Monitoring of protected species on the territory of Bushkovskiy forest State Nature Reserve

Based on long-term studies (2004–2023), the data on the distribution of rare and in need of constant monitoring of animal, plant and fungi species in the territory of Bushkovskiy forest State Nature Reserve of regional significance was updated. The Bushkovskiy forest Reserve is located in the Urzhumsky district of the Kirov Region. The territory was not glaciated and retained a dense gully network. There is a hydrological natural monument “Shaitan Lake” within the reserve. Many small rivers flow through the forest. The above Nature Reserve is one of the largest specially protected natural areas in the Kirov Region, which is intended to preserve the region’s broad-leaved fir-spruce forests with their unique flora and fauna. Seven animal species, two vascular plant species, two moss species, four lichen species, and one fungus species included in the Red Data Book of the Kirov Region were identified in the studied area. Of these, five species – Epipogium aphyllum Sw., Meesia longiseta Hedwig, Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm., Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst., Thymallus thymallus (Linnaeus, 1758) – are listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. Four species of Angiospermae and eight species of Invertebrata were identified from the list of rare and vulnerable species that need constant monitoring in the region. The confirmation of the conservation of previously noted rare species and the discovery of new ones indicate the high conservation effectiveness of the Bushkovskiy forest Nature Reserve.