Rare plants of ecological network in connecting areas of Vinnytsia region - Статья

Ключові слова: Червона книга України, сполучні території, рідкісні види, екомережа. Today the development of national ecological network is a priority task in the environmental sphere. The main purpose of ecological network creation is extension of country space with natural landscapes and formation of territorial integrated system that would ensure preservation of natural ecosystems and species of plant and animal life and their populations. In view of the excessive vegetation cover in the transformed Vinnytsia region that belongs to the Right-Bank Forest Steppe zone, researches of flora in connecting areas of ecological network are especially important [1]. Connecting areas (ecological corridors) combine among themselves key areas, objects of natural reserve fund (NRF), thus providing species migration and exchange of genetic material. However, in the legislation is still not clearly defined a connection between objects of the NRF with structural elements of the ecological network and also regimes of economic activity on these areas are not established [2]. The Law of Ukraine «On the Red Book of Ukraine» is one of the main legislative acts defining the basic foundations of biodiversity conservation [3]. It defines the list of species which are endangered of population abundance decrease or even extinction. At the same time at the base of the main provisions of this law are approaches that slightly differ from approaches dedicated for species determining for inclusion to the Red List, adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (hereinafter - IUCN) and realized in most European countries. For comprehensive issues resolution of landscape and biological diversity preservation in the region the «Regional Programme of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources for 2013-2018» was adopted (session decision of the Vinnytsia Regional Council № 418 from 18.12.2012). ecological natural landscape integrated MATERIALS AND RESEARCH METHODS Field researches of anthropogenically-transformed phytocoenoses of agrolandscapes in connecting areas of Vinnytsia region ecological network were conducted. For the researches we selected the following administrative districts of the region: Vinnytskyi, Tyvrivskyi, Zhmerynskyi and Mohyliv-Podilskyi districts. Selection of connecting areas meets the criteria for allocation of ecological network elements [1]. Researches were carried out in anthropogenically-transformed phytocenoses of agrolandscapes (meadows, pastures, border zone of fields, forest belts) in connecting areas of ecological network in Vinnytsia region (Buz- kyi, Dnistrovskyi, Rivskyi, Nemyiskyi, Liadivskyi ecological corridors), based on generally accepted methodology [4]. Identification of phytobiota species composition was conducted by expeditionary-routing method. We used the results of our own field studies, materials of herbarium fund of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of NAS of Ukraine (KW). Plant names are given according to the nomenclature list of vascular plants of Ukraine (Mosyakin, Federonchuk, 1999) [5]. Cameral treatment of results were conducted using the computer program MS Excel. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION It is known that ecological corridors are strips of forest, meadow, steppe, wetland and shrubs along river valleys [7]. Connecting areas (ecological corridors) in Vinnytsia region have three levels: national - 3, regional - 6 and local - 7 (Table) [5-7]. The total number of types of higher vascular plants in Vinnytsia region amounts to 600 species, that representing 2.53% of the total species of Ukraine, and 346 species of which are subject for protection [9-14]. We also noticed 264 species of higher vascular plants (44% of the total amount in the region), from which rare phytodiversity amounts 31 species that are included to the Red Book of Ukraine (2009) - 9 species [14], IUCN Red List - 4 types [9], European Red List - 7 species [11], Convention for Protection of Wild Flora and fauna and natural environment of their existence in Europe (Bern, 1979) - 3 species [13], Convention about International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna that are threatened by extinction (CITES, Washington, 1973) - 8 species [12]. During geo-botanical researches of environmental and anthropogenic-transformed vegetation of connecting areas we found rare, endemic and relict species and plant groupings that are included to the Red Book of Ukraine, Green Book of Ukraine, IUCN Red List, European Red List [8-13]. Buzkyi national meridional ecological corridor is located near the valley of the Southern Bug and its tributaries. It combines landscapes of Northern and Eastern Podillya and Dnieper sublimity. Within the region on ecological corridor is laid Galitsko-Slobozhanskyi latitudinal ecological corridor. The structure of land use is: 35.37% of area is occupied by forest, meadow and steppe, wetland vegetation, about 57.85% - arable lands and 6.8% - roads and human settlem