The article concentrates on problems of land/real estate degradation in Belarus, as well as on the ways of solving them by means of land management. The analysis of various documents resulted in the conclusion that there is a lack of a unified conceptual and terminological framework with regard to the following terms and concepts: ''degradation'', ''land degradation'', ''degraded lands'', ''land conservation/protection'', ''real estate degradation'' and others. The concepts of ''land parcel'' and ''real estate unit'' are compared. As an effective tool for combating degradation of land and real estate the article offers more efficient use of land management system developed for this purpose, as well as other legislative, institutional, organizational and technological measures.

Aspects and factors of agricultural land transformation are analysed in the work. Taking into account the world experience of land transformation, directions for improving the development and control system of land management projects implementation in Ukraine are offered. The compliance issue by land users with established types of agricultural land according to the data of state registers is highlighted. Nowadays, land management projects that provide ecological and economic substantiation of crop rotation and land management make it possible to develop environmentally safe and economically feasible land use projects. In production, the above-mentioned projects are sometimes used to transfer ecologically stabilizing lands (pastures and hayfields) to arable land. This is controversial to all recommendations, conventions and programs that emphasize the need for reduced ploughing of the territory. It is necessary to improve the control mechanisms of crop rotation and agrotechnical environmental protection measures. The introduction of land plots agricultural passports is an important but insufficient measure. The remote sensing data of the earth and the use of modern geoinformation technologies should become part of the state control over compliance with land management projects. There is already experience of using various indices at the state level to decipher agricultural crops. As a result of the research, we came to the conclusion that the use of land remote sensing data and modern geoinformation technologies in land management will make it possible to bring the indicators of ploughed areas to a rational level, while not creating artificial restrictions on economic activity. The methodical and regulatory acts for the development of land management projects, which regulate the size of the ecologically safe land area need improvement. agricultural lands transformation, land management project,

The study aimed to develop a methodology for determining zones of intra-field heterogeneity for precision farming. In this study, we took into account the Belarussian national land use system which provides for the absence of private ownership of agricultural land. The spatial distribution of intra-field heterogeneity zones within the land use area of 7549.49 thousand hectares was identified using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The algorithm for determining zones of spatial heterogeneity provides for: (1) the selection of indicators and their ranking; (2) developing a pairwise comparison matrix, (3) estimating relative weights and (4) assessing matrix consistency. It is recommended to use data from agrochemical soil studies which are conducted centrally every 4 years for each agricultural enterprise as input parameters. These data include the humus content in the soil, the content of available phosphorus and potassium, soil pH, and the content of B, Cu, Zn, Ca, and Mg. The data should be carefully examined using spatial statistics tools to provide a more accurate delineation of the management-zones boundaries. The developed technique makes it possible to determine fertile and marginal areas within each field and differentiate the use of fertilizers, taking into account the presence of intra-field heterogeneity. This will reduce the total cost of purchasing and applying phosphorus fertilizers by 34 $·haE−1 and potash fertilizers by 9 $·haE−1 due to the redistribution of the fertilizer dose calculated for the planned yield, taking into account the identified site-specific management zones. At the same time, the level of chemical pressure per hectare of arable land will decrease by 6.7% without loss of crops productivity.

It is substantiated that the institutional concepts of the latest institutional and behavioural economic theory should be placed in the methodological basis of the development of the institutional environment of the land management system. Institutions and institutes are the key to understanding the relationships between all subjects of the economic system of land management, and institutional changes determine the direction of its development and are a defining trend today. The institutional system in the field of land relations, land use and land management is a set of organically interconnected institutions and institutes that are a certain logically complete, integral unity, capable of self-development and self-reproduction, as well as organizations and individuals that act within given institutional restrictions regarding land relations and organization of land use. Firstly, the methodology of institutionalization of land management considers socio-economic systems through holistic development. The principle of the integrity of the socio-economic system research includes an interdisciplinary approach. Secondly, individuals receive characteristics through the prism of the existence of institutions and institutes that condition their behaviour and interaction. Thirdly, institutional changes require not only quantitative, but also qualitative methods of observation, which analyse not the results of changes (for example, indicators of efficiency and growth), but the direction, strategy and the very process of evolution with the clarification of the causes, all stages and forms of transformations.

The article discusses the prospects and advantages of using QGIS for solving spatial planning tasks. Attention is focused on the strengths of QGIS compared to other geographic information system software and the programme’s potential to eliminate the monopoly position in the market by well-known geographic information system software manufacturers. Even though QGIS is open-source software, this software product is generally not inferior to expensive geographic information system software. At the same time, the advantages of QGIS include cross-platform, rich functionality, the ability to use different geographic information databases, and the ability to connect and integrate various plug-ins into the programme. Particular attention should be paid to the ability to independently write plug-ins for solving specific highly specialised tasks in the Python programming language and their quick integration into the QGIS software environment. Examples of QGIS software for solving specific spatial planning problems are given. The possibilities of using QGIS in solving the issues of settlement planning, territory management, land management and environmental monitoring are considered. The conducted research gives grounds to recommend QGIS for wide application by developers of project documentation, as well as by executive authorities and local self-government bodies for analysing cartographic and project materials in making management decisions. This approach will help create a competitive environment among developers of urban planning and land management documentation. After all, today, many specialists cannot afford expensive commercial licenses of well-known geographic information system software developers. And any legislative requirements that oblige them to use them in practice lead to monopolisation of the market for these services by individual enterprises. At the same time, it has been proven that using the open-source geographic information system software QGIS will not lead to a deterioration in the quality of project documentation. The programme can ensure the proper quality, accuracy and interoperability of design and mapping materials created with its help and solve a wide range of tasks in spatial planning.

The current situation in land leasing in Ukraine is analysed, when a tenant of a land parcel with immovable property is sold in part, which causes the following controversy: the land parcel in someone’s lease has buildings or constructions owned by another physical or legal person (other than the tenant). The interested party wastes a lot of time on resolving this controversial situation with the existing procedures in Ukraine. This problem is not always solved professionally because of the lack of sellers’ and buyers’ knowledge of specific features of land management and geodesy. Three main variants of mutual location of the seller’s and the buyer’s buildings and constructions are defined, which determines the possibility of dividing a land parcel. Recommendations on the improvement of the procedure and normative legal acts of Ukraine concerning the issue are developed, aimed at significant acceleration of signing and registering new lease agreements.

Taking into consideration all the data of collectibility of land payments (land tax and rent), the dependence of collectibility of land payments on economic and geographical factors is analysed in municipalities of the Samara region. The factors are defined with the help of mathematical methods, which are closely associated with payments growth from the land area of a municipality and the number of residents. The dependence simulation of the level of land payments on geographical and demographic characteristics has been implemented in a municipality. This model allowed allocating ”normative level” for each municipal district which corresponds to the result of the ”average area” with given objective characteristics. This assessment allowed the authors to identify the areas with high and low levels of land payments collectibility. The efficiency assessment of municipality local governments in the Samara region on land management is made taking into consideration objective factors that limit their opportunities.

This research study explores urban planning for transport sustainability in two cities Kaunas (Lithuania) and Jelgava (Latvia). As part of the analyses, a transport sustainability was compared in relation to three main aspects – economy, environment and society. The aim of this research is to review the existing transport system in two cities – Kaunas and Jelgava, and to evaluate their sustainability in environmental, social and economic dimensions. The study is based on the information about configuration and location of the existing transport system in two cities – Kaunas and Jelgava. It is important to submit proposals to decision making bodies in order to improve sustainability of transport.

The article shows results of compiling recommendation land use maps for land use and land resources management of the university experimental farm “Velykosnitynske”. Large-scale GIS mapping of experimental farms allows to improve land use and decision making, prepare recommendations to solve land management issues, planning of technology processes and efficient crop growing technology. Compiled recommendation maps are aimed to assist in rational land use planning and sustainable development of the territory.

From a theoretical point of view, the authors have grounded a new paradigm of theoretical planning of land management, which is based on space definition of a complex of factors of rational use of the existing land resources in correlation of interests of subjects-land-users and corresponding land relations in the terms of support of a balanced social-ecologic-economic environment. From a methodological point of view, the authors have proposed a set of methodic approaches as to determination of mechanisms of arrangement of the process of territorial planning in land management according to institutional fundamentals of land relations harmonization at different space levels of management. It is proposed to consider planning of land use as an obligatory and logically inevitable stage of the process of territorial space management that is determined as a primary link, because it specifies aims of the management. It is proved that effective territorial management of land resources and land-use is caused by its territorial planning, which determines the aims of an object development and activity of a managerial subject. A regional link of management should secure the supply of appropriate conditions for living standards of population, effective utilization of territorial resources and development of mutually favorable inter-regional relations. Implementation of efficient regional policy on the basis of market mechanisms requires further improvement of institutional fundamentals.