Monitoring studies of habitats of rare species and tree-dwelling insects in the Emerald Network sites

Abstract

The pine stands of the Vyshcha Dubechnia State Forestry Enterprise in the Emerald Network sites Kyivske Reservoir UA0000094, Kyivske Podesennia UA0000233, Mizhrichynsky Regional Landscape Park UA0000047 are an important reserve that includes species and habitats of insects that are subject to protection. Most of the existing studies in this area were designed to identify and describe individual habitats, while xylophagous insects were not considered. The purpose of the research was to identify rare and endangered species of tree-dwelling insects in unique natural complexes. The research methods included reconnaissance surveys to determine the species composition of insects and their density. The surveys were conducted in 2020-2022, covering 33 plots with a total area of 50.5 hectares. The monitoring was performed through regular surveys of the territories, during which rare species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine and the Berne Convention resolution were identified. A desktop analysis of forestry materials was conducted. Rare species of insects subject to protection are encountered, but outside the areas where monitoring observations were conducted. These are mainly water, marsh, meadow lands, etc. Accounting for stem pests such as Scolytinae (small pine engraver Tomicus minor and pine shoot beetle Tomicus piniperda), Buprestidae (steelblue jewel beetle Phaenops cyanea) and Cerambycidae (pine sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis and timberman beetle Acanthocinus aedilis). The identified populations of xylophagous insects are described as low to medium density, occurring only on very weakened trees, and species such as Chrysobothris affinis, Cerambyx scopolii, and Scolytus ratzeburgi are rare. The results of the study will serve as an informational base for the development of regional biodiversity conservation programs and the implementation of mechanisms for the sustainable use of forest resources