Abstract <p>Almost the entire land area of the Astrakhan region is susceptible to desertification. The relevance of this study is justified by the need to identify the influence of anthropogenic impacts and weather conditions on the formation of desertified areas and to determine the area of land affected by such effects. Modern remote sensing methods with sufficient accuracy determined by the geolocation accuracy of satellite images make it possible to determine the spatial characteristics of desertified areas in the studied area using geographic information systems. The accumulated information for the period 2002 to 2025 makes it possible to identify actual changes in these characteristics. The annual change in desertified area is determined based on retrospective and current satellite imagery data, geoinformation analysis of satellite images, and the establishment of current projective cover data. Spectrozonal images are processed in QGIS, where raster and vector map layers of the local GIS are created, allowing for the creation of a vector layer showing the spatial distribution of desertified areas. Based on these geoinformation layers, a map layout of desertified areas is developed. It has been established that 1161 thousand ha of land are susceptible to desertification as a result of weather conditions and anthropogenic impacts. Data from meteorological stations make it possible to determine weather conditions in the region across the studied years and identify their relationship with the extent of desertification. Precipitation during the study period is variable, with a minimum of 127 mm recorded in 2018 and a maximum of 388 mm in 2016. The main factor of anthropogenic impact is livestock grazing, particularly sheep and goats. Failure to comply with grazing regulations and standards destroys forage vegetation or reduces its projective cover, leading to desertification. The number of sheep and goats has increased from 695 thousand in 2002 to 1674 thousand in 2016. Therefore, accounting for changes in livestock numbers during the studied period makes it possible to determine the influence of this anthropogenic factor on changes in the area of desertification in the region. The study resulted in a correlation coefficient of 0.676 between the actual desertification area during the studied period and changes in the sheep and goat population, indicating a sufficiently close relationship. The correlation coefficient between the actual desertification area and annual precipitation was 0.395, indicating a weak negative relationship. A regression equation for changes in desertification area by year was developed with allowance for both weather conditions and anthropogenic impacts from livestock populations. This allows for forecasting possible changes in desertification area and taking measures to limit the number of livestock grazing in a given year.</p>