Rapid Changes in Plant Communities of Natural Parks due to Recreational Use
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d Changes in Plant Communities of Natural Parks due to Recreational Use L. A. Pustovalovaa, * and D. V. Veselkina, ** a
Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, 620144 Russia *e-mail: [email protected] **e-mail: [email protected] Received April 20, 2020; revised April 27, 2020; accepted April 28, 2020
Abstract—The dynamics of the state of forest communities in sites exposed to recreational effects of different intensities is assessed by testing two assumptions: (1) the taxonomic richness and diversity of communities are lower and the number of synanthropic species is higher in sites exposed to significant recreational effects; (2) the number and proportion of synanthropic species continue to increase with continued recreational use. The studies were carried out from 2012 to 2019 in four specially protected areas in the Middle Urals (Russia). Monitoring was carried out in two plots in each area: one of them was exposed to heavy recreational impacts and the other was a control one. It is revealed that the average number of species is the same in communities from the recreational plots and from the control ones; however, the number and proportion of synanthropic species is higher and that of indigenous ones is lower under intensive recreation conditions. The proportion of synanthropic species significantly increased in communities from highly visited and, most importantly, rarely visited plots over 7 years. Therefore, the transformation of the species composition of plant communities in recreational nature reserves has been established not only in plots with intensive recreational impacts but also in rarely visited plots. This is a new empirical fact that indicates the possibility of rapid synanthropization of forest vegetation in these recreationally used protected areas. Keywords: vegetation monitoring, vegetation dynamics, recreation, recreational zones, plant protection, specially protected natural areas, synanthropization DOI: 10.1134/S1067413620050100
It is necessary to protect the biological diversity for maintaining the evolutionary potential of biota and sustainability of ecosystem functions [1]. The most effective way to preserve biodiversity is to create specially protected natural areas. However, the task of some protected areas, e.g., natural parks, is to protect nature with simultaneous organization of recreational activities. It is important to maintain the balance between the conservation of natural landscapes and communities and their recreational use in such areas. Recreational impacts on biota are considered primarily as a mechanical effect on the soil and the lower layer of plant communities (trampling). Assessments of direct recreational effects on plant cmmunities are numerous for protected areas [2–8]. A similar research field is the study of vegetation transformation near road–path networks [2, 6, 9–12]. The transformation of communities along paths and roads is often not only due to trampling but also due to the introduction of ali
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