sustainability

The article examines the ecological characteristics of the landscapes along the Pacific Railway route in the Mulam River basin. This project is highly relevant for transportation and logistics infrastructure supporting mineral resource extraction, particularly for increasing exports of high-quality coal from the Elga deposit in South Yakutia to East and Southeast Asia. The railway traverses a remote, uninhabited area with insufficiently studied permafrost landscapes.

Based on the analysis of satellite images and field survey of the site «Burtinskaya Steppe» of the Orenburgsky reserve, it was revealed that steppe fires are one of the most significant limiting factors in the development of woody and shrubby elements of steppe ecosystems. A high restorative capacity of forest tracts is noticed, especially in the conditions of increased soil moistening.