Biodiversity assessment of the Danube region as a tool for the development of protected areas in the region

Abstract

The paper uses the method of geospatial biodiversity assessment in the Danube region based on an expert evaluation of the distribution of species richness of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The 10-point grading scale was used to evaluate the number of species in 200 sample plots of the study region. Points from 1 to 10 were separately calculated for the species in each taxonomic group. The analysis showed a close relationship between the Lower Danube floodplain and the small steppe river basins, which together make up a single natural region. A practical testing of the geospatial assessment of the species richness was done for the first time in the Danube region. An important applied result of the research is the opportunity to assess missing elements in the environmental network of the region. This approach will justify the need to designate various types of protected areas, both at the national level (natural reserves) and at the international level (the Emerald network sites and wetlands). The areas could further be used to develop a unified ecological framework, thus contributing to the protection of rare and endangered species of the region.