Modelling – Case #1 – Mega-agroecosystem

Source: Landscape Ecology: Textbook on Application of Pressure Based Biodiversity Modelling for National and Regional Educational Purposes” Part 1. Biodiversity Modelling: GLOBIO Ukraine Region Case Study. Part 2. Student’s Workbook. Authors: Vasyl I. Prydatko, Grygoriy O. Kolomytsev, Raisa I. Burda and Sergiy M. Chumachenko. — Kyiv: NAU, 2008.—100 pp. Case’s title (p.25-26): creation of synthesized image of mega-agroecosystem of Ukraine and its three dimensional analysis – Sozinov et al. [19,21,22]. Studying dimension, mosaics and changeability of GLOBIO agrosphere, as well as its environment forming and ecological-social characteristics, has been a very difficult task. Some breakthrough was done in 2003-2006. In 2004, based on MODIS 2002 remote sensing data, ULRMC developed an approach to studying dimension, mosaics and changeability of the agrosphere (active agriculture) and compiled the first thematic map related to its projection into a plane. This map was used for developing a new map of diversity of land cover classes or LCC, 1:200000, and later on – a map of ‘LCC density’ or LCCD. At that time the calculated percentage of the agrosphere to the entire surface of the dry land of Ukraine totaled about 64%, and respectively, to the ‘non-agrosphere’ – 36% [21]. (Students can compare it with more commonly used statistics of 2002’s and try to explain differences). As the land coverage the mega-agroecosystem in Ukraine prevails considerably, its marking out on a digital map is a key technical procedure when compiling different maps, in particular those related to ecological value of lands, possible density of natural or associated agrobiodiversity, expected elements of ecological network in the mega-agroecosystem, etc. It should be noted that the vector image of the mega-agroecosystem is accessible and included in GIS ‘Agrobio’, which is a CD-appendix to a two-volume publication ‘Agrobiodiversity of Ukraine…’ [21,22], and now is a CD-appendix of the training package. Based on this, the percentage of ‘point’ RB-species habitats [23,24], compatible with the agrosphere, was calculated at about 45% (plants) and 47% (animals) – from the total number of habitats [14]. Below, in the book, it is demonstrated how to use this vector image for the calculation of the percentage of agricultural territories within the outlines of wetlands of international significance. (So far Ukrainian zoologists have not suggested any other approaches to this issue). This research also has a different perspective because the society has not yet informed an appropriate image designed in the form of the map in terms of potential ecological network intersection with mega-agroecosystem coverage.