ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE AND RECOVERY IN THE «SEMEY-ORMANY» RESERVE AFTER THE CATASTROPHIC 2023 WILDFIRE BASED ON REMOTE SENSING DATA

The catastrophic wildfire that occurred on June 8, 2023, in the State Forest Nature Reserve «Semey-Ormany» affected over 60,000 hectares of forest and steppe ecosystems in the Abai Region, causing unprecedented destruction. The aim of this study is to assess the damage and monitor the ecosystem’s recovery during the year following the fire using Landsat remote sensing data and the calculation of vegetation indices such as NDVI, NBR, dNBR, and NDMI. The analysis of the time series of satellite imagery from May 2023 to July 2024 allowed for the identification of burn areas, assessment of fire severity, and observation of the initial stages of regeneration. The results revealed a sharp decline in NDVI and NBR values, accompanied by persistently low NDMI values, indicating degradation of the ecosystem’s moisture retention capacity. Despite partial recovery of the herbaceous cover, a full return to pre-fire conditions will require decades, especially under the region’s arid climatic conditions. The findings emphasize the value of integrating GIS and remote sensing technologies for assessing the impacts of natural disturbances and highlight their applicability in ecological monitoring and management systems of protected natural areas.