Estimation of Status and Trend of Species Diversity of Terrestrial Vertebrates and Plants of the Nizhny Novgorod Region

Abstract

Abstract The Nizhny Novgorod region is the only region of Russia where the Strategy of biological diversity conservation has the status of a normative act. It was approved by the regional government in 2000. The article aims to assess the status and trends of species diversity of wildlife in the region after the adoption of the Strategy. Two model groups of wildlife species were used for the assessment: terrestrial vertebrates (468 species) and vascular plants (1800 species). Changes in regional lists of species belonging to the model groups are analyzed. The share of terrestrial vertebrate species requiring protection is now 41% and it is slightly higher than at the end of the XX century. As in the 1990s, about a quarter of the native flora of plants requires protection to varying degrees. For species requiring protection, both terrestrial vertebrates and plants at the present time, as at the end of the XX century, the main limiting factor remains the human disturbance of habitats. The second most important limiting factor is the direct pursuit (hunting, catching and destruction) of rare species, although the significance of this factor in the XXI century has rather decreased. Limiting factors have not been known for 21% of species of terrestrial vertebrates and 7% of plant species, which encourages studying the biology of these species. It is shown that the solution of problems concerned with the protection of biological diversity should be the most important element of regional environmental management, and the strategy of biological diversity conservation of the Nizhny Novgorod region has been generally relevant. Suggestions for editing the Strategy and developing the Action Plan for the biodiversity conservation of the Nizhny Novgorod region are presented.