ANALYSIS OF THE VARIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE TASHKUMYR COAL MINE, KYRGYSTAN

Coal plays a crucial role in global economic development and remains the most widely used fossil fuel worldwide. The exploitation of open-pit and underground coal mines certainly has an impact on the environment. This impact varies in the degree of their influence on the state and prospects of environmental services and biodiversity of coal-producing regions. Some researchers note a serious obstacle to the sustainable use of regional lands and the well-being of residents of such regions. Others believe that the problem lies in poor legislation and improper use of resources. It has been established that environmental change is the result of a combination of various factors, which determines the need for a differentiated approach to assessing their impact on specific ecosystems. The Tash-Kumyr coal mine has been in operation for almost a hundred years. Throughout this period, the economic activity of the mine has a significant impact on the environment of the region. At the same time, significant changes in local ecosystems occur, associated with the complete or partial destruction of plant species, degradation of land cover and changes in the distribution range of wildlife. Scientists began to study ecosystem changes in the region directly from the beginning of the two thousandth years. This article presents an analysis of the observations of the ecosystem of the Tash-Kumyr coal mine over the past 50 years. The history of the deposit formation, its variability, characteristics of the ecosystem and the impact of coal production on its development are given. Examples of the biological cycle of substances in the conditions of steppe ecosystems of the Tash-Kumyr coal deposit are given, and methods for restoring degraded areas are proposed. The result of the present research is the conclusion that changes in biocenoses in the area of the Tash-Kumyr coal mine are local in nature. They are not critical for the general ecosystem of the region, unlike the threats to nearby ecosystems noted in other studies. With regard to the further exploitation of the Tash -Kumyr coal deposit, we adhere to the point of view of the possibility of its further use subject to compliance with legislation and best practices. One of the options and the most promising, practically feasible way of restoring natural landscapes in the territo ry of the dumps and quarries observed in the study are artificial plantings of endemic plant species resistant to local conditions, a bright representative of which are plants of the genus Tamarix (Tamarix L.).

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Publication Details

Journal
GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites
Published
2025-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.61336-1546
Primary Topic
Geological Studies and Exploration
Type
article
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article

ANALYSIS OF THE VARIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE TASHKUMYR COAL MINE, KYRGYSTAN

Yuri Barvinok, Gulaiym DONBAEVA, Ryskul TOKTOROVA, Kurmanbek uulu NARYNBEK et al.
GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites
Geological Studies and Exploration
article

ANALYSIS OF THE VARIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE TASHKUMYR COAL MINE, KYRGYSTAN

Yuri Barvinok, Gulaiym DONBAEVA, Ryskul TOKTOROVA, Kurmanbek uulu NARYNBEK, Aigul KALMANBETOVA
article en

Abstract

Coal plays a crucial role in global economic development and remains the most widely used fossil fuel worldwide. The exploitation of open-pit and underground coal mines certainly has an impact on the environment. This impact varies in the degree of their influence on the state and prospects of environmental services and biodiversity of coal-producing regions. Some researchers note a serious obstacle to the sustainable use of regional lands and the well-being of residents of such regions. Others believe that the problem lies in poor legislation and improper use of resources. It has been established that environmental change is the result of a combination of various factors, which determines the need for a differentiated approach to assessing their impact on specific ecosystems. The Tash-Kumyr coal mine has been in operation for almost a hundred years. Throughout this period, the economic activity of the mine has a significant impact on the environment of the region. At the same time, significant changes in local ecosystems occur, associated with the complete or partial destruction of plant species, degradation of land cover and changes in the distribution range of wildlife. Scientists began to study ecosystem changes in the region directly from the beginning of the two thousandth years. This article presents an analysis of the observations of the ecosystem of the Tash-Kumyr coal mine over the past 50 years. The history of the deposit formation, its variability, characteristics of the ecosystem and the impact of coal production on its development are given. Examples of the biological cycle of substances in the conditions of steppe ecosystems of the Tash-Kumyr coal deposit are given, and methods for restoring degraded areas are proposed. The result of the present research is the conclusion that changes in biocenoses in the area of the Tash-Kumyr coal mine are local in nature. They are not critical for the general ecosystem of the region, unlike the threats to nearby ecosystems noted in other studies. With regard to the further exploitation of the Tash -Kumyr coal deposit, we adhere to the point of view of the possibility of its further use subject to compliance with legislation and best practices. One of the options and the most promising, practically feasible way of restoring natural landscapes in the territo ry of the dumps and quarries observed in the study are artificial plantings of endemic plant species resistant to local conditions, a bright representative of which are plants of the genus Tamarix (Tamarix L.).

GeoJournal of Tourism and GeositesVol. 61(3)
Openalex Percentile: Top 67%
Geological Studies and Exploration
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