Solution of ecological problems is an urgent and extremely important task at the present stage of social economic development of Ukraine. Unreasonably high degree of economic (mostly agricultural) reclaiming of area causes spreading and intensification of degradation processes in ecosystems. Conservation of lands, including the one carried out by means of foresting of degraded lands, is the principal way to renature environment. The article concerns an issue of land conservation in the context of ecosystem services of forests. The aim of the article is to assess the economic value of ecosystem services of forests in case of land conservation. To achieve the aim the authors developed a classification system of ecosystem services of forests according to their functional purposes; provide the calculation of prospective economic value of ecosystem services while foresting of a land plot with heavy eroded soil. The research was carried out using system, monographic and abstract-logical methods. The integral evaluation of prospective ecosystem services of forest in case of foresting of degraded land resulted in: minimum – 5. 07 thousand UAH per 1 ha in a year, maximum – 35. 91 thousand UAH per 1 ha in a year. The calculation of economic costs of ecosystem services should be applied for assessment of the economic value from protection of nature-protective areas as well as implementation of economic stimulation for land conservation.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) services in Latvia nowadays provide not only for a variety of navigation and surveying needs, but also they are used in agricultural production. The time period when satellite navigation systems equipment and services in agricultural businesses appeared in Latvia and were treated as objects of interest and research has passed. GNSS equipment and enabling modules are purchased, installed and used in agricultural equipment extending their capabilities. A growing number of entrepreneurs provide for this service segment. In the publication of 2014, the authors pointed out that a preparatory and investigation phase in using precision farming systems (including GNSS technology related to them) in Latvia has come to an end transforming into massive practical implementation in the process of agricultural business. The analysis of the obtained information confirmed that during the last year further satellite navigation technology usage in agricultural machinery has grown from simple and approximate level usage to high accuracy and stability navigation services. Growth dynamics and its further development forecasted earlier by the authors coincided with the last year’s actual development indicators of a stable and growing demand for global navigation system services for farming machinery and technical solutions for their user segment. The aim of the article is to justify the forecast expressed in the last year’s publication regarding the increase of the use of precision farming systems thus confirming the fact that their application has moved from a research phase to massive practical implementation and operation in agricultural production.

Loss of the territory biological diversity is one of the most serious challenges for sustainable development of Ukraine. Solution of that problem is the essential constituent of the national ecological policy, which is focused on introduction of the ecosystem approach in all spheres of social and economic development, including protection of biological diversity. The goal of the article is to study some aspects of protection of the biological diversity of rural areas by means of ecosystem renaturalization by transforming degraded and marginal arable lands into forests, grassland and wetlands. The research proposes an organizational mechanism of increase and expansion of the territories with natural lands, which includes planning of land use, landscape and ecological zoning, territorial organization, evaluation of ecosystem benefits, land users’ motivation. The researchers stress on the necessity to create ecological networks and agroforestry. Such structural organization of rural area supports a balanced combination of the “human-land-ecosystem” system due to protecting the main ecosystem functions, i.e., provision of regulating and habitat services. While determining the directions of use of the land plots with degraded and marginal arable lands, the obligatory condition is to justify the benefits from those ecosystem services. To regulate the environmental land relations, it is recommended to introduce conservation easement.