Post-anthropogenic dynamics of rural landscapes of southeastern Yakutia in the case of Ust-Yudoma village

   Understanding the dynamics of human-modified natural landscapes after the minimization of anthropogenic impact is an important aspect of dynamic landscape science. The problem of formation of abandoned rural settlements has background and tendencies to intensify in the conditions of urbanization.

   The aim of this study is to identify the features of post-anthropogenic transformation of rural settlement landscapes for the abandoned village of Ust-Yudoma in the Ust-Maysky District of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

   The study region is in the middle taiga landscape zone with continuous permafrost. The landscape structure of the study area consists of 12 typological units mapped based on field studies and interpretation of remote sensing data. It is noted that anthropogenically-modified landscapes are divided into three types according to vegetation associations: young growth of pine, raspberry-hipberry mixed herbaceous communities and ivanchai-grass meadows. Multitemporal Landsat images were analyzed to identify key stages of post-anthropogenic landscape dynamics. Maps of the main landscape cover types were compiled using the Semi-Automatic Classification Plagin plugin according to the Random Forest algorithm. A significant part of the village territory is characterized by poorly disturbed pine lingonberry forests with participation of birch on permafrost-taiga loamy soils. The most anthropogenically disturbed territories of private homestead plots consist of raspberry thickets with participation of willow-grass meadows and pine overgrowth on permafrost-taiga loamy soils. Using the images from 1986 to 2024, the stages of pine forest regeneration in the non-forested areas of the village were established. The study of post-anthropogenic dynamics allows us to understand how natural landscapes recover after the cessation of human activity. This contributes to the development of theoretical models of natural processes, the development of effective land resource strategies, and helps to predict further changes in rural landscapes.

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