EVALUATION OF REPRESENTATIVENESS OF THE NATURAL RESERVE FUND OF ODESA REGION FOR PROTECTION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND SOZOPHITES IN THE CONTEXT OF GEOBOTHANICAL ZONING

Abstract

Geobotanical zoning of Odesa Region was clarified. 14 geobotanical areas were allocated within 6 districts. We have considered the distribution of objects of Natural Reserve Fund by areas and districts. It has been revealed that 4.5% of reserve state in Odesa Region is provided by the six areas. Eight geobotanical areas have percentage of reserved state from 0.14 to 2.40 %.There are 77 objects of the NRF in the Odesa Region (outside Odesa city); 65 of them are larger than 2 hectares, 44 larger than 50 hectares, 37 larger than 100 hectares, 16 are larger than 1,000 hectares, seven – larger than 5 thousand hectares, four larger than 10 thousand hectares. The largest objects are located in the South of the region, on the Black Sea coast, in the deltas of large rivers or estuary systems, which does not reflect the main features of the Steppe zone. The objects of the highest level (biosphere reserve and national parks) are present only in two of the six districts.Forest ecosystems are under the most intensive protection. They are present on all objects of the NRF in Forest-Steppe Zone and on 71.4 % of the territories of the NRF in the Steppe Zone. Steppe plots over 2 hectares have been registered only on the fifth part of all objects of the NRF. This distribution of ecosystems on protected territories does not reflect the general regularities of distribution of natural landscapes, ecosystems and vegetation types in the Region.Each geobotanical area has from 8 to 30 sozophytes from the Red Data Book of Ukraine. Nizhnedunayskiy and Yuzhnomoldovskovozvyshennіy areas have the largest number of sozophytes (30 species). From 10 to 100% sozophytes in an area are not under territorial protection. The article presents a list of plants which grow only in one geobotanical area in the Region. From 23 to 50 sozophytes of the Red Data Book of Ukraine grow within one geobotanical district, among them from 28 to 96.8 % of the species are not covered by territorial protection. This situation endangers the preservation of many sozophytes in the Region.To optimize the protection of ecosystems and species from the Red Data Book of Ukraine it is proposed to create new objects of the NRF, to include Ramsar wetlands and the objects of the Еmerald Network to the NRF of Ukraine, including objects which have already been specially created for protection of localities of some rare species (Colchicum fominii, Genista tetragona, etc.).