The study analyzes anthropogenic disturbances of landscapes in Western Kazakhstan, which occupies 27% of the country’s territory. The main focus is on the impact of industry and agriculture, especially pasture use and the development of oil and gas fields. The application of remote sensing data and field surveys allowed us to identify the degree of landscape disturbance and to propose their classification into five levels of disturbance, from virtually undisturbed to severely disturbed. Cartographic analysis revealed that pastures occupy 53.83% of the territory, while industrial-technogenic impact accounts for 23.12%. This indicates a significant level of landscape transformation. The findings of this study can serve as a foundation for environmental monitoring and the formulation of recommendations aimed at reducing anthropogenic impacts. The study underscores the necessity for the sustainable management of natural resources in the context of industrial development in the region and provides crucial insights for maintaining ecological balance.

Integrated remote sensing and field data reveal spatial heterogeneity, phenological divergence, and resilience classification of moiynkum desert rangelands under climatic stress.

The article presents an assessment of the modern landscape structure of the Western Kazakhstan region, based on the developed map of modern landscapes, made at a scale of 1:1 500,000. Based on the assessment, it was established that in the landscape structure of the entire region, the largest areas are occupied by landscape types of elevated stratal plains (17.8 % of the region’s area) and structural plateaus (14.6 %). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of landscape structure and assessment of dynamic trends in landscape transformation made it possible to establish that within the steppe and dry-steppe zones of the studied region, anthropogenically transformed natural-territorial complexes (NTC) take place in almost all identified types of landscapes and occupy 51.2 and 42.6 % of the NTC area in ​​these zones. Within the natural complexes of semi-arid and arid natural zones, 29.9 and 23.2 % of their area are anthropogenically transformed. On the basis of the regional assessment of the modern landscape structure, environmental standards for anthropogenic loads and approaches to organizing a system of rational environmental management, aimed at the sustainable functioning of natural and economic systems, are developed.

This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for assessing the resilience of landscapes to human impact in western Kazakhstan. The approach developed is based on integrating remote sensing data (MODIS, SMAP, NDVI and NDSI), the results of field surveys, and multi-criteria analysis methods in a GIS environment. The assessment covered over 50 landscape types and subtypes using ten key indicators reflecting climatic, geomorphological, soil, hydrological, and biotic characteristics. These indicators were normalised, aggregated and summarised to create an integral index of landscape resilience, which allowed four resilience classes to be identified, ranging from highly vulnerable to relatively resilient. The spatial analysis revealed that over 60% of the region’s territory is classified as high-vulnerability, predominantly within semi-desert and desert zones, which are vulnerable to climatic risks, degradation of vegetation cover and human activity. Verification of the results based on remote monitoring data for the period 2000–2024 and field observations confirmed the reliability of the developed methodology. The results obtained allow the identification of areas prioritised for environmental monitoring, restoration and sustainable land use in arid climate conditions. A plan of measures for regulation and restoration of ecosystems and spatial planning tools are proposed. The obtained data can be used for the development of regional environmental policy and sustainable land use strategies.

Аридный ландшафт Прикаспийской низменности (Атырауской области) представляет собой очень хрупкую природную геосистему взаимосвязанных компонентов. Преобразование аридных ландшафтов из-за масштабов антропогенного воздействия ведет к процессам опустынивания. Исследование посвящено анализу ландшафтно-экологического состояния Атырауской области, характеризующейся аридными ландшафтами, подверженными значительному антропогенному воздействию. Актуальность исследования обусловлена необходимостью разработки эффективных методов мониторинга и управления природными ресурсами для устойчивого развития региона. Цель исследования заключается в оценке состояния естественных и антропогенно-нарушенных ландшафтов, выявлении основных факторов их трансформации и предложении рекомендаций по улучшению экологической ситуации региона. Методы исследования включали использование системы общенаучных методов, таких как ландшафтный анализ, синтез и картографический инструментарий. Основные материалы исследования состояли из ландшафтных и других карт территории, а также статистических данных. Результаты исследования показали значительное влияние нефтедобычи, сельского хозяйства и других антропогенных факторов на экологическое состояние ландшафтов региона. Выявлены основные проблемы, связанные с загрязнением почв, воды и воздуха, деградацией растительного покрова и эрозионными процессами. Предложены меры по улучшению состояния ландшафтно-экологического состояния территорий, подверженных воздействию антропогенной деятельностью.