Excerpt from Project: How To prevent the next Global Dust Bowl. ... 1 von 2 http://openlandscapes.zalf.de/Lists/ResearchProjects/excerpt.aspx?id=1004 Excerpt From Project: How To prevent the next Global Dust Bowl. Ecological and Economic Strategies for Sustainable Land Management in the Russian Steppes - A PotenƟal SoluƟon to Climate Change Core InformaƟon on Research Project Acronym (or Short Title): KULUNDA Original Title: Wie verhindert man die nächste "Global Dust Bowl – Ökologische und Ökonomische Strategien zur nachhaltigen Landnutzung in Russischen Steppen Ein Beitrag zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel Original Language: German Head of Project: Fruehauf, Manfred Start Date of Project: 10/1/2011 End Date of Project: 9/30/2016 Homepage (URL): http://kulunda.geo.uni-halle.de Recipient Institutions: MLU Halle-Wittenberg-Geo| Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg| Faculty of Natural Sciences III| Institute of Geosciences and Geography| Geoecology Funding Agencies: BMBF - Federal Ministry of Education and Science Funding Programs: BMBF-FONA-Sustainable Land Management ScienƟﬁc Project Overview Type of Project: integrative;interdisciplinarity Contact Persons: Fruehauf, Manfred Short description: "The Cernosems and Kastanosems in the temperate grasslands have one of the highest organic- carbon- concentrations of soils worldwide, which makes them an important carbon sink. The Kulunda steppe is a typical example for a conversion region: from 1954 to 1963 approximately 420.000 km2 of steppe area were converted into intensely used farmland. Today the importance of this region as ‘granary of Russia’ is even more pressing, as the Ukraine and Kazakhstan are now independent states and the cropland area of Russia declines. The intensified use of the KULUNDA steppe led to intensive soil degradation from mainly wind erosion culminating in the present high level of rural exodus. The intensive tillage combined with outdated crop production practices are the reason for continued and serious degradation of vegetation and soil. These practices have led to substantial decrease of top soil and soil humus concentration. A deterioration of soil water balance and soil fertility is also associated with this degradation. The results are very low crop yields and high levels of temporal variability. The overall economic development pertaining to agriculture remains poorly developed for the Kulunda steppe area which in turn is impacting rural demographics negatively. Extensive population migration from rural to urban areas and to other regions of the Russian Federation is observed. There is urgent need to develop land use policies and practices that will allow for the stabilisation of agricultural production and the sequestration of carbon as an offset to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate global warming. 01.02.2012 08:36 Excerpt from Project: How To prevent the next Global Dust Bowl. ... 2 von 2 http://openlandscapes.zalf.de/Lists/ResearchProjects/excerpt.aspx?id=1004 " Source Field of Science / Field of Studies: Agricultural sciences;Climate change;Environmental geography;Geo ecology;Landscape Ecology;Landscape Science Keywords: Agriculture_(Agriculture and Forestry);Climate Change and Uncertainty_(Environmental science);Land Change Science_(Earth sciences);Land management_(Landscape Science);Land cover_(Agricultural sciences);Land use change_(Agriculture and Forestry);Land use change_(Landscape Science);Land use_(Agricultural sciences);Land use_(Agroecology);Land use_(Geography);Land use_(Landscape Ecology);Landscape Ecology_(Landscape Science);Landscape Ecology_(Physical geography);Landscape Research_(Landscape Science);Landscape Science_(Earth sciences);Landscape Research_(Earth sciences);Landscape_(Landscape Science);Landscape_(Physical geography);Social– ecological systems_(Landscape Ecology);Social aspects_(Social Sciences);Spatial structure_(Geography);Sustainability_(Landscape Ecology) Project Highlights No item available in 'openLandscapes'! PublicaƟon(s) Related to Project No item available in 'openLandscapes'! 01.02.2012 08:36