ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF VERTICAL LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION AND MANIFESTATION IN NATURAL LANDSCAPES OF NAKHCHIVAN НАХЧЫВАННЫҢ ТАБИҒИ ЛАНДШАФТТАРЫНДАҒЫ ТІК ЛАНДШАФТТЫҚ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯНЫҢ ЭКОЛОГИЯЛЫҚ ҮДЕРІСТЕРІ ЖӘНЕ КӨРІНІСІ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОЦЕССЫ ВЕРТИКАЛЬНОЙ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ ЛАНДШАФТОВ И ПРОЯВЛЕНИЕ В ПРИРОДНЫХ ЛАНДШАФТАХ НАХЧЫВАНА

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HACIYEVA A., Ibrahimova Leyla P., Humbatova Shafiga Y., CƏFƏROVA F.

News of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Series of Geology and Technical Sciences, vol.2026, no.2, pp.135-148, 2026 (Scopus)

Abstract

The main subject of the research is the agrocenoses present in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the factors affecting their sustainable development. The study addresses the problem of spatial differentiation of natural landscapes and their role in shaping the productivity and stability of agrocenoses under increasing anthropogenic pressure. The primary goal is to determine the impact of the natural landscapes of the research area on the development of agrocenoses and to identify ecologically optimal zones for sustainable management. In this article, the natural landscapes are analyzed in a GIS environment, and their impact on agrocenoses is determined. The study employed GIS technologies and remote sensing indices (NDVI, NDWI, NDMI, SAVI) to assess vegetation and soil cover. These approaches were complemented by historical-geographical, mathematical-statistical, cartographic, field-based, comparative, observational, and systematic methods to ensure reliability and spatial accuracy. A landscape-fragmentation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the influence of tectonic and morphostructural features on agricultural land productivity. In areas where tectonically active and mobile morphostructures of river valleys intersect the land, fragmentation increases, reducing the productivity of agriculturally significant lands. High vertical fragmentation in mountainous areas makes them unfavorable for agrocenoses. Examining the morphogenetic types of elevation landscapes, steppe-meadow and meadow-steppe types on intrusive outcrops are more widespread. A comparative analysis of previous years’ data was conducted to study agrocenoses dynamics. The results reveal that landscape structure, vertical differentiation, and soil composition directly influence productivity and ecological stability. Optimal areas for agrocenoses in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are low mountainous and Araz River plain regions. Soil samples determined mineral composition, humus content, and acidity, and studied changes from intensive anthropogenic impacts. The findings provide a scientific basis for landscape-based agricultural planning and sustainable land-use strategies in arid mountainous regions.