco-regions of different hierarchical levels. For example, the Crimean Mountains are specific for the highest disproportions among the high-rank taxons – biome ecosystems – natural countries. Covering a mere 0,7% of the territory (water area), they concentrate 2,82% of population of Ukraine, and 1,9% of national NRP. Much lesser difference is observed in the Ukrainian Carpathians with their 6,3, 8,16 and 6,4% respectively. The East-European Plain is distinctive for being a practically balanced ecosystem for its “territory – population – NRP” ternary manifesting 93,0, 89,02 and 91,7%. The figures for the biomes – natural zones of Ukraine vary from the least in the Zone of Broadleaved Forests, Zone of Mixed Forests and Forest-Steppe Zone to the highest in the Steppe Zone. The capacity of provincial ecosystems of Ukraine as to total share of territory (water area), population and NRP grows (ascending order) as follows: the Crimean Mountainous, Prychornomorska- Pryazovska, Crimean Steppe, Zadonetsko-Donska, East-Ukrainian, Prychornomorska, Mountainous Kray – Ukrainian Carpathians, Left-Bank-Dnieper, Left-Bank-Dnieper-Pryazovska, Dniester-Dnieper, West-Ukrainian, Donetsk, Podilsko-Prydniprovska, Polissia Provincial Ecosystem. Among oblast-level ecosystems, their top-ten as to territory (water area), population and NRP is as follows (descending order): South-Prydniprovska Slope-Highland, Donetsk Highland, Starobilsk Slope-Highland, Orilsko-Samarska Lowland, Kharkiv Slope-Highland Oblast, Zhytomyr Polissia, Kinsko-Yalynska Lowland, VolynPolissia, Peredkarpatska Highland Oblast. The smallest in territory (water area), population and NRP oblast-level ecosystems of Ukraine are as follows (descending order): Vododilno-Verkhovynska, Nyzhniobuzko-Dnieper Lowland, Mountainous-Crimean, Southbank-Crimean, and Marmaros Oblast.