Аннотация:Widespread soil degradation processes (erosion, dehumidification, loss of nutrients, and acidification) have been observed in the Central Russian Plain. An environmental and economic analysis of land degradation was carried out in three regions of the Central Russian Plain (Belgorod, Tula and Lipetsk) assessing the effects of action and inaction, and analysing the soil nutrient balance. The results show that all three regions experienced an increase in ecosystem values during the 2001–2009 period in respect of the growth of forest area. At the same time, the area under cropland decreased, which was followed by growth in crop yields. This increase in productivity has not been adequately compensated for by fertilisation, which could lead to high costs for combating land degradation in the future, especially in the Tula region. Therefore, an additional analysis correlating the factors of land degradation and the soil nutrient balance was carried out for Tula. Spatial and dynamic models in Tula showed that the increase in the cultivated area was directly correlated with the increase in the area of degraded land. This could be due to the depletion of soil fertility as a result of an insufficient use of mineral and organic fertilisers. The negative balance of nutrients found in the soils of the Tula region in the 1995–2014 period was due to inappropriate management of agriculture in the region studied. In all the regions studied, from 2001 to 2009, the abandonment of a significant proportion of unprofitable arable land was identified, followed by overgrowing with woody vegetation. The increase in forested areas in these regions has increased the value of ecosystem services. Statistical modelling showed that the cost of inaction in the surveyed regions was higher than the cost of action against land degradation (6- and 30-year perspectives). Thus, the application of the action/inaction assessment method has shown that the restoration of land productivity and the maintenance of ecosystem services are economically viable.KeywordsLand degradation, Soil fertility, Crop production, Intensification Mineral and Organic fertilisers, Ecosystem services