ИСТИНА

Data on 36-year long monitoring of the model ameliorated arable landscape in Meschera lowland (55,3N, 40,2E) give an opportunity to trace the change of ecosystem functions after land abandonment in early 90-ties. Assessment of ecosystem functions change is based on series of summer productivity and floristic composition of herbaceous ecosystems, dendrochronologies of forest ecosystems, water and soil chemistry in 1977-78 and 2009-2013, soil moisture and share of degraded peat. Data provide evaluation of provisioning functions - ecosystem productivity, organic matter balance; regulating functions – regulating of groundwater table, water quality, functional stability; supplying functions – soil fertility. The full list of feasible ecosystem services, including cultural, was supplemented by published sources. Rough analysis of changes showed that land abandonment has resulted in loss of many functions, which were poorly compensated by minor gains. Biological production either decreased or haven't altered; ameliorated Histosols previously neutral and nitrogen rich developed to acid, nitrogen poor soils; the share of highly degraded peats has increased to 27% of the total area; slow water logging doesn't provide new peat formation; water total salinity decreased, but content of organic carbon, nitrogen, iron and phosphorus has risen in compare to the period of farming; the territory has overgrown with shrubs and with a large population of blood-sucking insects. To perform a more precise estimation of the shift of ecosystem functions without their pricing we used relative scale for each function. Comparing ecosystem attributes to regional worst and best characteristics we evaluated significance of ecosystem functions change. The next goal is to assess the impact of functions change on local, regional and global scale.