Conservation and Restoration Prospects of Semi-Natural Plant Communities when Creating Parks in the Southern Russia’s Steppe (a Case Study of the 70th Anniversary of Victory Park)

Abstract

Preserving the least transformed vegetation cover plots and using them as park zones when expanding urban development areas is one of the most promising areas of urban planning. There is very little experience in creating such parks in steppe regions. This study is the basis for the development project of the first park of this type in the Rostov Region. The goal of the study is to analyze the vegetation cover in the 70thAnniversary of Victory Park to identify valuable plant communities with a high preservation and to include them subsequently in to the Park’s landscape project. For this purpose, we carried out a detailed zoning of the vegetation in the territory, revealed its relationship with the soil cover, the terrain, and the anthropogenic pressure. To collect and process data, we used generally accepted methods of botanical research. We carried out a comparative analysis of the systematic, ecological, and phytocoenotic spectra of the associations identified. In the territory of one land unit, we found coenopopulations of two protected species: Bellevalia sarmatica and Iris pumila. A low wild-grass overgrowing and a relative high abundance of steppe grasses and herbs in some areas of species suggest a likely prospect for the territory to become virgin over the next 10 to 15 years. Based on the results of our study, we have identified areas which, if preserved and maintained, will allow to create close-to-steppe vegetation zones in the Park.