Наукові праці Лісівничої академії наук України (Jun 2021)
Afforestation of meadow-steppe and invertebrates’ habitatsin the nature protected areas of Holohory hilly range (environmental assessment of the phenomenon)
Abstract
In recent decades, Ukraine has been revising the paradigm of absolute conservation and applying the transition to habitual principles of biodiversity conservation. This is due to the fact that the use of only the protected regime for the preservation of rarities of flora and rare plant communities does not ensure the complete preservation of their original composition and structure. This situation is typical for the nature protection objects of the Holohory hills, where the areas of extra-zonal meadow-steppe grassland vegetation have been preserved as habitats for rare species of plants and insects. The article describes the natural features of the Hologir, highlights the history of the establishingof environmental facilities in the region. It is pointed that the botanical natural monument of state importance "Lysa Hora & Hora Sypukha"" with an area of 283 ha was establishe for the protection of beech shrub woodland. But the official description of the vegetation of this object states that the types of grasses listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine grow in the steppe areas within its boundaries. This link shows that the natural monument actually had a small purpose - to preserve not only shrub woodland, but also meadow-steppe vegetation with rare species of flora and fauna of Ukraine, which confirms the significant sozological value of the object. However, the artificial afforestation of the top of Lysa Hora with Common pine and Banks pine and their subsequent spontaneous settlement in steppe areas has a negative effect on the preservation of grass vegetation and some Invertebrata communities. An analysis of the literature on the distribution of Common pine in Podillya in the past reflects the divergence of scholars' views on its autochthony. The impact of afforestation (silvatization) on the meadow-steppe vegetation and invertebrates has been characterized from a conservation standpoint. It is concluded that the presence of pine in Hologory nature reserves does not meet the purpose of their creation, and the spontaneous expansion of this species leads to degradation of habitats of meadow-steppe vegetation and groups of insects that are subject to protection. As a result of artificial and spontaneous afforestation of meadow-steppe areas, the whole xerophilous complex of the Carabidae fauna disappears. The general analysis of trends in the number of of habitat groups of butterflies butterflies in meadow-steppe habitats Holohir over the past 25 years has shown a significant decrease in the frequency of ecotone mesophiles, steppe xerophiles and meadow hygrophiles. It is expedient to apply active preservation of mesoxerophytic herbaceous groups and groups of invertebrates by regular removal of pine and hazel self-seedingfrom their habitats.
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