The Role of Protective Afforestation in Drought and Desertification Control in Agro-Landscapes

This paper reviews the historical use of agro-ameliorative and protective afforestation to combat drought and desertification in agricultural lands. It shows the current state of forest plantations in the arid zone of the Russian Federation and problems associated with wind erosion on pastures. Russia is facing a major ecological and economic challenge due to a growing intensity of development of recurring droughts, dry winds, erosion, wind erosion, and the level of protective afforestation as a branch of the national economy overall and a subdiscipline of science, in particular. This requires adequate public policy decisions, which are stated in the “Strategy for Development of Protective Afforestation in Russia until 2025.” The Strategy determines their direction, as well as volumes and types of the plantations for the period until 2025 and a longer-term perspective on lands from the forest ameliorative fund. This review considers the causes of agro-landscape desertification associated with climate and anthropogenic factors and outlines the countermeasures and technologies for combating this phenomenon.