Protected species in grassland habitats of Ukraine

Abstract

Based on the analysis of more than 17,000 vegetation plots (relevés), the participation of 261 protected species (254 vascular plants, six lichens, and one bryophyte) in 30 EUNIS grassland habitat types was revealed. Vegetation plots were assigned to the habitat types using the EUNIS-ESy expert system with further verification. We consider as protected species those listed in the current edition of the Red Data Book of Ukraine, Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention, Annexes II and IV of the Habitat Directive, and the IUCN Red List (only categories VU, EN, CR). The participation of protected species was studied according to the following three criteria: (1) the total number of protected species in the plots assigned to a certain habitat type, (2) the number of plots in which at least one protected species is present, and (3) the mean number of protected species per plots within each habitat type. True steppes (R1B) and meadow steppes (R1A) differed with a significant predominance of the total number of protected species. Arctic alpine calcareous grassland (R44) and Continental dry rocky steppic grassland and dwarf scrub on chalk outcrops (R15) had the largest proportion of plots with protected species and the highest mean numbers of protected species per relevé. Saline habitats, in particular Temperate inland salt marsh (R63) and Semi desert salt pan (R64), were characterized by the smallest number of plots with protected species. Among all species, Gymnadenia conopsea, Stipa capillata, Colchicum autumnale and Gladiolus imbricatus occurred in the largest number of studied habitat types. Based on the results of the analysis, appropriate ways of optimizing the protection of grassland habitats and protected species are proposed.

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“…Di Sacco et al (2021), pointing to the interconnectedness of biodiversity and climate change, suggests ten rules for forest ecosystem restoration: protect the existing forest, engage all stakeholders, strive to maximise biodiversity restoration, select areas for restoration, use natural restoration whenever possible, select species to maximise biodiversity, use sustainable plant material, plan infrastructure, capacity and seed supply, learn in practice, and ensure the economic sustainability of the project. Many researchers in Ukraine emphasise the relevance of botanical inventory of plants and determination of their conservation status, inventory of phyto-diversity throughout Ukraine, determination of localisation of plant populations, especially rare ones, creation of protected areas of rare plant locations to prevent further fragmentation of their populations to maximise the restoration of their integrity in the future (Budzak & Didukh, 2020;Kremenetska et al, 2022;Chusova et al, 2022).…”

“…The role of meadows in ecosystem resilience to global climate change is highlighted by O.O. Chusova et al (2022), in particular, on thermoregulation, soil formation, and erosion control. In addition, meadows, especially dry ones, are home to many local endemics.…”

Biodiversity surveys of grassland and coastal habitats in 2021 as a documentation of pre-war status in southern Ukraine

“…For instance, steppe vegetation historically covered approximately 40% of the total territory of the country, but today, steppe remnants exist only in 1% of this territory ( Burkovskyi et al 2013 , Dembicz et al 2016 ). However, preserved until now, areas of grassland vegetation maintain high biodiversity, including numerous rare and endemic plant species in Ukraine ( Chusova et al 2022 , Kuzemko et al 2022 ).…”