Anthropogenic landscapes of Ukraine and their reconstruction

Abstract

The aim of the research was to analyze the structure of Ukraine’s anthropogenic landscape and the directions of its development for the purposes of further reconstruction and rational use. The current state of ten types of anthropogenic landscapes was assessed. In the research based on the maps of natural and contemporary landscapes, use was primarily made of historical and archaeological methods, including historical and genetic sequences. The present landscape of Ukraine can be described as the coexistence of three types of landscapes: natural, natural-anthropogenic and anthropogenic. Anthropogenic landscapes which are definitely dominating nowadays, started to be formed in the late Paleolithic. The classification of ten types of anthropogenic landscapes should be improved and supplemented as the new types of anthropogenic landscapes are created, e.g. garden and park landscapes. Anthropogenic landscapes do not exist in isolation, but interact with one another and with natural landscapes. What is particularly noteworthy is the reconstruction of the anthropogenic landscape of the Forest-Field zone. The restoration of landscapes should begin with the creation of an eco-network. The national ecological network is ineffective because it does not take into account anthropogenic landscape changes. The reconstruction of all types of anthropogenic landscapes must allow for their zonal and regional specificity as well as their cultural importance. The cultural landscape will be the basis of the new structure of the national eco-network and will increase its range.