Botanical and geographical analysis of the old estates’ flora in the Voronezh region

Old manors are unique ecosystems in which plants from different bioclimatic zones coexist under conditions of high recreational load and anthropogenic pressure. The relevance of the study is due to the need to study the current state of the plant cover and the conservation of manor complexes of the Voronezh region. The purpose of the study was a botanical and geographical analysis of the flora of ancient estates in the Voronezh region. Research objectives: 1) to reveal the peculiarities of the flora of old homesteads in the Voronezh region; 2) to make a botanical and geographical analysis of the flora of old homesteads in the Voronezh region. In order to assess the current state of flora and vegetation, the floristic composition and characteristic plant communities of the territories of 59 homestead complexes were studied. The work is based on the geobotanical description of plant communities at the key sites. Botanical and geographical analysis of tree and shrub flora allowed to determine the origin of species composition. Inventory of tree and shrub flora of ancient parks of the Voronezh region showed that the number of species in them is uneven, depending on landscape and environmental conditions, degree of moisture, confinement to the types of terrain and morphostructure of the territory. The European (22.7%) and American groups (22.7%) make the largest contribution to the tree and shrub flora of homestead parks, with 17 species each; the Asian 12 (16.0%) and Mediterranean 3 (4.0%) geoelements are the least common. The protection of the biodiversity of manor complexes is of key importance for the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, as well as for maintaining the ecological sustainability of landscapes that serve as important reservoirs of biological diversity. One of the ways to preserve the species diversity of the flora of the Voronezh region's manor parks is the development of environmental projects aimed at the protection of rare plants of old manor parks, as well as the evaluation of the prospects of their use in the "green" construction.