Change of feed stocks in southern subarctic tundra of Yamal

The relevance of the research is related to the need to monitor the resource potential of the vegetation in the southern subarctic tundra. The Yamal tundra has been experiencing a high grazing pressure since 1990. As a result of the increase in the number of private farms and the number of domesticated reindeer in Yamal, pasture degradation occurs (trampling of forage mass, shredding vegetation, disappearance of lichen cover, increased soil deflation). Purpose of the research is compare the forage stocks of reindeer pastures in the southern subarctic tundra of Yamal in 2017–2018 and in the 1990s. In the course of the study, estimates of the amount and structure of forage stocks in plant communities of the southern subarctic tundra of the Yamal Peninsula was assessed in the vicinity of the Payutayakha river. The stock of aboveground phytomass was determined by the mowing method. In 2017, degraded areas of the tundra were studied, and in 2018 undisturbed and intact areas were investigated. Scientific novelty. The data obtained are compared with the estimates published for the southern subarctic tundra in the 1990s. Results. Forage stocks in degraded areas, compared to stocks in the southern subarctic tundra in the 1990s, decreased 14 times; while in on undisturbed areas they decreased 3 times. In the structure of forage stocks in 2017–2018, compared to the situation at the end of the 20th century, the proportions of shrubs, lichens and grasses has decreased; the proportion of dwarf shrubs in degraded areas increased 4 times, while in undisturbed areas it increased 6 times. The study confirms the existence of overgrazing and a shortage of forage resources on pastures in the zone of the southern subarctic tundra of Yamal.