Karakum desert forests in the fight against desertification

The article deals with the assessment of the impact of various xerophytic plant species of desert biogeocenosis on the processes of desertification. The assessment was made on the example of studying the ecological conditions of the Karakum desert areas. During the research, the occurrence of desertification processes was characterized, practical examples of observing the movement of sands and the emergence of various forms of desert relief were given. The characteristic of the biological diversity of desert forests was carried out on the basis of the allocation of tiers and the accounting of species in the sample areas. The ecological impact of plants of various life forms on the environment was consistently estimated. Each xerophytic plant was evaluated separately in terms of the nature of its growth, adaptations to environmental conditions. Based on these data, the analysis of desert forest plants by life expectancy, growth intensity, adaptations for growth and development on sandy soils was carried out. The assessment of the economic importance of plants in the national economy was given. It is shown that phytomeliorative works using xerophytic plant species in mobile sands, such as dunes, ridge-bumpy and overgrown sands, are most effective in combating desertification. The results of field observations of sand movement in open desert areas are compared with data obtained in phytomelioration areas.