Justification of the costs of forest reclamation of lands subject to desertification

Background. In recent decades, environmental problems related to land degradation and depletion of soil cover have become especially acute in the south of Russia. The consequences of these threats are commonly referred to as desertification. Forest reclamation is one of the effective measures to manage land desertification. Along with numerous forest reclamation technological solutions known in science, the tools for estimating the costs of creating plantations on lands prone to desertification are poorly developed. In this regard, research is required to develop optimal cost-effective forest reclamation regimes. Purpose. To justify investments in the creation of protective forest plantations in the arable lands of the Lower Volga region to manage desertification at the level of modern prices. Materials and methods. The costs were calculated using «Grand Smeta» software package in prices of the fourth quarter of 2022 in accordance with the climatic criteria for the degree of vulnerability of the studied territory to desertification, established using the computer program «Mathematical model for estimating the probability of desertification depending on climatic factors». Results. The actual value, structure, dynamics and functions of the costs required to create 1 ha of protective forest plantations in the natural and climatic conditions of the Lower Volga region are obtained. It has been established that the forest management of agroterritories in the region, which, according to the climatic criterion, belongs to the category with medium, high and hyperhigh risk of desertification, amounts to 2.2-11.3 thousand rubles per unit (per 1 ha) of the agroforestry landscape. Conclusion. Research has shown that the costs of forest reclamation of arable lands subject to desertification must be strictly justified not only from the perspective of full-fledged prevention of soil degradation, but also, importantly today, from the perspective of cost-effective investment options. EDN: XEZDDW