Limestone outcrops communities are common in the Western and Central Podillya, in the valley of the Dniester River and its tributaries and they are unique. These outcrops are habitats of rare and endemic species: Poa versicolor, Minuartia tyraica, Phyteuma obriculare, Festuca pallens, Aconitum moldavicum, Saxifraga tridactylites, Polygala sibirica. A lot of them are protected in the European Union (protected by Habitat Directive, Bern Convention, and European Red List) in Ukraine (Red Book of Ukraine). These species are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures and changes in environmental conditions. That’s why it is important to study the structure of limestone outcrops communities using phytoindication and geobotanical methods. It is also important to conduct syntaxonomical identification of limestone outcrops communities to provide classification of rare habitats and to compare selected units of habitats with European ones protected in Europe. So, we set ourselves two tasks: fixing the localities of rare species that occur on limestone outcrops of Dniester canyon, and the selection of rare habitats, typical of the limestone outcrops.

We expect to receive complete information about the distribution and localization of rare and endemic species grown on limestone outcrops, about the evaluation of their populations. And also we are planning to map the spread of such species as graphical complement to the regular edition f Red Book of Ukraine. We are planning to collect data of limestone outcrops geobotanical relevees to create Ukrainian National Database of Geobotanical Relevees as a part of Global Geobotanical Database – EVA. It will help us to provide classification of vegetation and habitats of Dniester canyon limestone outcrops. Also we are planning to create natural reserves to protect rare species and habitats with the detail management plan of reserved territories and NATURA 2000 system in the Dniester Canyon as a new and more effective approach to protect biodiversity of limestone outcrops of Dniester Canyon.

For further information contact:  [email protected]

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