68.6% to 70.8%, and agricultural land decreased, but very little - from 83.2% to 78.3%
(Fig. 6).
Recently, the processes of degradation of soil cover, which are caused by man-
made pollution, have intensified. The greatest danger to the environment is the
contamination of soils with radionuclides, heavy metals, pathogens. The main sources
of pollution are agriculture, heavy and chemical industry, transport.
Figure 6 – The dynamics of land use development and the level of agricultural
land cultivation in Ukraine
Source: calculated by the author according to data [15]
During the period from 1990 to 2015, the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere
decreased in 3.4 times: in 1990 the atmosphere reached 15549.4 thousand tons, then in
2015 – 4521.3 thousand tons. The volume of discharge into water surface of
contaminated return water decreased from 3,99 times to 3,7 times – from 3199 to 875
million cubic meters (Fig. 7).
Ukraine has reduced wastewater without treatment. If in 1990 it amounted to
470 million cubic meters, then in 2015 – 184 million cubic meters, in 2,6 times. It
should also be noted the positive trend of reducing the volume of waste generation –
III classes of danger per square kilometer – from 2.3 tons in 2010 to 1.2 tons in 2015.
Ukraine has a positive tendency to expand reserves and national parks. If in 1985
their area was 368.7 thousand hectares, then in 2015 it increased to 1576.1 thousand
hectares, that is more than four times. Thus, the average area of protected areas grows
annually by 63.1 thousand hectares.
68,6
67,6
63,7
61,4
68,9
68,9
68,8
68,8
68,8
70,8
83,2
83,2
83,1
84,4
81
81
81,1
81,1
80,5
78,3
50
60
70
80
90
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Degree of development of land resources, %
Level of cultivation of farmland, %
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