Scientific grounds for the establishment of the National natural park «Central Podillia»

Abstract

On the basis of complex ecological monitoring, geobotanical, zoogeographical, landscape-ecological, hydroecological, forest-typological, agroecological principles and approaches and own field research it is proposed to create a national natural park «Central Podillia» within the territory of Vinnytsia region. The creation of the proposed park, covering an area of 46.420 hectares, will increase the area’s preservation percentage to 4.5% of its total area, which is currently only 2.5%. The prospective park should combine 34 existing protected sites with an area of 1282.2 hectares and will include the territories of 4 administrative districts: Vinnitsa (14 protected sites, an area of 1095.1 hectares), Kalinovsky (4 — 150.7 hectares), Litinsky (6 — 81.1 ha) and Khmelnytsky (8 — 75.3 hectares). The need for a park is due to the presence of unique natural landscapes with associations of plant communities, which grows more than 40 species of plants and inhabits more than 50 species of animals included in the Red data book of Ukraine. The creation of the park will allow to preserve these landscapes with diverse flora and fauna, mineral springs, use the recreational potential rationally, promote the development of ecological tourism, sport hunting and fishing, introduce permanent nature-education, nature protection and environmental education work, create new jobs for the population that will maintain the established regime of protection of the park and engage in organic farming.