The erosion processes impact on the soil cover of the highland belt of the Shahdag National Park

The current state of the soil cover of the highland zone of the Shahdag National Park has been studied. The soils of the high-altitude zone are the main array of highly productive summer pastures and hayfields. However, these soils are highly susceptible to erosion processes associated with both natural and anthropogenic factors (mainly overgrazing). In the mountain meadow sod soils of the studied territory, subject to the grazing rate, the content of water-resistant aggregates is 71.8%, the soil density is 1.04 g/cm3, the total porosity is 55.3%, and the water permeability is 5.3 mm/min. With unregulated and exceeding the norm of cattle grazing in the same soils, the content of water-resistant aggregates decreases by 18.4% and amounts to 53.4%, the density of the soil increases by 0.47 g/cm3, the total porosity decreases by an average of 16% and water permeability – by 4.5 mm/min. It was revealed that 52.8% of the soils of summer pastures of this territory are subject to erosion to one degree or another, strongly eroded – almost 12%. On non-eroded soils of summer pastures, the productivity of perennial grasses is 31.5 centners per hectare, on medium-eroded soils – 10.1 centners per hectare, and on highly eroded soils – only 0.8 centners per hectare. It is necessary to carry out comprehensive agro-reclamation, anti-erosion measures to prevent further deterioration of the soils of the high mountain zone and a decrease in the productivity of alpine and subal-pine meadows.