ИСТИНА

The foothills of the Western Tien Shan on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan are characterized by an exceptional variety of natural landscapes and intensive multifunctional land use. This is an area for the development of mountain tourism and beach recreation, agriculture, cattle breeding, forestry and electric power generation. The activity of natural processes (landslides, erosion, etc.) including those caused by humans impose restrictions on the economic use of the territory and affect the functioning of natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Diversity of land use types and their dynamics from 1990 to 2020 is of great scientific and practical interest in connection with the natural and institutional changes. The study was carried out in the winter of 2020 in the Bostanlyk region of Uzbekistan in the surrounding area of the Charvak reservoir. Its aim was to identify the leading drivers of land-use dynamics over the past 30 years. We have compiled different-scale landscape maps based on field, remote sensing and stock materials. A set of multi-seasonal spectral indices was calculated from a series of Landsat images and the landcover classification was carried out using the author's method of index-based classification. The landcover images were obtained for four periods from the 1990s to 2020 which made it possible to trace landcover/landuse dynamics over 30 years. The data from opinion polls helped us to identify the main drivers of land use change and identify the priorities of local residents. The analysis revealed dramatic changes in some types of landcover, such as glacial landscapes, which have almost completely disappeared apparently due to climate change. Changes in other types of landcover associated with agricultural and residential land use reflect more socio-economic and institutional changes. Revealing the dynamics of land use is an important key to understanding both natural-climatic and socio-economic processes. The analysis carried out will make it possible to effectively and efficiently use the available resources in the further development of the region.