Crimea is characterized by great landscape diversity, which, according to leading experts, is a prerequisite for great biodiversity.
Landscape diversity is a consequence of the unique border location of the peninsula:
-on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones;
-at the junction of the platform and the geosynclinal zone;
- on the border of the habitats of many flora and fauna.
Many features of the landscape structure are associated with its peninsular position - Crimea is almost an island (and in certain geological epochs it was a real island) within the Azov-Black Sea basin, and the latter is a kind of island within Eurasia. The insular position determines some features of the climate, contributed to the emergence of a significant proportion of endemics, and, in some classes of animals, to the depletion of the species composition.
In Crimea, the interaction of mountains and plains plays an important role. Mountain Crimea is a mega-anticlinorium, consisting of two structural levels and a number of large structures. The foothills consist of cuesta ridges located on the raised edge of the Scythian platform. The latter is located at the base of the Plain Crimea. The geological history of Crimea is more than 200 million years old. During this period, a variety of geological structures, loose deposits and landforms were formed. Among the genetic types of relief, erosion-denudation, erosion-accumulative, accumulative (subdivided into sea, lake and river), abrasion, karst, landslide, in many cases - structural relief forms are well pronounced. The contrast of heights in the Crimea reaches one and a half kilometers, and in the Ai-Petri-Koreiz area, the altitude difference is 1.2 km at a distance of 3 km.
Morphological types of relief are represented by low-lying (undrained and drained) and elevated plains (with subtypes ridged, wavy, hilly, outlier, plateau-like), foothills, low mountains, and middle mountains. At a lower level, there are ravine, ravine, gully, valley, depression-like, saddle-like. There are various types of slopes: from gentle to steep; open and closed; convex, concave, stepped, straight.
More than two thousand years of history of the economic development of the peninsula, along with the destruction of many natural landscapes, led to the emergence of various natural and anthropogenic landscapes: agricultural landscapes, residential, recreational, mining and industrial landscapes, as well as natural and technical systems - irrigation, urban, transport and communication, etc.
The soil cover has a variegated spatial pattern, reflecting lithological, orographic, microclimatic differentiation. In Crimea, more than 400 soil types and several thousand varieties have been identified.
The habitats of communities of organisms are formed on the basis of landscape systems. Preserving the landscape also means preserving biodiversity. The landscapes located in hard-to-reach territories, due to the relief conditions, poor transport accessibility, in areas unfavorable for the development of certain types of activity (infertile soils, unfavorable living conditions for the population, etc.), have been preserved to the greatest extent. For Crimea, very characteristic areas, occupying small areas, but concentrating within their limits a wide variety of habitat conditions, species of organisms and communities. We are talking about the contact zones of various geosystems, river valleys, gullies, ravines, steep sections, ecotones, the banks of water bodies, the places where groundwater exits there are prerequisites for increasing the diversity:
1) zones of ecotones, where species diversity increases;
2) hard-to-reach areas where economic activity and tourism have not received wide development;
3) areas where the living conditions of organisms are improved due to the availability of water sources, additional nutrition, or for other similar reasons.
When describing the landscape structure of Crimea, experts used the identification of physical and geographical areas of different levels. The most widespread and recognized system of units is: a physical-geographical country - a landscape zone - a physical-geographical province - a physical-geographical region - a physical-geographical district - a physical-geographical region.
Crimea is located within two physical and geographical countries - Eastern European and Crimean-Caucasian. The northern flat part of Crimea makes up the Crimean steppe province, which belongs to the dry steppe subzone of the steppe zone. Within its limits, four physical and geographical regions are distinguished: the North Crimean lowland steppe, the Tarkhankut elevated plain, the Central Crimean plain steppe and the Kerch hilly-ridge steppe. Within their limits, there are physical and geographical regions - 12 in total. Mountain Crimea forms a physical and geographical province within the Crimean-Caucasian country. It is divided into three physical-geographical regions: the Foothill forest-steppe, the Main mountain-meadow-forest ridge and the South Coast sub-Mediterranean. Within these regions, 9 physical and geographical regions are distinguished.
The landscape structure of Crimea is most fully revealed on landscape-typological maps of Crimea (M 1: 200,000) and Mountain Crimea(M 1: 100,000), compiled by G.E. Grishankov as a result of detailed fieldwork in 1965-1975. and summarizing a wealth of empirical material. He used the following mapping units: landscape levels, zones, belts, tiers, groups of localities. Landscape levels are zonal systems formed on a geomorphological basis, relatively homogeneous in relief and soil moisture, having a planetary distribution. The zonal systems of Crimea are formed within the hydromorphic, upland, foothill and mid-mountain landscape levels.
The hydromorphic level of Crimea is represented by coastal lowlands - North Crimean, Sasyk-Saki and fragments on Kerch Peninsula... The lowlands have a relative height of 0 to 40 m above sea level, are distinguished by exceptional flatness and are represented by one zone - the zone of semi-desert poor forbs steppes.
Plakorny plains stretch from the Tarkhankut Peninsula, across the plains of the Central Crimea and to the watershed plains of the Kerch Peninsula. Their height ranges from 40 to 150 m. They are characterized by a dissected valley-gully and denudation-remnant relief. One zone is expressed - typical poor forbs steppes.
The foothill landscape level of Crimea occupies both the northern foothill plains and hills, and low mountains South Shore Crimea. The height reaches 600 m, the dissection and mosaicism of the relief and landscape increases. There are two natural zones - piedmont forest-steppe and pistachio-oak and oak-juniper forests of the southern coast of Crimea. The peculiarities of the climate, soils and vegetation of these zones are determined by the change in the position of individual territories in relation to the mountains and the incoming air masses. Differences in soil and vegetation reach the latitudinal-zonal level.
The mid-mountain landscape level in Crimea is represented by the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains, which stretches from Balaklava to the Old Crimea at an altitude of 400 to 1500 m.The relief is dominated by medium-steep and steep slopes, and on flat tops - fragments of plains with numerous karst forms. The differentiation of the mid-mountain landscape level into natural zones is based on a change in the position and height of the relief. There are three zones on this level. The most significant differences are observed between the zone of the mountainous forest-steppe of the Yail, on the one hand, and the forest zones of the slopes, on the other. The differences between the zones of the middle mountains barely reach the latitudinal-subzonal level.
Specially protected territories have been formed in each region of the peninsula. At the zonal-belt level of the structural organization of biodiversity, the number of protected areas varies depending on the area of the zone and its biocenotic structure, but does not meet international criteria. In general, calculations show that the minimum number of protected areas within the zones of the Plain Crimea should reach 14-26%, foothill - 14-30%, mountain - up to 60%, which is consistent with a number of expert assessments. The natural zones of Crimea are distinguished by the patterns of intraregional organization, which change when moving from one landscape level to another. On hydromorphic plains, the leading factor of organization is the depth of groundwater. Taking it into account, a hydromorphic zonation is formed, associated with a change in saline groundwater from 0 to 6-8 m. The landscape structure of these plains is determined by a combination of three main hydromorphic belts: undrained, weakly drained, and relatively drained belt of plains. In the belt of undrained plains, groundwater (saline sulfate-chloride) is located at a depth of 0.2-0.5 m, salt marshes and halophytic meadows are widespread here. In the belt of poorly drained plains, the level of groundwater (saline chloride-sulfate) ranges from 0.2-0.5 m to 2.5-3.0 m, the vegetation cover is dominated by wormwood-fescue steppes in combination with halophytic meadows. In the belt of relatively drained plains, groundwater sinks to a depth of 3-8 m from the surface, sulfate salinization, depleted varieties of feather grass-fescue steppes, typical of upland plains, prevailed in the vegetation cover, but the soil profile retains the features of the former hydromorphism. On upland plains, the leading factors of landscape organization are relative altitude, lithology, degree and character of relief dissection. In accordance with the vertical differences in landscapes associated with changes in geomorphological conditions (degree and nature of dissection, lithology rocks, speed and direction of geomorphological processes, etc.), landscape tiering is formed. Landscape tiering is manifested where insignificant fluctuations in altitude above sea level do not affect climate change and, consequently, the structure of the landscape.
In Crimea, three-tiered plains of the Tarkhankut Upland and two-tiered central plains of Crimea are distinguished. The upper layer of the Tarkhankut Upland is represented by structurally weakly dissected plains with underdeveloped chernozem-type soils and soddy-cereal poor forbs steppes. The second tier is located on the lower eluvial-denudation plains. It is characterized by more powerful soils of the chernozem type and forb steppes. The lower tier of the Tarkhankut Upland is formed by denudation-accumulative ravine-valley plains. These plains are characterized by a relatively variegated soil and vegetation cover, which varies from petrophytic steppes on steep slopes to meadow steppes on ravines.
The landscapes of the Central Crimean plains are represented by a two-tier structure in the form of real rich herb steppes in a complex with savanna steppes on loess slightly dissected plains and real poor herb steppes in a complex with rich herb meadow steppes on accumulative-denudation valleys-ravine plains.
Within the foothill landscape level, the main factors of landscape organization are the position of the foothill plains in relation to the mountains and the direction of the prevailing winds and the height above sea level, and in some cases the depth of groundwater. Due to the change in the relative height, a slope microzonality is formed. In Crimea, the slope microzonality is well manifested on the plains, in the foothills and on the southern coast of Crimea. So, for example, on the southern coast of Crimea in the conditions of low-mountainous relief, two genetically separate groups of microzones are clearly distinguished. The lower group includes the bottom of the ravines and the coastal slopes, where brown clay-cartilaginous soils are common on the diluvium and proluvium of clay shales and sandstones. The vegetation cover is dominated by shiblyak-forest complexes.
Historically, there has been a significant reduction in natural landscapes and the widespread development of derivatives formed as a result of the interaction of newly created (constructive) and poorly transformed landscapes. Natural, poorly transformed, landscapes occupy only 2.5% of the territory. These are, first of all, mountain broad-leaved forests, mountain forest-steppe on yayls, salt marshes and halophytic meadows of the Sivash region and the Kerch Peninsula.
Most of the territory of Crimea (62%) has been developed for constructive landscapes: arable land, gardens, cities, roads, etc. They require the constant introduction of additional energy according to a specific plan to maintain their new structure and functioning. This is the widest type, including residential, water management, recreational beach, road transport, industrial and municipal, mining and industrial classes. This includes park land classes, which include the following types: orchards, vineyards, arable lands and plantations of tobacco and essential oil plants, nurseries, greenhouses, hotbeds, warehouses, shelterbelts, livestock complexes. The terraced complexes stand out.
The rest of the territory (35.5%) is represented by derivative landscapes. Derivative complexes are natural complexes reflecting different stages of digression or one of the stages of their denaturalization. They were formed during the spontaneous use of forest landscapes for pastures and during haphazard felling and fires. This type includes the classes of digressive (from polydominant shiblyaks to erosional badland) and renaturalized lands (from friganoid petrophytic steppe to restored forest). At present, in most of the territory of the South Coast of Crimea, natural forests have been replaced by shrub thickets of the shiblyak type, in which shrub forms of downy oak, hornbeam, scumpia, hold-tree, sumach and rose hips dominate.
Destructive land is a negative territorial by-product of human activity. They are the last stage of landscape degradation.
In Crimea, land and amphibious landscapes are distinguished. The latter include landscapes of rivers, lakes and coastal areas of the sea, where the functioning of bottom complexes is directly related to the surface layers of water and sunlight. Zonal-belt conditions (position in the temperate zone on the border with the subtropical with insufficient precipitation) determine the dominance of subboreal semiarid landscapes in Crimea. The Crimean mountains disturb the structure of zonal circulation processes: altitude and barrier effects lead to a change in the thermal and water regime within the mountains. Along with subboreal conditions, boreal ones are formed, in addition to semi-arid ones, seven-humid and humid ones appear.
In Crimea, there is one zonal type of landscape - semi-arid steppe, which occupies the flat part of the peninsula. In this part of the peninsula, arid (semi-arid) conditions are observed: with an evaporation rate of 850-900 mm / year, precipitation falls at 400-450 mm / year. In the Sivash region, the amount of precipitation decreases to 350 mm / year, and the moisture coefficient - to 0.35-0.40. This brings the conditions in this area closer to the subboreal arid semi-desert. But the soil and vegetation cover here is more influenced by other factors: the proximity of groundwater and residual soil salinity. They lead to the formation here of complexes of wormwood-fescue steppes, halophytic meadows and salt marshes.
In the foothill and mountainous parts of the peninsula, other types of landscapes are formed, which is associated with the imposition of exposure circulating differentiation on the zonal background (pre-ascent precipitation, an increase in precipitation on windward slopes and a decrease on leeward slopes), altitude (temperature decrease with altitude), meridional sector, position in relation to the sea. Geographically, these factors are manifested within tens of kilometers. Mountains disturb the structure of meteorological fields, as a result of which the amount of atmospheric precipitation increases by 1.5-3 times, there is a spatial differentiation of the thermal regime. Therefore, in different parts of the mountains and foothills, conditions of heat supply and moisture supply were formed, close to the subboreal-seven-humid forest-steppe (central and eastern parts of the Foothills), subboreal humid forest (the northern macroslope of the Main Ridge and the upper part of the southern macroslope - approximately up to an altitude of 800 m), subboreal southern humid forest (the lower forest part of the Southern macroslope of the Main ridge - at an altitude of 400-800 m), subboreal ". southern seven-humid forest-steppe (southwestern foothills - the region of Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai, Baydarskaya valley and the southeastern part of the southern coast, with the exception of! the most arid coastal part - see below), subboreal southern semiarid steppe (Meganom, Koktebel, Ordzhonikidze area) In the extreme south-west of the peninsula in the coastal zone; (up to an altitude of about 300 m) heat supply conditions approaching subtropical (Miskhor: sum of temperatures above 10 degrees is about 4000, the temperature of the coldest month reaches t 4.5 degrees). From west to east, the amount of precipitation decreases, and their maximum shifts to summer, which reduces their efficiency and brings conditions closer to semiarid (east of Alushta to Sudak and Karadag).
At altitudes of 900-1000 m and more, humid boreal and boreal-subboreal conditions prevail. According to the conditions of heat supply, three groups, or series, of landscapes were distinguished: boreal, boreal-subboreal, and subboreal. Subboreal can be divided into subgroups - typical and southern. Within the subboreal southern forest-steppe group, a sub-Mediterranean variety is distinguished. According to the conditions of humidification, semi-arid, semi-humid and humid rows are distinguished.
Thus, based on the analysis of the position on the scales of heat supply (sum of temperatures over 10 degrees) and moisture supply (moisture coefficient of Vysotsky-Ivanov), it was revealed that in Crimea there are prerequisites for identifying 8 zonal (1 and 2 levels) types of landscapes: boreal, boreal subboreal, three subboreal, three subboreal southern.
Semi-desert steppes and halophytic meadows are widespread within the typical steppe landscapes in the Plain Crimea in the Sivash region. Their appearance is associated not so much with the deterioration of moisture conditions (which goes in the northeastern direction), but with the influence of saline soils and groundwater, that is, with factors of edaphic and hydrogeological nature.
On yayls, climatic conditions correspond to boreal (taiga) and boreal-subboreal (subtaiga) landscapes, however, hydrological-lithological and geomorphological conditions lead to a sharp decrease in the amount of moisture that can be used by plants, as a result of which meadow steppe and forest-steppe have been formed. The growth of tree species is also hampered by severe microclimatic conditions: high wind speeds in winter with high air humidity. The landscapes are also affected by factors of an evolutionary nature associated with the laws of self-development of landscape components. After the anthropogenic pressure is removed, successive changes begin, ending with the formation of communities in one way or another close to the original ones. Since anthropogenic impacts have been manifested over the past millennia (and especially centuries), on the territory of the peninsula, a patchwork system of plant communities has emerged from different stages of succession series of vegetation types.
Many factors differentiate landscapes within local areas. River erosion leads to the formation of valleys, meso- and micro-scale slopes of different steepness and exposure. The formation of slopes is influenced by many other factors. Slope differentiation contributes to the uneven inflow of solar radiation due to different steepness and exposure, the redistribution of solid (snow) and liquid atmospheric precipitation falling on the surface. There are effects of screening solar radiation by ridges, and a decrease in the amount of radiation entering the bottoms of river valleys. All this creates a significant territorial differentiation of the moisture content of landscape complexes at a very small distance, often within hundreds or even tens of meters, there is a sharp change in temperature conditions and soil moisture. This causes a change in the nature of soil-forming processes, the formation of loose surface deposits, the migration of chemical elements and the formation of the geochemical environment in general.
Particularly noticeable territorial changes occurred within the foothills, since here steppe complexes are replaced by forest complexes (that is, the landscape system has the character of an ecotone), and any differentiation of conditions within the ecotone causes a rather abrupt change in complexes. The change of landscape complexes often occurs within short distances.
Classes and subclasses of landscapes are distinguished by hypsometric properties. In Crimea, there are three classes of landscapes: plain, foothill and mountain. They are divided into subclasses. Plain landscapes are divided into low (Sivash region) and elevated (Tarkhankut peninsula, Central Crimean plain. Kerch peninsula). The class of foothill landscapes is divided into cuesta monoclinal and inter-ridge landscapes. The class of mountainous landscapes in Crimea is represented by two subclasses - low-mountainous (the main part of the mountains) and middle-mountainous (yayly and the highest ridges). Within the low-mountain subclass, the mountain-coastal variety (southern coastal regions) can be distinguished.
By positional properties, groups, subgroups, families, subfamilies, categories and varieties of landscapes are distinguished.
A semi-desert variety of semi-arid steppe landscapes occupies the Sivash region. This is a low-lying plain, gradually rising from the coast of the Sivash and the Karkinitsky Gulf of the Black Sea to 40 meters. It is composed of aeolian-deluvial loams and clays. Valleys of rivers and gullies are filled with alluvial loams and sandy loams, estuary sands and clays. Within the territory, climatic and geomorphological differences are weakly expressed; the depth of groundwater is of major importance in differentiating landscape conditions. Directly at the coastline, in the lower reaches of rivers, groundwater is located a few tens of centimeters from the surface. Therefore, salt marshes and halophytic meadows prevail here. Wetlands with thickets of reeds and other hydrophytes have formed along the coast, serving as a habitat for numerous birds. In higher areas, wormwood-fescue steppes dominate. Even higher, they are replaced by feather-grass-fescue steppes.
The flora and fauna of these landscape areas have been preserved in small areas, since 50-70% is occupied by arable land and 20-30% - by pastures with a strong manifestation of pasture digression. Desertification processes can be observed here. At the same time, the widespread development of irrigation (about 30% of the area of the Svash region) has led over the past few decades of the 20th century to the formation of landscape complexes of the humid type. In the course of irrigation, many areas were flooded. Most of the territory is occupied by agroecosystems. Of greatest interest from the point of view of biodiversity conservation are areas in the central part of the Sivash region, which serve as a temporary habitat for migratory birds. For wetlands formed as a result of the desalination of the Sivash by waste waters, local bird species are also characteristic.
The greatest problems for the biological and landscape diversity of this zone are the change in the hydrological and hydrogeological regime under irrigation conditions, the deterioration in the quality of surface and underground water due to the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Until the early 90s of the 20th century, there was a reduction in the area of natural biocenoses due to an increase in the area of arable land, but in recent years, a reverse process of abandoning agricultural land began, accompanied by the formation of ruderal and native vegetation and weed biocenoses on them. Chemical contamination is largely related to rice cultivation. There is a challenge to gradually replace rice cultivation with other types of land use. However, it would be wrong to simply stop rice cultivation by abandoning these areas. In this case, weed phytocenoses will inevitably form on these lands and the process of strong secondary salinization will begin.
Subboreal steppe typical landscapes are the only zonal first-level type of landscape in Crimea, which occupies about 60% of the peninsula's territory, stretching from the Tarkhankut Peninsula to the Kerch Peninsula and occupying the entire flat part of Crimea with the exception of the Sivash region. The natural vegetation of these landscapes has been preserved in small areas. It is replaced by fields, orchards, vineyards, pastures and is characterized by a highly depleted species composition. This territory is more dissected in comparison with the Sivash region - elevated plains dominate here. Irrigation of the fields led to the formation of complexes that significantly differ from the zonal ones.
Within this zone, specialists distinguish three landscape areas, characterized by a different set of landscape areas and natural boundaries:
- 1.Tarkhankut elevated plain, composed of limestones, red-brown clays, loess-like loams. Ridge elevations are combined on the peninsula with deep-cut valleys (dry rivers). The area is characterized by hot dry summers and relatively warm winters without a clearly defined period with negative air temperatures. Insufficient humidification - evaporation is about twice the amount of precipitation. The territory corresponds to the subboreal semiarid steppe type of landscape. The original vegetation has hardly survived. Arable land occupies approximately 50% of the territory. Grains prevail among agricultural crops. Quite large areas (about a third of the territory) are occupied by pastures represented by poorly forb steppes, often by their petrophytic varieties.
- 2. The Central Crimean territory is composed of brown continental clays and loess-like loams, covered in many places by layers of anthropogenic proluvial-deluvial sediments. A wavy-valley relief with elevations from 50 to 120 m prevails. The climate differs from the Tarkhankut Upland in a slightly higher amount of precipitation: up to 500-550 mm per year and somewhat more severe winters. The territory is dominated by flat-valley, valley-gully, flat-plain, valley-dry river and coastal halogen areas. This is the most plowed area - 75% (the predominance of grain crops, part of the land is occupied by vineyards and orchards, industrial crops). Natural steppe areas have been preserved in small patches.
The largest number of habitats is observed in the river Valleys. Here are the most contrasting conditions for moistening, geomorphology, and lithology. At the same time, most of the settlements are confined to the river Valleys, that is, in the valleys there is a kind of neighborhood of natural and contrasting landscape complexes and settlements, small in area.
3. The Kerch zone occupies the Kerch Peninsula. There are two main parts of the peninsula: the southwestern part, filled with heavy saline Maikop clays, and the northeastern part, composed of clays, sands, marls and limestones. Arable land occupies 35% of the peninsula. The southwestern part is dominated by desert steppes, halophytic meadows, and typical poor herb-grass steppes. In the northeastern part, petrophytic shrub-herb-grass steppes prevail in the remnant-watershed areas, feather-grass-fescue steppes on inclined plains, fescue-wormwood-desert steppes in depressions. These territories for the most part are used for pastures and are in different stages of pasture digression.
Special ecotopes are formed in the coastal parts of the zone of typical steppe landscapes. Here, in many areas, abrasion processes have led to the formation of dissected steep banks, processed by water erosion. The large dissection determined the poor suitability of the sites for economic use, which contributed to the preservation of plant and animal species and biocenoses here. The contrast of the relief, and thus the microclimatic conditions, favors the survival of animals in conditions of fluctuating weather and changing seasons. On many parts of the coast of the peninsula, high biodiversity has been preserved (the extreme western part of the coast of the Tarkhankut peninsula - the regions of Dzhangul, Atlesh; areas of the Azov and Black Sea coasts Kerch Peninsula - sections of Karalar, Osoviny, Opuk).
Subboreal forest-steppe typical landscapes are landscapes of the zonal type of the second level; they occupy the Foothills. Here, a change of plain landscapes to mountain ones takes place. The territory is crossed by the Outer and Inner cuesta ridges, separated by an inter-ridge depression. The ridges are composed of limestones, marls and clays, the inter-ridge depression is composed of marls. The climate of the territory becomes more humid and cool compared to the steppe part: the amount of atmospheric precipitation here increases to 550-650 mm / year, and the moisture coefficient - up to 0.55. It is distinguished by a more significant territorial differentiation of landscapes, since there is a dissected relief, there is a sharp change in meteorological fields in connection with the transition from the plain to the mountainous part.
Large differences are added between the northern and southern slopes of the cuestas due to the different amounts of incoming solar radiation. But in many cases it is the southern steep slopes of the cuestas that are forested, while the northern gentle ones are usually plowed up. This is due to the practical impossibility of using the steep southern slopes for agricultural activities. The treeless slopes were formerly used for grazing, while the forested ones have retained a relatively natural appearance. In the 1960s and 1980s, terracing and planting of pine were carried out on many of the treeless southern slopes of the cuestas, which had very different consequences for the landscape and biological diversity in different areas. The steep slopes of the cuestas have the largest number of location types and habitats. The area has been significantly transformed. This is the most urbanized part of the peninsula with many transport arteries. There are quite a few quarries for the development of building materials.
Subboreal typical forest zonal landscapes of the second level occupy the main part of the Northern macroslope of the Crimean Mountains. The forest landscapes in this area are most prominent and best preserved. The following factors are of primary importance for the formation of the diversity of ecotopes:
Altitude (height difference is 500-600 m). Here, the altitudinal zonation is manifested quite well (better than in other regions of the peninsula): fluffy oak forests-rock-oak forests-hornbeam-beech forests;
Exposition differences: between the slopes of the northern and southern exposures, there are very significant differences in the amount of solar radiation (up to 50-60%);
The effects of slope closure.
This is the richest part of the peninsula with forests. Along with the relatively favorable climatic conditions, this was favored by the poor accessibility of many areas for humans (for example, the Central Crimean Basin). Inhabited localities and agricultural lands occupy only narrow bands of river valleys bottoms.
Yayla - by background climatic conditions correspond to the boreal and boreal-subboreal: the amount of precipitation is 600-1500 mm / year, the temperature of the coldest month is from -2 to -5 ° С, the temperature of the warmest month is from 12-13 to 16-17 ° С. The amount of evaporation ranges from 500-700 mm / year, the background climatic humidification is normal or excessive. Yaila landscapes have a pronounced azonal character associated with lithological and geomorphological conditions. The precipitation falls through the cracks and through the underground cavities move to the flysch aquiclude, unloading on the slopes of the yayl. Differentiation of ecotopes is associated with lithological differences (limestones have different degrees of fracturing and susceptibility to karst manifestations), the existence of a large number of karst sinkholes. The steppe and forest-steppe landscapes of the yailas form a kind of islands among the surrounding forest landscapes, which determines their certain isolation and contributes to the formation of endemic species of organisms.
Forest sparse forests on the southern steep slopes of the yailas are azonal communities. The latter are associated with lithomorphic and geomorphological factors. Falling atmospheric precipitation is poorly retained in place due to the large steepness of the surface, slope processes are strongly manifested: rockfalls, talus, washout of soil and loose sediments. These are very unstable landscapes. Any anthropogenic load is not recommended here.
Subboreal southern forest landscapes occupy the lower part of the southern macroslope of mountains - from 800 m to 400 m. They are characterized by a significant participation of pine forests. Within this zone, a rather high percentage is occupied by sloping and steep slopes, which determines the intensification of erosion processes, a significant manifestation of rock falls, talus. On gentle slopes, more favorable forest conditions are formed. The territory is located in close proximity to the settlements of the South Coast, to recreational complexes. Numerous hiking trails despite the protected status of many areas. Therefore, it is exposed to a fairly significant anthropogenic impact. Fires associated with tourists are especially dangerous for these. Subboreal forest-steppe southern landscapes occupy the southwestern Foothills (the Sevastopol region, the lower part of the Belbek and Kacha river basins), the entire southeastern part of the South Coast of the South Coast (from Alushtydo Karadag, with the exception of Meganom and Kiik-Atlama. This zone is characterized by large territorial contrasts associated with a variety of relief, rocks.Mild winter is of great importance - the temperature during the cold period does not drop here below 20 ° C, and the average January temperature is 2-3.5 ° C. Thanks to the mild winter in these areas, the proportion of winter-green plants increases ...
The Mediterranean variant of the subboreal typical southern forest-steppe landscapes roughly corresponds to the sub-Mediterranean landscape type.
The landscapes of the region of the western part of the South Coast of the Crimea are already of the forest-steppe type - the subboreal southern forest-steppe, but they have a more pronounced heat supply (the sum of temperatures is above 10 °), a well-pronounced winter maximum precipitation, evaporation of 900-950 mm / year, the annual amount of precipitation is 450-650 mm ... The coefficient of moisture is 0.5-0.7, which corresponds to the forest-steppe. Heat supply does not reach the sum of temperatures of 4600, which is characteristic of the lower border of the subtropical climate. Therefore, this region is a special variant of subboreal southern forest-steppe landscapes. These landscapes are characterized by the presence of a relatively large number of evergreen species. This area has undergone a great transformation. There are quite a few parks with introduced species, part of the territory is occupied by vineyards. On the other side, natural communities have been preserved, but they have been greatly transformed. The dissection of the relief is very high, which determines the presence of a large number of habitat types associated with the bottoms of river valleys (with steeply dipping channels), slopes of different steepness and exposure. The transformations are associated with the construction of roads, cities, water pipelines. Landslides intensified, the restructuring of groundwater flows occurred, which led to large changes in soil moisture, to the formation of new plant communities. The latter adapt to high recreational loads, which is reflected in the species composition.
Subboreal semiarid southern landscapes are distributed in small areas in the Meganom, Kiik-Atlama region in the southeastern Crimea. They are characterized by increased values of evaporation - up to 1000 mm / year and more, a decrease in the annual amount of atmospheric precipitation to 350 mm. Landscape complexes of the coastal strip of the mountainous part of Crimea are formed in connection with the salt effect of the sea and the special nature of the microclimate, the large role of abrasion processes. The greatest contrast of landscape conditions is manifested here within a narrow coastal zone.
The landscapes of the river valleys of the mountainous part are a specific type of landscape that forms in the eternal valleys. Its specificity is associated with the following factors:
1) location below other landscape complexes, which leads to the transfer of additional amount of water here; the formation of accumulative deposits here - alluvial, proluvial;
2) streams reshape the bottoms and slopes of the valleys, which leads to constant restructuring of landscapes;
3) in Crimea, where moisture is the main limiting ecological factor, river valleys have more favorable conditions for plant growth;
4) the landscape complexes of the valleys are very small in width and long in length, the small width of the complexes determines the territorial proximity of landscape complexes, the ability for animals to migrate from one landscape to another, depending on the need.
Ecotones are boundary systems, which are transition zones between adjacent landscape systems, characterized as stress bands with maximum gradients of changes in the parameters of landscape systems. When analyzing biodiversity, it turns out that it is in ecotones that its value is most often the highest. In addition, ecotonic landscape systems are characterized by specific properties, a more complex and diverse territorial structure, which creates conditions for the formation of more diverse and favorable habitats for biota than in adjoining landscape systems. Ecotones are more dynamic, always more unstable in space-time. It is ecotonic systems that are the first to react to changes in external conditions and therefore are indicators of changes in the ecological state of adjoining landscape systems. They act as a kind of buffers on the way of natural and economic influences. Ecotones often act as refugia.
Crimea can be viewed as a complex ecotone. The peninsula is located at the junction of the temperate and subtropical zones and is a climatic ecotone. The proximity of land and sea for kilometers led to the formation of various aquatic-territorial landscape zones of the coast.
Four aquatic-territorial landscape macroecotones are distinguished: Yuzhnoberezhny (from Cape Aya in the south to Cape Ilya in the northeast); Kalamitsko-Karkinitsky (from Sevastopol to Karkinitsky gulf); Kerch (covers the coast of the Kerch Peninsula); Sivashsky. Similar in origin (at the contact of land-water contrast media), they are very different in terms of landscape.
The greatest landscape diversity of the South Coast ecotone (up to an altitude of 350-400 m above sea level), in which 9 types of landscape areas are distinguished. The Sivash ecotone is interesting in that several factors are involved in its formation at once: the influence of the sea, a change in the degree of halohydromorphism, and the climatic factor. Moreover, the action and superposition of factors occurs, as it were, in one direction, which affects the formation of a significant width of the ecotone (from 10 km in the area Arabat arrow up to 30 km). The landscape diversity of the ecotone is quite large, although less than that of the South Coast. 7 types of landscape areas are distinguished in it. The Kalamitsko-Karkinitsky landscape ecotone is a coastal strip 4-6 km wide, including a system of shallow salt lakes. It is characterized by the least landscape diversity. Within this ecotone, 5 types of landscape areas are distinguished. The Kerch ecotone is formed by the interaction of different tectonic structures of the Crimean Mountains and the plain Crimea, which formed the macroecotone of the foothills. The entire Mountain Crimea is a phytoecotone formed on the border between the Circumboreal and Mediterranean floristic areas and concentrated most of the Crimean phyto-diversity - 92.7%. The boundaries of the physical-geographical regions of Crimea, landscape levels and belts are associated with these ecotones. Under anthropogenic influence, divergent ecotones are formed, in which the abundance of species and individuals decreases in comparison with the neighboring natural community.
A special situation is developing in the Plain Crimea. Here, the degree of anthropogenic transformation of the landscape structure is greatest, and the territory is an almost continuous agricultural landscape. Suffice it to say that the percentage of plowed land exceeds 80%, and there are practically no forests and protected areas. Under such conditions, areas with preserved natural vegetation (as well as forest belts) themselves become ecotones between different types of land use.
Literature
- 1. Biological and landscape diversity of Crimea: problems and prospects. Simferopol: Sonat, 1999 .-- 180 p.
- 2.Podgorodetsky P.D. Crimea: Nature. - Simferopol: Tavria, 1988.
Crimea is distinguished by a wide variety of soil and vegetation cover, which is directly dependent on the features of the geological structure, the variety of parent rocks, relief and climate. A characteristic feature of the distribution of the soil and vegetation cover of the Crimea is a combination of latitudinal and vertical zoning.
Most of the Steppe Crimea is covered southern low-humus and carbonate(Priazov type) chernozems, which are replaced in the north chestnut soils. Sivash and Karkinitsky gulf have developed salt licks and salt marshes.
In the central part of the lowland Crimea and in the northeastern part of the Kerch Peninsula, heavy loamy and clayey southern chernozems are widespread. These soils were formed on loesslike rocks under thinned grass vegetation and contain little humus (3-4%). Due to the peculiarities of their mechanical composition, the southern chernozems float during the rain, and when they dry, they become crusty, however, despite this, they are still the best soils of the plain Crimea. With the right agricultural equipment, southern chernozems can provide good harvests of grain and industrial crops, grapes. The southern part of the lowland Crimea adjacent to the mountains and partly the northeastern region of the Kerch Peninsula.
The belt of southern chernozems to the north is gradually replaced by a belt of heavy loamy dark chestnut and chestnut solonetzic soils formed under conditions of high standing of saline groundwater on loesslike rocks. The humic content in these soils is only 2.5-3%. Chestnut soils are also characteristic of the southwestern region of the Kerch Peninsula, where they formed on saline Maikop clays. With proper farming techniques, chestnut soils can provide fairly high yields for a variety of crops.
On the low-lying coast of the Sivash and Karkinitsky gulf, where groundwater is very close to the surface and is highly saline, salt licks and salt marshes are developed. Similar soils are also found in the southwestern region of the Kerch Peninsula.
The natural vegetation cover of the plain Crimea was a typical steppe. In the herbage, the main background was sod grasses: various feathery feathergrass, feather grass (tyrsa), fescue (or steppe fescue), tonkonog, steppe keleria (or kipts), wheatgrass. Forbs were represented by sage (wilted and Ethiopian), kermek (Tatar and Sarepta), alfalfa yellow, spring adonis, katran steppe, yarrow, etc. A characteristic element were plants of a short spring growing season - ephemera (annual species of fires, barley and hare and etc.) and ephemeroids (tulips, steppe irises, etc.). Considerable areas were occupied by the so-called deserted steppe on chestnut-type soils. Along with the predominant grasses (fescue, wheatgrass, tyrsa, etc.), Crimean wormwood was very widespread there as a result of increased grazing. Ephemerals and ephemeroids were also quite characteristic.
Petrophytic (rocky) steppe is located on the stony-gravelly slopes of the ridges and hills of the Tapkhankut and Kerch peninsulas. Here, along with grasses (feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, etc.), xerophytic dwarf shrubs (wormwood, Dubrovnik, thyme) are widespread. There are shrubs of wild rose, hawthorn, blackthorn, etc.
Saline vegetation (sarsazan, saltros, sveda) is widespread on the saline soils of the coast of the Karkinitsky Bay, Sivash and the southwestern part of the Kerch Peninsula. On drier and less saline soils, grasses grow there (volosnets, ratites, riparian).
Currently, the Crimean steppe has lost its natural appearance. It is almost entirely plowed up and is occupied by fields of wheat, corn, various vegetables, as well as vineyards and orchards. Recently, rice has become more and more widespread in Crimea. A characteristic element of the cultural landscape of the lowland Crimea are shelter belts of white acacia, birch bark, ash-like maple, ash and apricot.
The expanses of the Steppe Crimea with chernozem and chestnut soils are almost completely plowed up, the steppe vegetation has been preserved only in small patches on the slopes of hills and near roads. In the northern and northeastern parts of the Sivash, dry feather-grass-fescue-wormwood and fescue-wormwood steppes dominate, in places turning into wormwood and saltwort semidesert. The most typical Crimean wormwood. The predominant association of Crimean wormwood with bulbous bluegrass ephemera in the Sivash region, according to botanist M.S.Shalyt, is secondary. This is evidenced by the reserved virgin areas of the steppe with a predominance of grasses (wheatgrass, feather grass, fescue) and an admixture of wormwood. With increased grazing, cereals disappear.
On the Kerch and Tarkhankut peninsulas, hilly-steppe landscapes are presented.
Dry steppe landscapes with fragments of semi-deserts are widespread in the Sivash part of Crimea. The presence of semi-desert fragments in the Sivash region is obviously associated not with zonal climatic conditions, but with purely local natural features, with the influence of the Sivash on salinization of groundwater and soils. The low-lying areas of the Sivash coast are characterized by saltwort, an annual hodgepodge, the thickets of which are highlighted with red spots, and sarsazan, which grows in the form of green squat cushions.
The bad smell of Sivash is associated with hydrogen sulphide, which is formed during the rotting of the algae thrown on the shore - the filamentous plant. At present, the landscapes of the Steppe Crimea have been developed agriculturally.
The steppe Crimea is inhabited mainly by the same fauna as the steppes of the Russian Plain.
Mountain Crimea. In the mountains of the Crimea, the landscape high-altitude zoning is clearly manifested. On the southern slope of Yaila, the lower altitude zone corresponds to the southern coast of Crimea. According to climatic conditions, it can be attributed to the region of the northeastern edge of the Mediterranean climate.
On the southern coast of Crimea, red-brown(transitional from mountain-forest brown to red soil) and brown soils.
Often the soil is skeletal - its main mass is made up of small weathered shale gravel. There are vineyards on such "slate" soils. There are areas of relict red earth soils.
The flora of the southern coast of Crimea is distinguished by great species richness. On a small area of the southern coast and the southern slope of the Yaila, almost 1,500 plant species grow, out of 3,500 species known throughout the European part of Russia. The vegetation of the South Coast is close to the Mediterranean.
A xerophytic low-stemmed oak-juniper forest with undergrowth of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, with a rich and varied grass cover, rises to a height of about 300 m. The main forest-forming species are treelike juniper, fluffy oak, turpentine tree, or wild pistachio, in the second tier and undergrowth are evergreens: strawberry tree, cistus, butcher's tree, ivy from lianas, a lot of deciduous liana - clematis. In some places there is a pine close to Pitsunda.
Oak-juniper forests are interspersed with shrub thickets of the shiblyak type, formed by shrubs of fluffy oak, hornbeam, hold-tree.
Vineyards, tobacco plantations, garden and park vegetation have displaced natural vegetation on the South Bank over large areas. Many Mediterranean, East Asian, American and other foreign plants have perfectly taken root here: cypress, laurel, cherry laurel, magnolia, fan palm, Lankaran acacia (incorrectly called "mimosa"), holly, boxwood, eucalyptus.
A particularly rich collection of plants from different countries of the world is represented by the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, located on the slope of the Nikitskaya Yayla between Yalta and Gurzuf.
To the east of Alushta, due to the increasing dryness of the climate, the nature of natural vegetation changes: evergreens disappear, the species composition of the forest becomes poorer, and gradually the forest is completely replaced by shrub thickets of the shiblyak type. On dry shale slopes, sparse thickets of dry-loving grasses and dwarf shrubs are widespread here, mostly hard, thorny or pubescent, reminiscent of the Eastern Mediterranean frigana. Further to the east, the vegetation acquires a steppe character.
Fauna the southern, mountainous part of the Crimean peninsula, according to I.I.Puzanov, belongs to the Mediterranean subregion and is its northeastern outpost. At the same time, it bears the features of the island fauna, expressed in the presence of endemics and in the incompleteness of many groups of animals. On the southern coast, the endemic Crimean gecko is known among the lizards. The fauna of invertebrates of the southern Mediterranean type is richly represented; cicadas, praying mantises, centipedes, Crimean scorpions, phalanxes are widespread; from small dipterans, mosquitoes are characteristic of these places.
As you move from the South Coast up the slope of Yaila, the climate gradually becomes cooler, the amount of precipitation increases, the soils acquire the features of typical mountain-forest brown, oak-juniper forests of the lower belt are replaced by broad-leaved forests with a predominance of downy oak, on limestones of rock oak and forests of Crimean pine; both grow within about 300-900 m.
The upper part of the Yaila slope is occupied by a belt of beech forests. Crimean pine and mainly hooked pine, hornbeam, maple are mixed with beech. Usually, beech forests rise to the very edge of the slope (more than 1000 m) and abruptly break off at the edge of the summit plateau, on which they are found only in separate areas.
The vegetation of the Yaila summit surface belongs to the uppermost landscape belt - stony mountain meadows, meadow steppes and juniper elfin on a karst limestone surface.
Soils on the treeless summit surface of Yaila mountain meadow chernozem, in the east passing into mountain chernozems. The nature of the soils refutes the widespread opinion about the secondary deforestation of the Yaylinsky plateaus. Obviously, the forests, parts of which have survived to this day, were formerly wider, but significant areas of the Yaila karst plateaus should be considered treeless since ancient times.
On the treeless areas of the Yaylinsky plateaus, herbal vegetation includes fescue, thin-legged, bonfire, feather grass, widespread steppe sedge, creeping clover, bedstraw, cuff, Crimean "edelweiss" - an endemic species from the carnation family). There are alpine plants - fluffy breaks, grains, alpine violets. At the same time, in the driest areas, meadow-steppe associations. In the highest areas, tree and shrub vegetation is absent, but below (at an altitude of up to 1200 m) trees and shrubs are found under the protection of rocks and in the depressions of karst sinkholes and wells, and sometimes form small forests on the plateau itself. Such vegetation can be called forest-meadow-steppe.
The herbaceous vegetation of the eastern karst plateaus is steppe, stronger than the western ones. In open treeless spaces, steppe meadows and meadow steppes, which at lower altitudes turn into mountain steppe. Some researchers consider the vegetation of the eastern plateau to be a mountain forest-steppe.
The northern slope of Yaila, like the southern one, is covered with forests with mountain-forest brown soils. In the upper part of the slope, the forests are dominated by beech, hornbeam, in some places oak (on the slopes of the southern exposure), hooked pine. Below 700-600 m, they are replaced mainly by oak forests. Mountain-forest brown soils here gradually turn into brown. Even lower, on the spurs of Yaila and in the strip of cuestas, a low-growing fluffy oak begins to dominate. Further to the north and north-west, there is a transition to the southern forest-steppe, where thickets of low-growing oaks, hornbeams, grizzly trees and other trees and shrubs alternate with areas of steppe vegetation.
Mountain forest fauna Crimea is richest on the northern slope of the Yaila, especially in the dense forests of the Crimean reserve (in the sources of the Kacha and Alma). The Crimean deer (endemic subspecies), roe deer, badger, marten, fox, water cooler, wood mouse, bats are characteristic; from birds - black-headed jay, woodpeckers, tits, blackbird, wild pigeons, black vultures, eagles, owls.
As can be seen from the description of the landscape features of the northern slope of the Crimean Mountains, there are no Mediterranean landscapes here. In the lower altitude zone, the southern forest-steppe is developed, and in the middle there are no Crimean pine forests characteristic of the southern slope. More similarity is observed, as is usually the case in the mountains, in the landscapes of the upper parts of the slopes. Nevertheless, in general, we can talk about a different structure of the altitudinal zonality of the landscapes of the northern and southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains. The existing differences are due to the climatic barrier role of Yaila.
TYPES OF LANDSCAPES (option 2)
Brown and partly brown forest soils are developed on the southern coast. Brown soils are widespread under dry sparse forests and shrubs and are formed on clay shales of the Taurida series and red-colored weathering products of limestones; brown forest soils are typical for less dry places.
The special landscapes of the Crimea are the southern coast - Mediterranean and cultivated (with vineyards and tobacco plantations, gardens, parks, resorts).
In this part of Crimea, Mediterranean features are most clearly manifested in the soil and vegetation cover. Altitude zoning is well developed on the slopes of the Crimean Mountains. There are numerous subtropical plants (up to 50% of the species composition), which makes it possible to classify the plant formations of the region as a sub-Mediterranean type, similar to the vegetation of the northern part. Balkan Peninsula... For southern regions The mountainous Crimea is characterized by an exceptionally high biodiversity - in this small area there are almost 1,500 plant species, including endemic (Crimean edelweiss) and relict (Stankevich pine).
At the southern foot of the Crimean Yaila, low-stemmed oak-juniper forests grow with an underbrush of deciduous and evergreen shrubs - strawberry tree (Arbutus andrachne), cistus (Cistus tauricus), butcher's broom (Ruscus ponticus), intertwined with ivy and clematis. To the east, the forests are replaced by shrub thickets such as shiblyak of downy oak, hornbeam and grizzly tree (Paliurus spina christi), which in the driest areas are replaced by thickets of xerophytic grasses and dwarf shrubs. Massifs of relict pine trees have been preserved in the vicinity of Sudak and in the extreme west of the coast. The soil cover is represented by red-brown and brown soils of the subtropics, there are areas of relict red earth soils. On significant areas, the natural vegetation of the coast has been replaced by vineyards, tobacco plantations and fruit crops. Numerous resort areas have garden and park vegetation, which includes many introduced species: laurel, cypress, magnolia, fan palm, boxwood, holly, etc. Yayla. Typical forest and shrub communities are protected in the Yalta and Cape Martyan nature reserves.
On the southern slopes, oak-juniper forests are replaced by broad-leaved (mainly oak) and pine from the Crimean pine on mountain-forest brown soils. Above 900 m, beech forests appear, which, in addition to beech, contain pines, hornbeam, and maple. The summit surfaces of Yaila are occupied by stony mountain meadows, meadow steppes and thickets of juniper elfin, mainly on mountain meadow chernozem soils. The northern slopes of Yaila and the adjacent cuesta ridges are covered mainly with oak forests. In the middle of the slopes, rock oak predominates in their composition, below the dominance passes to a more xerophilic fluffy oak. Shyblyak thickets are widespread in the foothills.
The vegetation of the South Coast is distinguished by its xerophytic character, richness of Mediterranean forms and many alien cultural forms. The most common are forest formations, shrubs and thickets of dry-loving grasses and dwarf shrubs. The forests are undersized and formed by a fluffy oak, tree juniper, wild pistachio, Crimean pine, hornbeam, wild strawberry. Shrub thickets, which are an analogue of the Eastern Mediterranean shiblyak, consist of shrubby forms of fluffy oak, hornbeam, grip-tree, scumpia, sumach, scaly pear, dogwood, iris, cistus, etc. Open, dry and stony areas are covered with semi-grasses. Crimean analogue of the East Mediterranean freegans. The parks are home to cypresses, cedars, spruces, pines, sequoias, firs, laurels, magnolias, palms, cork oaks, plane trees, and Lankaran acacias. Vineyards, orchards and tobacco plantations are also characteristic of the South Coast landscape.
The orrographic and climatic differences of individual parts of the Main Ridge determine the diversity of their soil and vegetation cover. The western part of the ridge is characterized by brown mountain forest soils, mountain brown soils of dry forests and shrubs, and alluvial meadow soils of river valleys and gullies. Due to the low-mountainous relief and its great fragmentation, the vertical zoning of the soil-vegetation cover is poorly expressed here. Forests of fluffy oak, treelike juniper, wild pistachio (kevo tree) with undergrowth of hornbeam, dogwood, hold-tree and thorn prevail. Stunted juniper forests grow on rocky soils and rocky areas. Higher on the slopes, there are more tall-stemmed mixed deciduous forests of beech, oak, hornbeam, and ash. Lots of wild grapes and ivy. The valleys and hollows are characterized by herbaceous meadow-steppe vegetation. To a greater extent, the hollows have been developed for fields, vineyards, orchards, and tobacco plantations.
The slopes of the middle part of the Main Ridge are occupied by brown mountain forest soils and their podzolized varieties. The vertical vegetation zoning is quite well expressed here.
The lower part of the northern slope of the Main Ridge is occupied by a low-stemmed oak forest, which is heavily sparse. The forest is formed mainly by fluffy and rock oak and partly by pedunculate oak. In the undergrowth, dogwood and hornbeam. Occasionally there are small areas of pine, oak-pine and juniper forests. The open areas of the slope are occupied by forest and partly steppe herbaceous vegetation that has penetrated here (sealer, kupena, forest bluegrass, fragrant woodruff, feather grass, fescue, wheat grass, etc.). Higher up the slope (up to 600 m) a tall oak forest with an admixture of ash, field maple, aspen, and large-fruited mountain ash grows. In the undergrowth, hornbeam, dogwood, hazel, buckthorn, hawthorn, scumpia. Even higher (from 600 to 1000 m) a tall-trunked beech forest with an admixture of hornbeam dominates, there are rare areas of Crimean pine, and on the slopes of the southern exposure there are tree-like juniper groves and single yews. At altitudes above 1000 m, there is already a low-growing beech forest with rare areas of Scots pine.
On the southern slope of the Main Ridge, above the dry forests and shrubs of the Southern Birch, at an altitude of 400 to 800-1000 m, there is a Crimean pine forest. Fluffy oak and treelike and shrub juniper are found as an admixture. To the east of Gurzuf, the distribution of the Crimean pine is already of an insular nature, and to the east of Alushta, only individual specimens of this tree are found. Pine forests give way here to forests of fluffy oak, hornbeam, treelike juniper, wild pistachio and dogwood. Above 1000 m there is a forest of beech, Scots pine and partly Crimean pine, oak, maple, linden, hornbeam.
Yayly, as a rule, are treeless and covered with grassy meadow-steppe vegetation on mountain chernozems and mountain-meadow chernozem-like soils. The eastern part of the Main Ridge is characterized by low-stemmed sparse forests of oak, beech, ash, hornbeam and shrub thickets of dogwood, hawthorn, hold-tree, scumpia on brown mountain forest soils and steppe varieties of mountain brown soils.
The foothills are occupied by a forest-steppe with a mosaic alternation of treeless (steppe) and forest areas. Soils are calcareous chernozems, crushed soddy-calcareous and brown soils. Treeless areas are characterized by herbaceous grasses and herbs: feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, wheatgrass, saffron, adonis or spring adonis, sage, peon, yarrow, immortelle, etc. They are mostly plowed and developed for fields, vineyards, tobacco plantations and - oil-bearing plants. Orchards and vineyards are widespread in the river valleys. Forest areas consist of low-growing trees, forest bushes (downy oak, rocky and pedunculated oak, field maple, ash, elm, hazel and dogwood). Shrubs include scumpia, hawthorn, blackthorn, wild rose, buckthorn, etc.
"Landscapes of all planets, ruins of all empires"
Igor Rusanov
The landscape diversity of the Crimean peninsula is comparable to that of an entire country in Central Europe or the Mediterranean. This also applies to a complex geological structure, various relief forms in terms of outlines. Incredibly rich vegetable world Crimea, for example, only one Bear Mountain has about 900 species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants - this corresponds to the floristic richness of large areas of Central Russia. The altitudinal zonation of the Crimean mountains forms landscapes very similar to the tundra, and even to the arctic plant species. There are no glaciers or high mountains on the peninsula. But there is such a phenomenon as aspects - short-term states of natural communities. This is, for example, the massive flowering of wild tulips in the Opuksky Nature Reserve, or the drying out of estuaries to a bright pink color with deep burgundy shores due to salt-tolerant plants. Such landscapes appear more than once in Soviet science fiction. Steppes and deserts are also Crimea. But like everything and always on a peninsula with a fertile and peaceful nature.
It is quite understandable that the main part of the Crimean peninsula is located in the Temperate climatic zone, so a birch grove, pine forest and all kinds of favorite Russian classics are not uncommon in Crimea. The southern coast of Crimea (SCC) is a sub-Mediterranean region with an abundance of evergreen vegetation. The foothills amazes with the vastness of the American Chalk prairie, familiar to everyone from westerns. And in the mountains it's not hard to find classic alpine landscapes.
We recommend the first journey through the "world in miniature" along the circular route The Golden Ring of Crimea and we recommend a mandatory long stop in Alupka. Most of the Crimean attractions are located in the southwest, on the ring Simferopol - Bakhchisarai - Inkerman - Sevastopol - Balaklava - Laspi - Simeiz - Alupka- Miskhor - Yalta - Gurzuf - Partenit - Alushta - Angarsk pass - Salgirskaya valley - Simferopol. Overview The Golden Ring of Crimea from any of this point can be traveled in 1 day! Of course, you can go in any direction. But we recommend the first trip so that you arrive in Alupka early. You can also return to your place of residence in the dark.
Shooting in Vorontsov Palace and Park Complex will allow you to make an incredible number of scenes from different historical eras in different parts of the world. The grandiose stone chaos of the Upper Park is quite suitable as an alien landscape for Star Wars. The architecture of the palace was originally created as a strict medieval Gothic on the western and northern facades and lush eastern luxury on the south and east sides. Upper landscape park - in English style and with the corners of the wild nature of the South Coast, and the lower regular with a combination Italian terraces and French techniques of park art.
Plan-scheme of the Vorontsov palace and park complex in Alupka
A wonderful setting of the palace and park in Alupka is the famous mountain range Ai-Petri in the azure sky, and below the bright blue of the Black Sea with picturesque coastal rocks. 
The most spectacular section of a car trip along the Golden Ring of Crimea is the Sevastopol-Yalta highway ... Watching the landscape change from Laspi To Yalta, one well-known artist from Germany (with extensive travel experience) formulated a very simple thought: " Yes, you have around every turn of the highway - new country! We have just seen Italy, and now Greece. Yeah, and now Austria, and only 15 minutes ago there was Switzerland. "Something like that ...
You can, of course, say that in Soviet times, Africa or the Arctic in the Crimea was removed because of the economy and the inability to travel abroad. But everything is much more complicated, and most importantly - more interesting!
CRIMEA - THE WHOLE WORLD ON SCREEN
EUROPE:
- Italy.
The film "The Gadfly", scenery and filming in Yalta.
Film "Anna Karenina", filming in the New World.
Film "Romeo and Juliet", scenery in Yalta.
Film "Twelfth Night", scenery in Yalta.
Film "Othello", scenery and filming in Yalta.
Film "Moscow-Genoa", filming on the South Coast.
The film "The Tsar's Hunt", scenery and filming in Artek.
Film "Marco Polo" (production Canada), scenery
"Streets of Venice" and filming in Yalta.
- Spain.
Film "Don Quixote", scenery and filming in Yalta and Ai-Petri.
Film "Dog in the Manger", filming in the Livadia Palace.
Film "The Adventures of the King Sharpe"
(made in Great Britain), scenery and shooting
under Mount Demerdzhi, in the Baydar Valley, on Ay-
Petri and elsewhere.
The film "Empire of Pirates", scenery and filming in
Sudak and Yalta.
-France.
Film "Heavenly Swallows", filming in Vorontsov Palace and in Yalta.
Film "Prisoner of Europe" (made in Poland), marine filming in Artek.
Film "The Prisoner of the Castle Yves" ("The Count of Monte Cristo"), shooting
sea scenes with the sailing ship "Comrade" in Gurzuf.
Film "Napoleon Kaput", filming in the Vorontsov Palace
and in the Mountainous Crimea.
- England.
The film "Ten Little Indians", a rocky island with a castle
(Swallow's nest, Diva rock in Simeiz).
The film "The Odyssey of Captain Blood", scenery and sea
filming in Artek and Gurzuf.
Film "Hornblow" (UK production),
scenery and marine photography in Artek.
- Germany.
The film "In the Empire of the Eagles", sea filming in Artek,
decoration on Ai-Petri.
- Poland.
Film "Academy of Pan Blots", filming on the South Coast.
- Denmark.
The film "Hamlet", filming at the Swallow's Nest.
- Norway.
The film "And trees grow on the stones", scenery and filming in Gurzuf.
- Greece.
Film "Ships storm the bastions", Corfu island
(Genoese fortress in Sudak).
Film "Sappho", Lesvos island (scenery and filming in
Balaklava and Chersonesos).
- Yugoslavia.
Film "Reporter", filming in Sevastopol.
ASIA:
- Arabic east.
Movie "Aladdin's Magic Lamp", scenery
"Ancient Baghdad" and filming in the Omega Bay (Sevastopol).
Film "And Another Night of Scheherazade", shooting
in Yalta, in the Three-Eyed Cave on Ai-Petri, in Nikitskaya
a crevice, in the Beketovsky quarry, above Foros.
- Volcanic island.
Film "Wind of Hope", filming of the volcanic eruption at Cape Sarych.
- Island in the pacific ocean.
The film "Pirates of the XX century", filming in the bays of the Novy Svet, on Tarkhankut, the scenery "Native village" in the Quiet Bay (Koktebel).
- India.
Film "Black Prince", decoration of the eastern city in
Yalta.
- Near East.
The film "The plane flies to Russia", scenery "Military base" in the Blue Bay.
- Japan.
Film "Dreams of Russia", scenery and filming in Artek and Utyos (Alushta).
- Pirate island in the indian ocean... The film "Empire of Pirates", scenery under Mount Demerdzhi, in Artek and
Yalta (Republic of Libertalia).
- Turkey.
Film "Roksolana", filming in the Khan's palace of Bakhchisarai, in Chufut-Kale and on the southern coast of Crimea.
- Afghanistan.
Film "9th company", scenery "Afghan kishlak" in the area of the village. Ordzhonikidze (Feodosia).
- Israel.
Film "The Master and Margarita", Biblical Jerusalem.
- China(Hong Kong).
Film "Passenger", scenery "Port street" in Balaklava, a hotel near Yalta (the estate of Count Ustinov).
AMERICA:
- USA.
The film "The Mexican" (based on Jack London).
The film "The Headless Horseman", scenery and shooting under
rock Ak-Kaya (Belogorsk).
Film "Business People" (after O. Henry), one of the short stories
filmed in the Mountainous Crimea.
Film "The Man from Boulevard des Capuchins", scenery and
The film "Chingachgook Big Serpent" (production of the GDR),
filming under Mount Demirji and in other places of the Mountainous Crimea.
The film "The Star and Death of Haokino Murieta", scenery and
filming under the Ak-Kaya rock (Belogorsk).
- Flint Pirate Island.
The film "Treasure Island", scenery in Sosnyak, filming in the Nikitskaya cleft, on Krasny Kamen, in Malorechenskoye, under the Shaan-Kaya rock, in
Partenite also in Laspi Bay.
- Chile.
The film "This sweet word is freedom", scenery and shooting
in Yalta (street Ignatenko) and in Koktebel.
- Cordillera.
The film "Children of Captain Grant", shooting a scene
"Avalanche in the mountains" (in winter on Ai-Petri).
- Caribbean sea... The film "The Odyssey of Captain Blood", scenery and
marine filming in Artek and Gurzuf.
- Haiti... Film "Age of Enlightenment", scenery "The embankment of the city
Port-au-Prince ”in Utyos (Alushta), marine photography in Artek.
- Caribbean islands... Film "Hearts of Three", scenery and filming in
Cliff, under Mount Demerdzhi, in Artek, on Lake Castel, on
Ai-Petri.
AFRICA:
- South Africa, the port of Cape Town. The film "Maksimka", filming in
Yalta port with the participation of the sailing ship "Tovarishch".
- Equatorial Africa... The film "The Abduction of the Savoy", filming
at the Angarsk test site (village Perevalnoe).
- North Africa... The film "Drums of Fire", scenery and
marine surveys in Artek, Blue Bay, near the Swallow's Nest.
USSR (Russia)
Polar tundra:
- The film "The Trail of the Wolverine" (the action takes place on
Taimyr) - filming was carried out in the winter at the Ai-Petrinskaya yayla.
- The film "Korolev" (the action takes place in Kolyma) -
the shooting was carried out in the winter at the ai-petrinskaya yayla.
Siberian taiga:
- The film "What was the taiga silent about?"
filming of scenes which took place in Gorny Altai.
- The film "King of the Manege", filming was carried out in the area
Uchan-Su waterfall with the participation of a live bear.
- The film "The Lost Expedition", filmed under Mount Ai-Petri
scenes in which the action took place in the Sayan Mountains.
- The film "Sixth", the action takes place in a small Siberian
town, filming was carried out under Mount Ai-Petri and in other
places of the Mountain Crimea.
Far East:
- Film "Let's Talk, Brother", filming the transition
Far Eastern guerrillas across the rocky ridge
were made on the Ai-Nikola rock (Upper Oreanda).
- The film "The Right to Shoot", the action took place off the coast
Sakhalin and Kuril Islands, filmed in Kamyshovaya Bay
(Sevastopol) and at Cape Aya.
- The film "Admiral", filming scenes of naval battles of the times of the Russian
Japanese War (filmed in the Sevastopol region).
- The film "Korolev", shooting scenes of S. Korolev's departure from Magadan
took place in Sevastopol.
Middle Asia:
- The film "Taste of halva" (about the childhood of Khoja Nasreddin), shooting
were made in Feodosia.
- The aforementioned movie "Aladin's Magic Lamp".
- Film "Officers", railway station in Turkestan, filming
in Inkerman (Sevastopol).
- The aforementioned film "And Another Night of Scheherazade".
Caucasus:
- The film "Vertical", a number of Caucasian scenes were filmed in
Crimea (in the rocky Nikitskaya cleft).
- Film "Taman", filming at Cape Tarkhankut.
- The film "Prisoner of the Caucasus", filmed in
Alushta, under Mount Demerdzhi and in other places of Gorny
Crimea.
- Film "Sportloto-82", filming in Feodosia and Gorny
Crimea, on Ai-Petri, the run of the main characters along
burning suspension bridge.
- The film "Thieves in law", the action takes place in the Caucasus,
filming was carried out in the Mountainous Crimea, on the embankment
Yalta and on the streets of the city.
- Film "Feasts of Valthazar", filming of the hijacking of a passenger ship
militants led by young Dzhugashvili, and scenes on
Caucasian dacha of Stalin (san. "Ukraine" in Miskhor) were produced in
Crimea.
- The film "Marco Polo", on the Swallow's Nest and in the Mountainous Crimea
scenes were filmed, the action of which took place in
medieval Armenia.
- The film "I am a doll", filming scenes of the attack of Chechen militants on
a village in the Stavropol Territory (the village of Tylovoe in the Baydarskaya Valley).
Filming underground:
- The film "Ordered to Survive", filmed in
Three-eye cave on Ai-Petri.
- The film "And Another Night of Scheherazade", filming was carried out in
Three-Eyed Cave on Ai-Petri.
- The film "Yalta" over Yalta ", filming in the newly discovered
cave on the Ai-Petri plateau.
Filming underwater:
- Film "Amphibian Man", shooting in Laspi Bay.
- The film "Scuba at the Bottom", filming in the New World.
- The film "The Little Mermaid", filming was carried out at Cape Sarych.
- The film "Pirates of the 20th century", filming in the basin and at Cape Tarkhankut.
- The film "Aquanauts", unprecedented in volume and complexity
underwater photography (scenery and various technical
funds) were produced on the shelf of Cape Tarkhankut.
- The film "Through hardships to the stars", for the first time space
weightlessness was filmed under water (in the pool).
Filming of movie fairy tales:
- Films by Alexander Rowe: "Mary the Artisan", "Kingdom
crooked mirrors "," Frost "," Fire, water and copper pipes ",
"Barbara-beauty, long braid".
- Films by Alexander Ptushko: "Sadko", "Ilya Muromets",
"The Tale of Tsar Saltan", "Ruslan and Lyudmila", "Scarlet Sails".
- Films of Boris Rytsarev: "Aladdin's Magic Lamp", "On
sat on the golden porch. "
- The film "The Deer King" by Pavel Arsenov.
- Films of Mikhail Yuzovsky: "Merry Magic", "There, on
unknown paths "," After the rain, on Thursday "," One, two -
grief is not a problem. "
- Films by Gennady Vasiliev: "Finist - Clear Falcon", "Bye
the clock strikes ”,“ The New Adventures of Captain Vrungel ”,“ Black
prince".
- Films of Leonid Nechaev: "The Adventures of Buratino", "About
Little Red Riding Hood "," Peter Pan ".
- Films by Vladimir Bychkov: "The City of Masters", "The Little Mermaid".
- Film by Irina Povolotskaya "The Scarlet Flower".
- The film by Vladimir Grammatikov "Mio, my Mio".
- Film by Alexander Mitta "The Tale of Wanderings".
- Film by Takhir Sabirov "And One More Night of Scheherazade".
- Films-fairy tales of Boris Nebieridze ("Red Shoes", etc.).
- Polish film fairy tale "Academy of Pan Blots".
Filming science fiction films:
- "Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin".
- "Amphibian Man".
- "Andromeda's nebula".
- "Treasures of the Burning Rocks".
- "Moscow - Cassiopeia" and "Teens in the Universe".
- "Sannikov Land".
- "Aquanauts".
- "Through hardship to the stars".
- "Comet".
- "It's hard to be God."
- "Purple ball".
Filming in ancient city-states, ancient settlements, fortresses and architectural and historical ensembles (the number of films cannot be counted):
The cave cities of Chufut-Kale, Eski-Kermen, Kachi-Kalion, etc.
Genoese fortress in Sudak.
Palace of the Crimean Khans in Bakhchisarai.
Massandra Palace.
Yusupov Palace.
Note:
The idea for this review probably belongs to the Crimean journalist Mike Lvovski.
Just in case - an exact copy of the "eyeliner" from the letter of Valery Pavlotos:
"I was asked by the special correspondent of the newspaper "Segodnya" Mike Lvovski to compile a list of films (filmed in Crimea), the action of which takes place in different countries and on different continents."
The exceptionally high landscape and biological diversity of Crimea, despite its insignificant latitudinal extent (324 km in latitude and 207 km in the meridian), is its main resource in the context of providing a landscape background for different types medical and recreational, sports, educational and recreational activities and the organization of special visits to landscape objects for excursion demonstrations and actions of ecological tourism.
Crimea - unique territory in terms of the combination of landscapes in an insignificant area (26 thousand sq. km): flat semi-desert, typical steppe; foothill forest-steppe and forest; mountain forest (oak, hornbeam, pine, beech) forests and semi-subtropical endemic and relict juniper-pistachio forests (Fig. 2.21). The unique landscape diversity has a high aesthetic value and attractiveness for tourist and recreational activities. Landscape diversity is enhanced by the combination of flat and mountainous landscapes, land and sea, and is complemented by underground cave landscapes 1.
Pozachenyuk E., Karpenko S. Landscape and recreational microzoningas a basis fo rcreation of new recreational / tourism obiects evidence from Crimea, Ukraine Krajobraz aczlowiek wczasie iprzestrzeni // Prace Komisii Krajobrazu Kulturowego / Komisja Krajobrazu Kulturowego PTG, Sosnowiec. 2013. No. 20. P. 26-33.
Rice. 2.21.
Zone of low-lying undrained and weakly drained accumulative and denudation plains with fescue-feather grass, wormwood-fescue steppes
in a complex with halophytic meadows and steppes Hydromorphic belts:
coastal undrained lowlands, beaches and spits with halophytic meadows, salt marshes and psammophyte communities; accumulative and denudational undrained and weakly drained lowlands with wormwood-fescue, wormwood-wheatgrass and feather-grass-fescue steppes;
accumulative and denudation weakly drained plains with feather grass-fescue and wormwood-fescue steppes;
| accumulative drained and weakly drained lowlands with feather-grass-fescue steppes in combination with feather-grass-forb steppes.
Zone of typical feather grass-fescue and poorly forb-feather grass-fescue steppes in a complex with petrophytic
and shrub steppes
Landscape tiers:
I I denudation layer of feather-grass-fescue, petrophytic and shrub steppes;
1 denudation-accumulative stage with feather-grass-fescue, shrub-forb and petrophytic steppes.
The zone of foothill accumulative, remnant-denudation and structural denudation plains and cuesta uplands with forb steppes, shrub thickets, forest-steppe and low-growing oak forests Landscape belts of the northern macroslope:
forbs-bearded and forbs-asphodeline steppes on accumulative and denudation plains; d forest-steppe on denudation-remnant, structural denudation and accumulative plains, cuest heights;
| oak forests and shrubs on denudation-remnant and inclined structural denudation plains and cuesta uplands.
Landscape belts in the low-mountain zone of the southern coast of Crimea:
| | oak-pistachio, juniper-pine forests and shibliak
thickets;
| pine, oak and mixed deciduous forests and shibliak thickets.
Zone of the northern macroslope of mountains, beech, oak and mixed deciduous forests
Landscape belts:
| -1 depressions and erosional low mountains, oak, mixed widely
deciduous and pine forests;
I mid-mountain slope, oak, juniper-oak and mixed broad-leaved forests;
| mid-slope, beech, beech-hornbeam, mixed deciduous forests.
Zone of the southern macroslope of mountains, oak, pine and mixed
broadleaf forests
Landscape belts:
| | low-slope, oak and mixed
broadleaf forests;
| mid-slope, oak, pine and mixed deciduous forests;
beech and mixed deciduous forests.
The zone of the Yaylinsky plateaus, mountain meadows and mountain forest-steppe Landscape belts:
| | forest and meadow-forest-steppe plateaus;
meadow and meadow-forest plateaus.
Assessment of the landscape as a recreational resource can be carried out based on such properties as landscape diversity; landscape diversity of the territory and the perception of the landscape by others; area of natural landscapes close to zonal; the ratio of natural landscapes and transformed (anthropogenic), etc.
Among the factors that determine the landscape diversity of the territory, the following can be distinguished:
Positional relations of the territory - they form special landscapes in the contact zone of land and sea, at the junction of tectonic structures, plains and mountains, forests and steppes, on the border
climatic zones, habitats of flora and fauna, etc. ;
- the history of landscape formation, which determined the connections (or, conversely, isolation) with other landscapes, the nature and frequency of changes in regimes (climatic, tectonic, etc.);
- lithological diversity of rocks, contributing to the creation of various forms of relief and, accordingly, a variety of ecological niches of living organisms, etc.;
- the degree of dissection of the relief, which affects the lower landscape level on the variety of relief forms, expositions, ongoing natural processes, etc .;
- anthropogenic impact on the environment and the formation of a kind of anthropogenic landscapes.
The landscapes of Crimea develop depending on the position relative to the Black and Azov seas, as well as the Scythian platform and geosynclinal structures of the Crimean mountains. As a result, they are divided into two parts, contrasting in terms of natural qualities: plain steppe (about 16 thousand sq. Km) and mountainous, mainly forest (about 10 thousand sq. Km). The spatial combination of platform and geosynclinal structures of Crimea led to the formation of landscape levels: hydromorphic, planar, low-mountain, and mid-mountain (see Fig. 2.21). The landscape level is planetary geomorphological levels that are relatively homogeneous in relief and ground moisture.
In Crimea, there are fragments of hydromorphic (28.4% of the peninsula's area), upland (35.4%), foothill (25.9%) and mid-mountain (10.3%) landscape levels (Fig. 2.22). Each landscape level has its own set natural areas and other units of spatial differentiation of the landscape
Grishankov G.E., Pashchenko V.A., Pozachenyuk E.A. Positionality in landscapes and landscape science // physical geography and geomorphology. Respubdikan interdepartmental collection. Kiev, 1991.S. 11-20.
Grishaikov G.E. Landscape levels of continents and geographic zoning // Izv. Academy of Sciences of the USSR. 1972. No. 4. S. 4-12. (Series: Geography).
comrade, which is due to a different set of factors. At the hydromorphic level, intrazonal differentiation is primarily associated with a change in the groundwater level, at the upland level, with the presence of high-altitude steps, at the foothill and mid-mountain level, with an altitude above sea level and a position in relation to radiation and circulation flows.
LANDSCAPE LEVELS OF CRIMEA
Gndromorphny Plakorny Foothill Middle Horny
Row2? RowZ
Rice. 2.22.Areal (row 2) and altitude (row 3) ratios of the landscape levels of Crimea
The position of Crimea in the south of the temperate belt, in combination with positional effects, forms various types of landscapes of the temperate climate within the lowland Crimea and the northern macroslope of the Crimean mountains, and on the southern macroslope - the semi-subtropical south coast.
The natural spatial conjugation of landscape levels in combination with the type of climate led to the formation in Crimea of an integral system of landscape zones, landscape belts and other landscape units.
In the north of the peninsula, there are landscapes of the North Crimean lowland, which are now highly cultivated. But the combination of coastal sea and flat areas makes this part of Crimea quite attractive in terms of tourism and recreation. This resource is acceptable for the development of rural tourism.
The southern part of the Crimean peninsula is occupied by mountains: the main ridge of the Crimean mountains and the foothills bordering it. The specificity of the landscapes of the Main Ridge is that it has flat peaks - yayls with mountain meadows and forest landscapes. The development of karst in the Upper Jurassic limestones forms surface and underground karst landscapes. In Crimea, there are several equipped caves - Marble, Emine-Bair-Khosar, Krasnaya, which have become the center of attraction for tourism and the development of a whole tourist complex around them. The underground world of Crimea has a high recreational resource and deserves further recreational development. Considering that the yailas of Crimea are the largest catchment area and storage fresh water The recreational use of yailas should be strictly regulated.
The special picturesque landscape of the South Coast of Crimea (SCC), as a geoecotone (transition zone), combining land and sea landscapes; semi-subtropical forest, steppe and shrub, has a high health-improving function. Phytoncides of the Crimean pine and pine-juniper forests are a good environment for the recovery and treatment of lung diseases. A special role belongs to the forests of high juniper: 4 g of essential oil can improve the health of the population big city... The landscapes of the South Coast is a resource for the development of elite recreation, climatotherapy, cruise, festival and other types of tourism.
The combination of tectonic structures of a lower order (synclines and anticlines) leads to a variety of geological and geomorphological basis and the formation of unique landscapes of Crimea, such as cuesta 1. Cuesta landscapes are one of the most attractive landscapes of Crimea, and in combination with ancient settlements, they are a resource for the development of cognitive, pedestrian, speleotourism, etc. These are centers of gravity for tourists and pilgrims.
The history of the formation of Crimea's landscapes has led to the presence of unique relict landscapes in Crimea, which are an irreplaceable resource for educational and scientific tourism. The core of the Crimean flora forms the ancient Mediterranean geographic element (Fig. 2.23). The number of Mediterranean species with the inclusion of transitional European-Mediterranean species reaches 50% 2. This fact testifies to the close connection between Crimea and the ancient Mediterranean.
Rice. 2.23.
The lithological diversity of rocks determines the formation of landscape diversity and unique landscapes. The forest-steppe landscapes of the foothills of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains with steep limestone massifs have attracted residents since ancient times. Mountainous and foothill landscapes are a good resource for the development of mountain sports tourism,
Grishankov G.E., Pozachenyuk E.A. The genesis of the cuesta relief of the Piedmont Crimea // Physical Geography and Geomorphology: Repub. mezhved. scientific. Sat. (Siev: Vyscha School, 1984. Issue 31. S. 108-115.
Pozachenyuk E.A. Floristic connections of Crimea from the point of view of positional relations // Ecosystems, their optimization and protection. Simferopol TNU Publishing House, 2012. Issue. 7, pp. 11-21.
Compiled by Dr. Geogr. Sciences, prof. E.A. Pozachenyuk.
ethnographic, rural, military-historical, equestrian, cognitive. Past tectonic activity led to the unique landscapes of the laccoliths (Ayu-Dag, Kastel) and extinct volcanoes- Karadag.
Within the Crimean peninsula, 128 geological monuments are distinguished with the originality of the formation of landscape complexes. Geological monuments of Crimea are subdivided into geomorphological, stratigraphic, tectonic, paleontological, mineralogical-petrographic, geocultural. Geological monuments are concentrated mainly in the mountainous part of the Crimea, as well as on the Kerch Peninsula, and to a lesser extent in the flat part. Landscapes of geological monuments are a resource for the formation of geoparks that are actively developing in Europe.
The whole set of factors that determine the landscape diversity of Crimea leads to the formation of a unique landscape environment for the development of recreation and tourism.
Landscape diversity can be assessed depending on its types: traditional landscape or classical; biocentric; anthropogenic; humanitarian. These concepts do not contradict one another, but are interconnected and complement each other. On the basis of each of them, recreational resources can be estimated.
Classical landscape diversity comes from the traditional understanding of the landscape as a natural object. The indicators currently used to characterize landscape diversity are very diverse, very subjective and difficult to apply in practice, in particular in the tourism sector. If we consider landscape diversity as a recreational resource along with resources, for example, beach, balneological, climatological and others, then the organizers of the tourism industry are interested in the following indicators: qualitative properties of the resource, its quantity (area, volume, reserves), seasonality, duration of the period of use. , the resistance of the landscape to recreational loads. Analysis of landscape maps allows us to propose the following characteristics: the ratio of the number of landscape contours and the areas occupied by them, location (landscape contrast), configuration features, frequency of occurrence of landscape complexes (dominant, rare, unique).
On the basis of landscape maps of Crimea, an assessment of landscape diversity was carried out (Fig. 2.24).
Rice. 2.24.
localities
The maximum diversity or a sharp increase in the intensity of its manifestation is characteristic of the geoecotones of the Crimea - transition zones between the foothill and Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains, southern coastal and mountainous landscapes. The maximum landscape diversity is manifested in the southwestern Mountain Crimea and, in particular, is typical for the South Coast of the Crimea from Cape Ai-Todor to Cape Satera. This territory, as a landscape environment, is the most valuable recreationally.
An analysis of the areas of the Crimean landscapes showed that the maximum area is occupied by upland landscapes of typical steppes in combination with savanoid and friganoid semi-subtropical steppes, then it decreases to the phryganoid steppes and landscapes of hydromorphic plains. The minimum area is occupied by landscapes of mountain meadows and forest-steppe, as well as landscapes of the belt of mixed deciduous and pine forests, landscapes of the belt of pine and beech forests of the southern macroslope and landscapes of mixed deciduous and pine forests of the northern macroslope.
Analysis of the areas of the middle contour of the landscapes of zones and belts practically correlates with the area of the zones and belts themselves. The minimum average area of the landscape contour belongs to the southern coastal landscapes of pistachio-oak and oak-juniper forests, shrub thickets, savanoid and friganoid steppes (Fig. 2.25). The areas of landscape plots, especially those landscapes that are characterized by minimum values, must be taken into account when calculating recreational loads and planning tourist and recreational activities.
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 19 14 1$ 16 17 18
- 2 7000 2 6000
- 3 booo
- ? 4000 s 3000 2000 1000 o
- 70 І 60 s 60 = 40?
) ° 5 20 «10?
Rice. 2.25.Landscape diversity of Crimea at the belt level
and tiers:
row 1 - area of landscapes; row 2 - the number of landscape contours; row 3 - the number of typological landscape contours; landscape belts and tiers: 1-3 - landscape hydromorphic belts; 4-5 - landscape tiers of the plain Crimea; 6-8- landscape belts of the foothills; 9-10- landscape belts of the South Coast; 11-16 - landscape belts of mid-mountain slopes; 17-18 - Yaila landscape belts
The number of all landscape contours and the number of typological contours for landscape zones and belts (see Fig. 2.25) reflect their high degree of correlation. The highest landscape diversity is distinguished by the landscapes of the semi-subtropical forest-steppe of the foothills of the northern macroslope (71 contours and 10 typological ones with an area of 1.8 thousand sq. Km). The landscapes of the South Coast of the Crimea (9, 10) are distinguished by a certain "anomaly", they have a minimum average area of the landscape contour of the southern coastal landscapes of pistachio-oak and oak-juniper forests, shrub thickets, savanoid and freeganoid steppes (9). An inverse relationship is traced between the area of landscapes and the total and typological number of their contours. The area is minimal, and the number of contours is maximal. In all other landscapes of Crimea, there is a directly proportional relationship between the area and the number of contours.
The highest coefficient of landscape diversity (Fig. 2.26) has the southern coastal landscapes - pistachio-oak and oak-juniper forests, shrub thickets, savanoid and friganoid steppes (K l. N = 2.0). The coefficient of the landscape diversity of mountain landscapes (Kl. N = 0.3-0.6) sharply differs from the plain ones (0.04-0.15). Moreover, among the lowland landscapes, hydromorphic saline and halophytic meadows in combination with wormwood-fescue steppes have the greatest diversity. Among mountain landscapes, mixed broad-leaved and pine forests(K l n = 0.6). The Yaylinsky landscapes of mountain meadows and forest-steppe are distinguished by a high diversity (K l p = 0.7).
Londshoft Roemooorosy Ratio
LANDSCAPE P01SAII 1t
Rice. 2.26. Coefficient of diversity of landscapes of Crimea (C l. R) on
at the level of belts and tiers:
1-3 - landscape hydromorphic belts; 4-5 - landscape tiers of the plain Crimea; 6-8 - landscape belts of the foothills; 9-10 - landscape belts of the South Coast; 11-16 - landscape belts of mid-mountain slopes; 17-18 - Yaila landscape belts
All Crimean landscapes are characterized by seasonal dynamism, four seasons are well expressed, which makes them attractive for recreational travelers, with the possibility of developing both summer and winter types of tourism and recreation.
Biocenotic landscape diversity is associated with the value of the biotic component of the landscape and is based in most cases on the system of the ecological network of the Crimea (ecocenters and ecocorridors), the most valuable elements of which are the objects of the nature reserve fund (see section 2.1.6).
Anthropogenic landscape diversity reflects the diversity of land uses, both existing and historical. As a resource, this type of landscape diversity manifests itself in several properties. The assessment of the recreational resources of this type of diversity is based not only on indicators of the diversity of types of nature use, the contour of territorial structures, but also on the degree of their “culture”, aesthetics, originality (ethnicity), aesthetic and cultural-historical value.
The Crimean region is characterized by a high proportion of anthropogenic landscapes (71% of the territory is agricultural land, 47% is arable land). The territories directly used for the organization of recreation and tourism amount to 10.2 thousand hectares, including land for recreational purposes - 1.6 thousand hectares, for recreational purposes - 4.3 thousand hectares, for historical and cultural purposes - 4.3 thousand hectares The territories of agricultural use can serve as a resource for the development of green tourism; in this regard, the landscapes of the foothills of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, which have high aesthetics, are especially attractive. The landscapes of the plain Crimea are promising for use.
Currently underutilized is sacred object resource, which Crimea is so rich in. In Crimea, with its rich ethnic, religious history of ethnic groups and ethnic groups, these include structures of 111-11 millennia BC. -mengirs (from the Greek. megas- big, cast - stone), cromlechs, dolmens. These are little-studied objects. Until now, some issues of their construction and purpose remain controversial. Undoubtedly, they are of great educational value, but only a few objects are excursion, most can become promising objects of display when arranging new excursion routes. The most outstanding of them are the Skelsky Menhirs in the Baydar Valley, the menhir in the Bogaz-Sala tract near Bakhchisarai, as well as cromlechs near Alushta and in the Karasu-Bashi Polyana region (Belogorsk district). Menhirs in the village. Rodnikovskoe are the oldest stone monuments in Crimea, which were created by man. Initially, there were three menhirs, they were placed in a certain order, and the whole structure looked like a right-angled triangle. The surviving menhirs have the following parameters: the highest (Fig. 2.27) is inclined up to 10 °, but its height is 2.7 m, diameter - up to 0.8 m; the second menhir is located on the site of the monument to those killed during the Second World War, it is 1.5 m high, 0.5 m long and 1.2 m wide; the third menhir was moved during the construction of a local club and lies in a ravine (dimensions: height 2.1 m, length 0.4 m, width 0.6 m).
Rice. 2.27.
All menhirs are made of one material - pink marbled limestone. Skel Menhirs are the largest known in Southeast Europe. European tourists come to see these menhirs. Nevertheless, many of the Crimean sacred objects are not only underutilized in the recreational and tourist industry, but also experience a negative impact during economic activities and are subject to acts of vandalism.
The humanitarian interpretation of landscape diversity is reduced to a holistic human perception of the landscape as a natural and cultural formation. From the point of view of humanitarian perception, three environments can be distinguished: natural, cultural and ethnic. Natural - assessment of the landscape from the point of view of its perception by humans (assessment of the degree of aesthetics and the level of diversity); cultural environment (architecture, traditional forms of housing, forms of land use, etc.) - a person feels comfortable if he is in his cultural environment or has access to it; ethnic diversity - a variety of traditions, lifestyle, etc. Humanitarian diversity is a direct recreational resource, and its assessment depends on the historical value of objects, the degree of their aesthetics, etc.
The conservation and renewal of landscape diversity serves as a nature conservation and socio-psychological function. The comfortable state of a person is possible in the landscape that gives him a variety of values and access to them. A person should not feel alienated from the landscape, from its natural wealth (a component of the historical past, ethnic traditions that have formed here).
Indicators of landscape diversity, which are based on its humanitarian understanding, are specific. An important indicator is how a person perceives the landscape. The system of ecological indicators includes not only objectively measured characteristics of the landscape, but also some psychological characteristics. These include the following factors:
- beauty, mystery, bright feature (precipice, waterfall). These characteristics are perceived by people as a trait in which they perceive the landscape;
- human perception of the landscape, when there is a variety of vegetation cover, the presence of water bodies in the landscape, etc .;
- the optimal level of landscape diversity, in which a person feels more comfortable, in which he recovers better after stress.
Despite the fact that beauty is an objective property of the surrounding world and an objective human need when planning recreational types of recreation, including health-improving ones, it is necessary to take into account the subjective need of a vacationer in the form of a landscape. Recreants who permanently live in the steppe regions find it uncomfortable to relax in the mountainous regions, and the mountaineers, on the contrary, in the plains. In this respect, the flat Crimea is under-demanded as a landscape recreational resource.
Monuments of landscape gardening art of Crimea are very attractive, many of which serve as objects of targeted excursion display. Among them are the Karasan Park (founded in the 19th century; it has 220 different species and garden forms of dendroflora on 18 hectares); the park of the sanatorium "Utes" (about 150 species and forms of plants per 5 hectares); park in the rest house "Aivazovskoe" in Partenit; arboretum of the Crimean nature reserve (more than 100 plant species on an area of 6 hectares), Miskhorsky, Livadiyskiy, Massandrovskiy and Vorontsovsky park and.
In modern tourist and excursion practice, many landscape objects are actively used, which are of great image-forming importance for the Crimea as a whole and its recreational areas.
Southern recreational area:
- Ayu-Dag (Bear Mountain) - a symbol of the Southshore; a landscape reserve since 1974. It is an intrusive massif composed of gabbrodiabases, interesting for lovers of geological collections and studying Crimean endemics (44 species of Red Book plants);
- caves of the Chatyr-Dag massif;
- Demerdzhi mountain range. It is composed of Upper Jurassic conglomerates, and individual inclusions are represented by rocks, whose age reaches 1.1 billion years. The Great Stone Chaos is located on the southwestern slope, bizarre forms of weathering have formed on the southern slope, known as the Valley of Ghosts - a popular object of natural and educational tourism;
- Khapkhal tract - a gorge on the Ulu-Uzen river. Located in an inaccessible place at the foot of the Tyr-ke mountain range. On the Ulu-Uzen river near the village. Generalskoe, the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall is located - the most powerful waterfall in Crimea, which does not dry out even in dry years;
- the valley of the Sotera river is a reserved tract since 1980 (area - 10 hectares). There is a unique natural monument of its kind - the Sotera Stone Mushrooms - an example of the original development of the relief in conditions of insufficient afforestation of the slopes and the influence of water erosion;
- Kuchuk-Lambatsky stone chaos - stretches for 1 km along a slope 200 m high to the seashore near the village. Cypress. Formed by the collapse of the Upper Jurassic limestone. Individual blocks reach the size of a two-story house;
- Kanaka tract is a botanical reserve since 1987 (area - 160 hectares). The object of ecological tourism is a juniper grove of 500-600 years old;
- Uchan-Su waterfall;
- Yaman-Dere gorge and Golovkinsky waterfall.
South-East region:
Novy Svet is a landscape reserve with groves of relict Sudak pine and treelike juniper and picturesque coastal aquatic complexes of Golubaya bays,
Blue, Green, Rogue. The famous Golitsyn trail passes here;
- Karadag is an ancient volcanic massif, a kind of mineralogical natural museum, which is about 150 million years old. Only the Great Ecological Trail is open here for mountain hiking;
- Uzun-Syrt plateau with unique updrafts.
Southwest region:
- Cossack Bay - a general sociological, hydrological reserve of national importance;
- Cape Aya - a landscape reserve of national importance;
- Cape Fiolent - a landscape reserve of national importance with a coastal aquatic complex;
- Laspi rocks - a reserved tract;
- Baydarskiy zakaznik is a landscape preserve of national importance;
- Chernorechensky canyon.
Western region:
Lakes Moinaki, Sasyk-Sivash, Saki, etc.
North-West region:
- Swan Islands - a nature reserve of international importance;
- Big and Small Atlesh - coastal aquatic complexes;
- Dzhangul landslide coast with numerous forms of coastal destruction.
Eastern region:
- Kazantip nature reserve- with virgin areas of feather grass, petrophilic, shrub and meadow steppe. Of the 617 species of vascular plants, 25 species are listed in the Red Book of Crimea, 12 plant species are endemics and relics, eight species are listed in the Red Book of Europe and six are protected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The fauna is represented by 188 species of vertebrates and 450 species of invertebrates, 35 species are protected;
- Astana Plavni is a state ornithological reserve. The land attracts numerous migratory and nesting waterfowl in the Crimea, more than 120 species have been recorded;
- Bulganak mud volcanic massif (area about 4 sq. Km), located 9 km north of Kerch, near the village. Bon-darenkovo. The most famous are the hills of An-Drusov, Vernadsky and Obruchev, the Abikh cone;
- regional park "Karalarsky" (Chagany area, 6806 hectares; Leninsky district). In the conditions of the former military training ground, large areas of virgin feather-grass, forb and shrub steppe with great floristic diversity have been well preserved;
- Mount Opuk - height 185 m; area 1592.3 hectares; reserve since 1998, an example of a ridge-hill steppe landscape.
Central District:
- Mangup-Kale - a complex natural monument of national importance;
- The Grand Canyon of Crimea is a picturesque canyon near the village. Falcon, a landscape reserve of national importance;
- Bakla is a natural boundary with interesting rock outcrops;
- Karabi-Yayla - karst massif;
- Ak-Kaya is a rock in the Belogorsk region, a complex natural monument of national importance.
Northern region:
Aquatic complexes of the Sivash Bay.
Landscape complexes are territories of various sizes, similar in their natural conditions, formed as a result of the impact of zonal and azonal factors on the earth's surface (12, p. 18).
There are few areas on the globe where so many different types of landscapes would be concentrated in such a small area. This is due to the position of Crimea on the border of geographic zones, at the contact of various flora and fauna, the influence of the seas washing it, and a complex history of development.
Landscapes are classified according to different criteria:
1.By the nature of the contact of geospheres (earth's shells);
2.According to climatic differences;
3. By the nature of the relief;
4. By the nature of the vegetation.
The territory of Crimea is located in the southern part of the belt of temperate latitudes, therefore, its landscapes are subboreal, in the extreme south, elements of subtropical landscapes are observed. Boreal (from Latin - northern) landscapes are formed in an area with a boreal (temperate) climate characterized by well-defined seasons - snowy winters and relatively short summers.
Classification of landscapes
(compiled from the textbook by L.A. Bagrov, V.A.Bokov, N.V. Bagrov. Geography of Crimea, p.107)
|
Departments (the nature contact geospheres) |
Terrestrial Amphibian Aquatic
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Systems (for climatic differences) |
Subboreal |
Subtropical |
||||||||||||||||
|
Classes (the nature relief) |
plain |
foothill |
mountain |
plain |
foothill |
mountain |
||||||||||||
|
(the nature vegetation) |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
forest |
forest-steppe |
steppe |
Consequently, the main landscapes are distinguished in Crimea:
Semi-desert steppes and salt marshes;
Real steppes;
Foothill forest-steppe;
Northern macroslope forests;
Mountain meadows and yayl steppes;
Forests of the southern macroslope;
Sparse forests of the south coast.
Features of the main Crimean landscapes (compiled from literary sources No. 5, No. 6)
4.1. Steppe landscapes.
Plain-steppe landscapes occupy most of the plain Crimea, these are real steppes. Most of the natural vegetation has been destroyed and replaced by agricultural fields, orchards, vineyards (70-80%). Steppe vegetation (depleted) is preserved mainly on Tarkhankut, the Kerch Peninsula and in the Sivash region (semi-desert steppes). These areas are characterized by hot, dry summers and relatively warm winters. The amount of precipitation ranges from 450-550mm. in year. Soils - southern chernozems, in the Sivash region - desert and chestnut. The overwhelming part of the territory of the flat Crimea has been turned into agrolandscapes - alternation of agricultural fields (40-50%), pastures (20-30%), orchards and vineyards (10-12%), settlements(4-5%), transport routes. Conducted in the early 70s. XX century. The North Crimean Canal made it possible to create 400 thousand. hectares of irrigated land. Grain crops prevail among agricultural crops.
4.2. Seaside landscapes.
4.2.1 .. Plain-coastal steppe landscapes
These include a narrow strip (5-10 km) at the junction of the sea and plain steppe landscapes. These landscapes are characterized by a relatively rugged topography. There are breezes here. The soils are thin and not very suitable for economic use, but this also contributed to the preservation of many species of plants and animals here. The recreational load on the territory is very high here.
4.2.2. Changing dry steppe landscapes.
They occupy a strip along the Sivash and Karkinitsky gulf, small areas near the Sasyk and Donuzlav lakes, as well as on the Kerch peninsula. They are characterized by exceptional lowland, close occurrence of mineralized groundwater (they often come to the surface, forming a salt crust on it). In such conditions, only saline plants, as well as wormwood-fescue steppes and halophytic meadows, can grow on salt marshes.
4.3. Foothill landscapes.
Foothill forest-steppe landscapes are located to the north of the mountains at an altitude of 250-300 m to 500-600 m at the transition of the Main Ridge to the flat part of the peninsula. Their main feature is the alternation of areas of forests, shrubs and steppe communities. Each of these types of vegetation occupies the most favorable habitat for it: forests are located on the slopes of northern exposures and low river valleys, steppes - on drier southern slopes and on surfaces with thin soils. Good water supply, favorable transport and geographical position led to the development in the foothills major cities, road networks, railways. Agriculture has a diversified specialization: around cities - suburban farming; in the river valleys - gardens; on the slopes of the mountains - vineyards, essential oil crops. The modern appearance of the foothills is characterized by alternation of natural and anthropogenically transformed landscapes.
4.4. Forest landscapes.
Mountain (mid-mountain) forest landscapes are located at an altitude of 350-600m and higher (up to 1545m). They are represented by beech, oak, pine forests and occupy most of the Crimean mountains. The most humid areas are covered with beech forests. In drier conditions - usually at an altitude of 400-700m - oak forests grow. These areas have long been mastered by people, so the forests were cut down and now almost all oak forests are coppice, characterized by short stature, often dry tops and sparseness. The main reserves are located within these landscapes. These landscapes constitute the main ecological resource of Crimea. The most beneficial use of these landscapes is their conservation with moderate use for recreation.
4.5. Landscapes of Crimean Yailas.
Mountain meadow-forest-steppe landscapes - landscapes of flat-topped surfaces of the Crimean mountains - yail - are characterized by high atmospheric humidity (600-1500 mm per year) with evaporation rate - 600-700 mm per year. Cold winters (-5-70C) and warm summers (+ 16 + 170C) are observed here. This combination of meteorological elements usually corresponds to coniferous and beech forests. However, mountain steppes, forest-steppes and meadows dominate on the yayls.
The azonal nature of the yaila landscapes is associated not with the climatic zonal conditions, but with the rocks composing them. The precipitation falls through the cracks - due to the karst nature of the yayls, their infiltration (seepage) occurs in the thickness of the limestone. At the tops of the mountains, the amount of moisture available to plants decreases, and drier habitats are formed, suitable for steppes and forest-steppes. Isolation contributes to the development of endemism. A significant part of the river runoff is formed on the yayls. Their great water protection value requires the prohibition of intensive economic activities here - grazing livestock, intensive recreation, military exercises, etc.
4.6. Karst landscapes.
Karst landscapes are located on the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains. The most typical karst landscapes are on the easternmost yayla - Karabi-yayla. Here, on an area of 113 km 2, there are more than 1.5 thousand karst sinkholes, 254 karst cavities. But the most famous are the landscapes of Chatyrdag (Marble Cave, Emine-Bair-Khosar Cave) and Dolgorukovsky Massif (Red Cave).
4.7. South coast landscapes.
Mountain-coastal sub-Mediterranean landscapes are confined to the southern coast - from the sea to an altitude of 350-400 m. They are characterized by warm, humid winters (the climate is reminiscent of the Mediterranean), rugged relief, general slope of the surface to the south, strong influence of the sea (breezes, warm winter), low moisture content, thin soils, an abundance of local climates. Natural vegetation (it has survived on 20-30% of the territory) - moss-oak forests, shibliaks, thick-leaved pistachio groves, small areas with Mediterranean species: strawberry, butcher's broom, etc. The vegetation of the South Coast includes several hundred plants imported to Crimea, including cypress, trachycarpus palm, magnolia. The South Coast has all the conditions for the development of recreation, viticulture and winemaking. Over the past two centuries, many palaces, resort complexes have been built here, parks have been created. Resort towns and villages (Alushta, Gurzuf, Yalta, Alupka, Simeiz, etc.) form an almost continuous strip along the coast. A special landscape has formed here, which combines small cozy cities, parks, sanatorium buildings, vineyards, surrounded by sparse oak, pistachio and juniper forests, which are replaced by pine and oak forests above.
The modern landscapes of the peninsula are largely the result of human activity. On the South Coast, it is difficult to imagine the appearance of the coast without parks, palaces, resort complexes and resort cities. The overwhelming part of the territory of the flat Crimea has been turned into agricultural landscapes. Residential landscapes were formed in cities, towns and villages. These landscapes do not form the background, but are interspersed with the background landscapes listed above. In Crimea, they occupy 2-3% of the territory. A significant part of urban areas is occupied by asphalt concrete pavements and stone structures. There is almost no natural vegetation in cities; it has been replaced by park vegetation. There is practically no natural soil cover left in the cities; here a special local climate is formed with a large amount of fog and atmospheric precipitation, less solar radiation, higher temperature, lower wind speed. Urban landscapes are characterized by high traffic pollution (especially cars), littering the territory (garbage dumps), landscape pollution (primitive architecture).
The interrelation of components in the landscape (rocks, relief, climate, soil, water, vegetation, fauna) makes it necessary to handle any of them very carefully. One should remember the principle formed by B. Commoner: "Everything is connected with everything." Even the processes that we call unfavorable: water and wind erosion, abrasion, talus, floods, etc. - in certain sizes are necessary for the functioning of the landscape, maintaining its dynamic balance. The termination of all processes means the death of landscapes.
Topic №5 Nature reserves
The problem of environmental protection has acquired particular relevance in the second half of the XX century in connection with the catastrophic consequences of the development of production and population growth on the planet. Scientists of the world reasonably argue that two-thirds of existing plant species and a huge number of animal species are under threat of extinction, which may occur in the next 100 years. In order to preserve landscapes, genetic funds of plants and animals of various geographic areas, populations of rare and endangered representatives of flora and fauna, reserves, zakazniks and other specially protected areas are created, completely or partially withdrawn from direct economic use. This fully applies to the nature of the Crimea, which is distinguished by especially valuable qualities and very high vulnerability. The first state-protected territory in Crimea appeared in 1923, when it was decided to create the Crimean State Reserve. Now in Crimea there are over 150 territories and objects of the natural reserve fund with a total area of 1415.3 sq. km., including 47 territories of national importance and 105 objects of local importance. In general, the share of the reserve fund in Crimea accounts for 5.4% of the territory of the peninsula. This is 2.5 times higher than the same average indicator for Ukraine, but 2 times lower than the UN recommended optimal level of reserve saturation for regions of the world.
There are several categories of protected areas:
1. reserve- specially protected area, where all types of economic activities are excluded;
2. national park- a vast territory with preserved natural landscapes, where certain types of activities are allowed within limited limits;
3. preserve- an area where certain types of economic activities are prohibited (hunting, construction, etc.).
4.reserved tract- a small section of a protected area with a remarkable object (waterfall, pistachio grove, habitat of rare fauna, etc.).
Reserves of Crimea
The basis of the protected fund of Crimea is 6 state natural reserves (5, pp. 135-137) .:
Crimean with a branch of the Swan Islands, Yalta, Cape Martyan, Karadagsky, Kazantipsky, Opuksky.
Reserves of Crimea
|
Name |
Year of formation |
Total area, ha |
Including |
Number of plant species, pcs. |
Number of fauna species, pcs. |
|||||
|
Forest area, ha |
Meadows, ha |
The area occupied by reservoirs ha |
Total |
Including rare |
Beasts |
Birds |
Fishes |
|||
|
1.Crimean |
1923 |
44 175 |
28 373 |
2 451 |
9 629 |
1 165 |
58 |
37 |
250 |
7 |
|
2.Yalta |
1973 |
14 523 |
10 976 |
--- |
1 |
1 363 |
138 |
33 |
91 |
8 |
|
3. Cape Martyan |
1979 |
240 |
120 |
--- |
120 |
50 |
27 |
28 |
146 |
66 |
|
4.Karadag |
1949 |
2 874 |
1 232 |
--- |
1 |
1 103 |
37 |
42 |
204 |
48 |
|
5. Kazantip |
1998 |
450,1 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|
6.Opuksky |
1998 |
1592,3 |
--- |
801,7 |
534,4 |
325 |
45 |
5 |
53 |
15 |
Compiled from the book Beydik O.O., Padun M.M. "Geography. Reference book
for those entering higher educational institutions. "- Kiev: Lybid, 1996.
5.1. Crimean nature reserve
Located in the center of the mountainous Crimea, it is considered the oldest on the peninsula. The beginning of the reserve was laid in 1917, when 3000 hectares of the forest of the former royal hunting were declared a National Reserve. In 1923, a decree was issued “On the establishment of the Crimean State Reserve and Forest Biological Station”. Forests covering an area of 16350 ha were transferred to the reserve. Now the area of the reserve has been expanded to 44175 hectares (with a branch of the Swan Islands).
On the territory of the reserve, in the middle, there is the Central Basin, which is sandwiched between the Babugan, Bolshaya Chuchel, and Chernaya mountains. The territory of the reserve comes close to the Chatyrdag plateau, the peak of which Eklizi-Burun (1525m) dominates the entire eastern part reserve. To the west of the Chuchel Pass, dense beech forests are spread. They climb the slopes themselves high summit Crimea - Roman-Kosh (1545m). Here are the second and third highest peaks of the Crimea - Demir-Kapu (1540m) and Kemal-Egerek (1529m).
The reserve is home to 1165 species of higher plants (and 84 on the Swan Islands), 39 species of mammals, 120 species of birds (on the Swan Islands - 20 and 230, respectively). The relict beech, hornbeam, oak and pine forests are of particular value (6, p. 172).
The forests of the reserve are represented by a wide variety of trees and shrubs. The most widespread here are English oak, rock oak, downy oak, beech, Crimean pine, hooked pine, hornbeam, ordinary ash, Steven's maple, field maple, Crimean linden, Caucasian linden, black alder, juniper, as well as shrubs: hornbeam, dogwood , hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn, euonymus, etc.
All trees are characterized by a belt distribution depending on the height above sea level. So, the pedunculate oak grows in the valleys of the Alma, Kacha rivers and rises to a height of 450m above sea level. On the northern slopes, rock oak prevails at an altitude of 450-700m. The oak forests are 150-250 years old. The height of the trunks of individual trees is 28-30m, the diameter is 30-40cm.
The belt of beech forests begins at an altitude of 450-500m and reaches 1300-1400m above sea level. In the zone of beech forests, in the Uzen-Bash gorge, where the transparent waters of the Golovkinsky waterfall are constantly rushing down, a section of a birch forest has been preserved as a witness to the harsh nature of the distant past. Nowhere else in Crimea does birch naturally grow. One of the most valuable representatives of relict vegetation, the berry yew, has also been preserved here.
The protected forest is valuable for its water protection role. There are about three hundred springs that have arisen in rocky faults. The most important rivers of Crimea - Alma, Kacha, Ulu-Uzen - originate from them.
The fauna of forests is an integral part of the protected natural complex. Deer and roe deer are the original inhabitants of the mountainous Crimea. Deer were hunted 5,000 years ago and were almost exterminated at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, there are over 1000 deer in the reserve. They are swift, easily overcome forest debris, dense jungle, rocky placers and steep slopes. During the day they can be seen in the glades and in the forest. In the evening, deer usually go to high-mountain pastures. In the reserve, work is being carried out to study the physiology of the deer, its influence on the habitat.
The roe deer is the smallest representative of the wild ungulates in the reserve. The animal is surprisingly graceful, slender and graceful. Roe deer live everywhere in the forests of the Crimea, but their number is small. The reserve is home to about 300 animals.
Mouflon is an animal acclimatized in Crimea. The European mouflon is a wild relative of the domestic sheep. His homeland is the island of Corsica. It was brought to the Crimea in 1913 and released in the amount of 13 individuals on the slope of Mount Bolshaya Chuchel. Currently, mouflons are found on the peaks and slopes of the Black and Bolshaya Chuchel mountains, on the slopes of Babugan-Yaila. Herbaceous and shrub vegetation serves as food for them.
Besides them live in the reserve: wild boar, fox, stone marten, badger, squirrel, etc.
5.2. Yalta mountain-forest reserve
Located to the east of Cape Sarych, up to Mount Ayudag, it covers mainly wooded slopes of the western South Coast and partially forest-meadow-steppe landscapes of the western yailas of Mountain Crimea. It was created in 1973 with the aim of preserving the forests of the southern slope of the Main Ridge and the Yaylinsky natural complexes. In terms of area, the reserve is relatively small - 14,523 hectares, which is 0.5% of the territory of the peninsula (6, p. 172) But the flora of this reserve includes 1363 species of higher plants, (more than 55%), which is more than 55 of all species inhabiting Crimea ... Plants are widely represented here - people from the Caucasus, the Balkan Peninsula, and Asia Minor; more than half of the flora of the Yalta reserve (55%) is of Mediterranean origin (18, p54). There are wide-stemmed, mainly pine forests (they make up 56% of all forests in the reserve), as well as beech and oak, in places with evergreen sub-Mediterranean undergrowth. The populations of the only aboriginal evergreen tree of the Crimea - small-fruited strawberry - are of exceptional value. It is also home to 37 species of mammals, 113 species of birds.
Within the reserve there are many independent natural monuments of great scientific and educational interest. This is a shelter of small-fruited strawberry on the slopes of the Baidaro-Kastropol wall (at an altitude of 500-700 meters above sea level); Iphiginea rock, Pilyaki mountain; Kuchuk-Koisky landslide and stone stream in the area with. Landslide, Mount Nishan-Kaya; Mount Koshka, Cape Ai-Todor and others (18 p54-59).
5.3. Cape Martyan nature reserve
State reserve located in the center of the southern coast of Crimea, on the southern slope of the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains. As an independent State Reserve, Cape Martyan was organized on February 20, 1973. Its total area is 240 hectares, of which 120 hectares are in the Black Sea, 120 hectares are occupied by the Martyan tract, and partly by the Ai-Danil tract. Geomorphologically, Cape Martyan is a continuation of the Nikitsky spur of the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains.
The main purpose of the reserve is to preserve the southern coastal landscape of the sub-Mediterranean type - a relict pine-juniper-strawberry forest with more than 600 species of plants, and in this small relict forest, a fourth of the entire flora of mountain Crimea grows. Among them there are 14 endemic species, which are not found in natural conditions anywhere, except for the Crimea. Three species are listed in the international Red Book as in need of protection; this is a high juniper, small-fruited strawberry, goat's petals.
The juniper is almost everywhere accompanied by a downy oak and an evergreen tree of small-fruited strawberry. Under the light canopy of these trees, shrubs develop: Crimean cistus, shrub jasmine, Pontic butcher, emerian elm.
As the root type of vegetation of the coastal belt of the southern macroslope of the Crimean Mountains, juniper forests successfully perform a drain-regulating and anti-erosion role, and it also plays the role of a kind of filter in the resort area: one hectare of juniper forest is able to purify the air of a large city. Essential oils contained in the needles and cones of juniper are used in medicine and light industry. Despite the insignificant territory, the reserve contains the typical Crimean fauna, which is poor in species that are widespread in the neighboring mountain-forest regions and in the continental part of the mainland.
Among the Mediterranean species, there are also scorpions, large venomous centipedes-centipedes, large cicadas, polyxena butterflies and numerous lizards. There are spiders and ticks in the reserve. Rare reptiles are of considerable value. In Crimea, 2 ethnic species are distinguished: the Crimean rock lizard and the Crimean bare-toed gecko. A Leopard Snake was also found in the reserve.
There are endemic species here: Crimean jay, Crimean grosbeak, Crimean spruce crossbill, Crimean mountain bunting, Crimean long-tailed tit. Few birds nest. Among them is the black-headed gull from the family of gulls.
There are no large mammals in the reserve, however, very valuable species live: the Crimean stone marten, the Crimean mountain fox, the Crimean forest mouse. In the reserve there are hedgehogs, squirrels, hares, the Crimean shrew, etc.
Cape Martyan is not only a unique corner of the Mediterranean landscape, a monument of the ancient nature of Crimea, but also a kind of laboratory for open air, in which you can study the complex processes of land and sea.
5.4. Karadag nature reserve
The Kradag nature reserve is located in the east of the Crimean sub-Mediterranean region. Since 1947 - a natural monument, since 1979 - a nature reserve. Created to protect the ancient volcanic landscape and the rarest botanical and zoological objects. This is the only Jurassic volcano in the entire European part of the CIS that has retained the external features of its origin. Lava poured out here at the bottom of the sea. For millennia, volcanic rocks have been subject to displacement, faults, which are reflected in the modern relief. Karadag is essentially a mountain group that includes several ridges and independent peaks.
At Karadag, 100 mineral species and varieties were found, there are semi-precious stones: carnelian, opal, agate, rock crystal, amethyst.
All the attributes of a volcano can be observed on this mountain: lava flows and breccias, dikes, mineral veins, volcanic bombs and even a channel that once served as a conduit for lava to the surface.
From the side of the sea, Karadag is cut off by a discharge, its slopes go almost vertically into the depths of the sea. One of the vents of the volcano is clearly visible, cluttered with pieces of solidified lava - the Devil's fireplace.
Opposite the Khoba-Tepe ridge, 85 m from the coast, a basalt arch crowned with a spire rises directly from the depths of the sea; this is the famous Golden Gate of Karadag.
The writer S. Elpatievsky noted that "Karadag is the end, the last word of that wonderful mountain tale that stretches from Sevastopol ... And, as it happens, it is at the end that the tale flares up with the most bizarre images, the most unbridled fantasy." (18 s73)
The vegetation of Karadag is peculiar. Light forests and bushes prevail here. Of the tree species, fluffy oak, rock oak, hornbeam, high juniper are widespread; from shrubs - dogwood, sumac, pebble, girdlewood, etc. An extraordinary combination of forest, forest-steppe and Mediterranean flora is observed in Karadag. About 60 endemics are found here.
The diverse flora of the reserve greatly changes its appearance throughout the year. Already at the end of January, Bieberstein's crocus and Suznan saffron are in bloom. Then the folded snowdrop blooms, in March - double-leaved woodlands and goose bows - Calle, as well as tulips. In April, the common primrose blooms, in May, peonies in the forests and Crimean asphodeline bloom. In June, the reserve resembles a multi-colored lilac-yellow-blue carpet, which is formed by species of thyme, sunflowers, buttercups, flax, etc.
The fauna of the reserve is diverse. There are 30 species of mammals (steppe ferret, fox, squirrel, bats, etc.), 80 species of birds (including peregrine falcon, crested cormorant), 15 species of reptiles (leopard snake, yellow snake, rock lizard), many rare insects (praying mantis, Crimean ground beetle). (18 s74)
In the dense oak forests of the Holy Mountain, you can find roe deer, wild blue, tiny shrews, bats. The richness of forest fauna is especially emphasized by the abundance of bird species. This is a burial eagle, a snake-eagle, a griffon vulture, a blackbird, etc. The Karadag reserve is a unique complex museum of land and sea. The protection and restoration of the natural resources of Karadag is the most important task of the reserve.
5.5. Kazantip nature reserve
Located in the north of the Kerch hillside, on the coast Sea of Azov... Created in 1998, the area, including the adjacent water area - 450.1 hectares. Kazantip Peninsula is an interesting geological and geomorphological object - it is an ancient reef formed by colonies of bryozoans, bryozoan limestone. Light gray, with a yellow tint, the stone consists of tightly cemented tiny tubes - skeletons of bryozoans. Colonies of these marine animals lived on the bottom in the Sarmatian and Meotic centuries of the Neogene period (11-12 million years ago). With the slow rise of the seabed, a shallow appeared, well warmed by the sun, where colonies of bryozoans developed in abundance, outwardly similar to moss or shrubs. After the death of bryozoans, skeletal calcareous tubules remained, new colonies settled on the dead bryozoans, then they died out, and so on. As a result of this process, an annular ridge of bryozoan limestones - a reef - surrounded the sandbank. Then the reef began to rise, and then lateral limestone ridges stretched from it to the retreating sea. The space between the side ridges is occupied by clays and marls. The uplift ended with the transformation of the reef into an island. Later, the sandy embankment made it a peninsula.
In relief, the Kazantip Peninsula outwardly resembles a ring reef - an atoll. As a result of weathering, numerous bays and rocky capes of bizarre shapes have been formed here. The peninsula is characterized by landslides: huge blocks of bryozoan limestones in grandiose fissures, similar to ditches, break away from the ring ridge and slide along the underlying clays. (37, c 176)
Areas of virgin feather-grass and forb steppes, fragments of rock vegetation, typical Crimean shrubs have been preserved. The flora of vascular plants has more than 628 species.
5.6. Opuksky nature reserve
Located in the southern part of the Kerch Peninsula on the Black Sea coast. It was created in 1998. Its area is 1592.3 hectares, including the sea area and small islands of the Rocks-Ships. The reserve was created with the aim of preserving the unique natural steppe complex "Opuk Urochishche" and the complex of marine coastal biogeocenoses.
Mount Opuk is one of the highest on the Kerch Peninsula. Its height is 185m. It is composed of limestone. The mountain looks like a typical remnant massif, with a flat summit plateau, limited by large ledges and broken into separate blocks, separated from each other by tectonic cracks.
Mount Opuk was formed for a long time in difficult geological conditions. In the neighborhood acted mud volcanoes... Then, on the site of the mountain, Lake Koyashskoye, the Korabli-Kamen rocks, troughs and depressed synclines were formed (Gubanov, 1961; Shlyukov et al., 1986) Later, the trough was replaced by an uplift in the form of a horst. The tectonic block of Mount Opuk is small. It stretches from north-east to south-west for 3.5 km. It is limited on 4 sides by the shores of the Black Sea and Lake Kayash. Mount Opuk is located at the junction of several large structures. Here the meganticlinorium of the Mountainous Crimea ends and the young transverse Kerch-Taman trough begins, separating the uplifts of the Mountainous Crimea and the Greater Caucasus. Live and deep faults pass nearby.
Landslides are developed on steep slopes. Small deposits of native sulfur and gypsum have been explored on the territory of the reserve. The territory is famous for mineral salts and curative mud of the Kerch salt lake. Opuk is famous for its building materials - white shell rock. The climate of this part of the peninsula is very dry, moderately hot, with very mild winters (8). The amount of precipitation is 300-400mm per year. The aridity of the climate determines the poverty of the territory in fresh surface and groundwater. The largest water bodies are salt lakes: Uzunlarskoe, Koyashskoe. Typical representatives of the Crimean steppe and shrubs - hawthorn, buckthorn, privet - are well preserved on the territory of the reserve. The vegetation of Mount Opuk gravitates more towards the Crimean mountains than towards the steppe flora. It is home to 325 species of higher plants, 45 species of rare and endangered Crimean, Crimean-Novorossiysk, mountain Crimean and Kerch endemics. Of these, woodruff is endemic to Mount Opuk. On the slopes of the mountain, there are shrub communities of wild rose, hawthorn, dogwood, blackthorn, elderberry, unique for the steppe zone. They contain wild figs, grapes, hops, probably preserved from antiquity.
The fauna of the reserve is represented by various species. There are few amphibians and reptiles. Typical representatives are: green toad, lake frog, nimble lizard, water snake, yellow-bellied and four-striped snake. Among the birds there are: crested cormorant, gray heron, mute swan, gray goose, mallard, burial ground, gray partridge, bustard, herring gull, rock dove, blackbird, finch, crested lark and others. Of all the birds, 13 species nest directly on the territory of the reserve, 10 species on the adjacent territory, the rest are migratory. Of the rare, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, 11 species have been identified in the reserve and the adjacent territories: crested cormorant, ogar, saker falcon, bustard, little bustard, pink starling, black-headed bunting, burial eagle, gray crane and demoiselle crane. Among the mammals in the reserve there are: European hare, ground squirrel, steppe mouse, red fox, white-breasted hedgehog. Of the rare and protected species, the bottlenose dolphin is found.
5.7. Nikitsky Botanical Garden
In 1811, at the request of the military governor A.E. Reshelieu, a decree was signed on the establishment of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. The most suitable place for the garden was the territory located 6 km from Yalta in the vicinity of the villages of Magarach and Nikita. Subsequently, the garden became known as Nikitsky. This scientific institution of the Crimea was founded in 1812 by the outstanding scientist-botanist H.H. Steven. It was H.H. Steven who planted the famous groves of cork oak, strawberry, blue cedar, cypress, pine in the garden. For 12 years, he has collected a unique collection of ornamental plants, created a valuable herbarium, founded a scientific library, a museum and a school of gardeners.
Since 1826 N.A. Gartvis became the director of the garden. He contributed to the rapid development of horticulture and viticulture in the South Coast. Under him were brought to the Crimea: evergreen magnolias, fan palms, wisteria. Gartvis N.A. has collected a magnificent collection of conifers. These were giants - sequoiadendron and sequoia from California, Atlas cedar, Himalayan and Lusitanian cypresses, Montezuma and Gerard pines. Their three expeditions to the Caucasus were brought: Caucasian fir, eastern spruce, Caucasian linden, rhododendrons.
In 1912, the Seaside Park was laid to commemorate the 100th anniversary. The most thermophilic subtropical plants settled in it from 1914 to 1940. Scientific research was carried out, the collection plantings of plants were replenished. So in 1940, over 2000 varieties of peaches, apricots, cherries, sweet cherries, plums, cherry plums, almonds, apple trees, pears and other crops were collected in the garden. During the second world war it was destroyed a large number of plants, valuable scientific equipment and a rich herbarium were removed. And only in 1944. after the liberation of Yalta, work began to restore the garden. The exported herbarium was found in Germany and delivered to the Crimea.
Now the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, together with its branch, occupies about 100 hectares of land. Its territory consists of four sections - Upper, Lower, Primorsky parks and Montedor park.
In the collections of Nikitsky Garden there are 15 thousand species, varieties and hybrids of plants. The garden carries out scientific relations with institutions from 80 countries of the world. Departments of flora and vegetation work here; nature protection; dendrology and ornamental gardening; floriculture; fruit crops; subtropical and nut crops; new technical plants; plant biochemistry; plant physiology; agroecology and plant nutrition; plant protection. Scientists of the garden assist in the protection of the Crimean environment, in the preservation and decoration of her green outfit. (41, c197)
5.8. Reserves
1. Mountain range Ayudag landscape reserve, created in 1974. on the territory of the Zaprudnenskoye forestry, with an area of 527 hectares. Ayudag or Bear Mountain is one of the largest "failed" volcanoes in Crimea. " In the distant geological past, in medieval times, igneous rocks were introduced into the thickness of the clay shale. Unable to break through to the surface, they cooled down, which is why such formations - magmatic diapirs - are called "failed volcanoes." For many millions of years, the cloak of sedimentary deposits has been eroded, and igneous rocks have been exposed, forming a dome-shaped mountain on the seashore with a height of more than half a kilometer (572 m). On the rocky slopes, you can see numerous outcrops of grayish-green gabbro-diabase. In some places, veins of rare minerals are visible. Ayudag is called one of the natural mineral museums of the South Coast.
The peaks and slopes of Ayudag are covered with a coastal southern coastal forest. Here you can find fluffy oak, hornbeam, high juniper, and tree. Occasionally, alone or in small groups, small-fruited strawberry comes across. Everywhere under the trees you can see typical representatives of the Mediterranean tropics: cistus, butcher, jasmine. The closer to the top, the higher and shade the forest. Hornbeam, oak, ash, mountain ash, maple grow there. Of interest is a small grove of a kev tree on the isthmus between the "body" and "head" of the Bear Mountain. There are many rare herbaceous plants on Ayudag. (18, p. 65)
2. The grand canyon Crimea(landscape reserve, created in 1974 on the territory of the Bakhchisaray region, with an area of 300 hectares.) The canyon is located on the eastern side of the Kokkoz valley. This wild, majestic gorge, located in the depths of the northern slope of the Ai-Petrinskaya yayla, 4 km southeast of the village is called a miracle of nature. Sokolinogo. The depth of the gorge is 250-320 m, in the narrowest places the width does not exceed 2-3 meters. The main creator of this miracle is water. The stormy river Auzen-Uzen flows along the bottom of the canyon. Using the most ancient fault, fracturing and karsting of limestones, the water infiltrated the rock mass for thousands of years and separated the table-like Boyku massif from the northern outskirts of the Ai-Petrinskaya yayla with a deep gorge. For centuries, boulders and boulders, moved by water, drill peculiar cauldrons and baths at the bottom of the gorge. There are more than 150 of them in the canyon. The water in the river and in the baths in winter and summer has almost the same temperature, about 11 degrees. River trout lives in the running water.
The Crimean pine grows on the slopes of the canyon. In the lower part of the gorge, trees form continuous thickets. Hornbeam, beech, ash, maple, mountain ash, linden grow here. The undergrowth is formed by bushes: hazel, dogwood, barberry, buckthorn, scumpia, hornbeam. More than one and a half thousand copies in the canyon of yew berry. Old trees of this relict species reach here 1.5 meters in trunk diameter and 10-12 meters in height. Of great interest are rare ferns, relic hyoid butcher, endemic saxifrage, orchid Venus's slipper (18, p. 29-31)
3 Mountain karst of Crimea(a geological reserve, created in 1989 on the territory of the Belogorsky district, Karabi-yayla, Novoklenovsky and Privetnensky forestry, with an area of 4316 hectares). It covers most of the 254 karst cavities and thousands of craters located on the largest Crimean yayla (the so-called "lunar landscape") (6, p. 174).
The main ridge is the land of classical karst, Mediterranean type karst. The Yaylinsky massifs of the ridge consist of a thick stratum of Upper Jurassic limestones, on the basis of which peculiar karst relief forms are formed. A special complex of forms of surface and underground karst is observed here, resulting from the dissolution of limestones with water. These are shallow furrows in limestones, tarn fields, craters, hollows, wells, mines, grottoes and huge caves with wall forms of calcite - stalactites hanging from icicles from above, and stalagmites, the same in appearance, but directed upwards. A classic area where you can see the richness of karst forms is the Karabi area. On Karabi, the following are known: the Gvozdetsky mine (191m), Molodezhnaya (261m), Soldatskaya (470m), Krubera (280m); as well as the Tuakskaya cave.
Karst waters of the Karabi mountain range give life to the entire Belogorsk, most of the Soviet and Nizhnegorsk regions. The rivers Karasu, Kuchuk-Uzen, Orta-Uzen, Alachuk, Suat and others originate on Karabi. At the same time, there is practically no water on the plateau.
Karst cavities are not only original and formed over millennia forms of underground relief, but also important sources for the formation of the peninsula's water resources (40, p. 26-27).
4. The Karabi-Yaila tract(a botanical reserve, created in 1978 on the territory of the Belogorsk district, Novoklenovskoe forestry, with an area of 491 hectares), a reference site with medicinal plants is protected.
The reserve is located on the eastern outskirts of the Karabi-Yayla, in one of the vast hollows, where thickets of the Bieberstein jasmine were found. In total, there are over 500 species of plants in the tract, including more than 50 species of medicinal plants. Among all the floristic wealth of great interest is the Bieberstein jaskolka (Crimean "edelweiss"). Its silvery-white leaves, like felt from the thick hairs covering them, really resemble the leaves of Alpine edelweiss. However, the similarities are purely superficial. This plant belongs to the clove family, it is a relic of the Upper Tertiary time endemic for the Crimea. It blooms in May-August with delicate white flowers. In the reserved basin of Karabi, the Crimean "edelweiss" forms pillow thickets (18, p. 44-45).
5.New Light(a botanical reserve, created on the territory of the Sudak City Council, Sudak forestry, with an area of 470 hectares), a relic forest of endemic Stankevich pine and high juniper on the rocks of the coast is protected. The main value of the New World coast is the endemic Stankevich pine, which here, as well as on Cape Aya in the west of the South Coast, has been preserved as natural relict thickets. In the Novy Svet region, there are 5,000 specimens of this species of pine, reaching a height of 10-12 m. This pine has dark green needles and large, mostly upright, single cones. It was first described in 1906 by the botanist V.N.Sukachev, and named after its discoverer, forester V.I. Stankevich. In the past, this pine tree, preserved from ancient times, was much more widespread in the Crimea; in the pre-revolutionary period, large areas of the forests formed by it were cut down, because its wood was highly valued. Here you can find tall juniper, century-old trees, which reach 80 cm in diameter. In sunny places, there are capers (prickly capers) - undersized creeping shrubs. They bloom beautifully, give fruits that resemble cucumbers.
In addition to Stankevich pine and high juniper, the New World coast is famous for the massive Sokol Mountain and the domed Koba-Kaya (Cave Rock). These rocky cliffs are reef massifs of marbled limestone.
Mount Falcon(472m) from a distance really resembles the figure of a huge bird with folded wings. There are two cliffs under it - Sokolyata. On the way from the mountain to the Koba-Kaya rock there is a high grotto, worked out by the sea surf. The bay that penetrates deep into the grotto is called the Robber. Its other name is Blue Bay. From the grotto to the west, past Cape Kapchik, there is a path to the Blue Bay. Beyond the Golubaya Bay, the original Karaul-Oba massif (Watchtower Mountain) with a jagged top emerges into the sea. This extreme western part of the New World is called Paradise (Paradise), - the kingdom of wild stone chaos and juniper thickets (18, p72-73).
5.9. Natural Monuments
1. Kizil-Koba tract and cave(a geological monument, created in 1963 on the territory of the Simferopol region, Dolgorukovskaya yayla, Perevalnensky forestry, with an area of 33 hectares) - the longest (more than 21 km), six-storey system of karst cavities in Crimea with an underground river and a lake.
On the western slope of the Dolgorukovsky massif, 3.5 km from the village. Perevalny, there is a tract and a cave Kizil-Koba (Red). A gorge incised into the Upper Jurassic limestone in a circus manner leads to the cave. It was created by the waters of a small mountain river Kizilkobinka, which, carrying out dissolved lime from the depths of the Dolgorukovsky massif, deposited it in the form of limestone tuffs. Gradually, not far from the entrance to the cave, a vast tuff area was formed, the high ledge of which, like a dam, blocks the gorge.
The upper parts of the slopes are almost steep. They are composed of pinkish-red limestones (hence the name of the gorge and the Red Cave located in it). The total length of all known passages of Kizil-Koba reaches 13100 m. This is the country's largest limestone cave. There are six floors in the Kizil-Koba system. It is dry in the upper floors, where the water has almost stopped working. The lower ones are flooded and are going through an era of active karst development. In the cave, there are several beautiful halls... These are Indian and Chinese. Some stalactites here reach 5-8m in length. And in the Griboyedov corridor, an underground lake and a river have long been known. Kizil-Koba is also known as an archeological monument: bones of cave bears and material traces of people of the so-called Kizil-Koba culture were found here (18, p39-40).
2. Soldatskaya karst mine(landscape and geological monument, protected since 1972). The mine is located on Karabi-Yaila. This is the deepest karst mine in Crimea - 1800/500 m. It was discovered by Feodosia cavers and named after the victorious Soviet warrior. There is a permanent watercourse at the bottom of this mine. This mine is also the deepest cave in Ukraine (517 m).
3. Demerdzhi tract(a geological monument, created in 1981 on the territory of Big Alushta, Alushta forestry, with an area of 20 hectares) - original forms of weathering of conglomerates that make up the city of Demerdzhi: the Valley of Ghosts, Big Demerdzhinsky stone chaos. The slopes of Mount Demerdzhi (from the Crimean Tatar “demerdzhi” - blacksmith) are dotted with bizarre stone statues, reminiscent of either people or animals, but more often towers, mushrooms, columns. These statues are the result of centuries of weathering. Demerdzhi is not composed of limestones, like other massifs of the main ridge, but Upper Jurassic conglomerates. Under the influence of weathering, they form bizarre, semi-fantastic figures. Tourists call one of the rocks “Ekaterina's profile”. However, close up, this 20-meter rock has a completely different shape. There are especially many bizarre pyramids, pillars, mushrooms, towers on the southwestern slope of Mount Demerdzhi, in the Valley of Ghosts. One of the pillars - the Giant - is a stone mass with a diameter of 5m, towering upwards by 25m. On its sides, pillars and columns of smaller sizes, up to 10-20 m high, are piled up. There are more than a hundred similar stone "ghosts" here.
At times, as a result of earthquakes on the weathered mountain slopes, grandiose collapses occur, forming huge stone chaos. Such is the chaos that arose in the vicinity of the Valley of Ghosts as a result of the landslides of 1894, 1965, 1966. The vast territory along the steep slope of Demerdzhi turned out to be cluttered with a chaotic heap of pointed conglomerate blocks; some are the size of a three-storey house. The total volume of block chaos exceeds 4 million m3. Pebbles and boulders of local conglomerates are of great scientific interest. These are the oldest rocks, the age of which is estimated at 800 million - 1.1 billion years (18, p. 68-69).
4. Mount-outlier Mangup-Kale(a complex monument, created in 1975 on the territory of the Bakhchisarai district near the village of Zalesnoye; area of 90 hectares), protected natural complex the original dining room of Mangup-Kale (581m) on the inner Crimean ridge with deciduous forest on the slopes.
Mangup is a large outlier made up of bryozoan limestones, rising almost 600m above sea level. It rises like an island among three adjacent valleys - Karalez, Dzhan-dere, Aytodorskaya. On three sides, the vast Mangup plateau ends with rocky cliffs, in the western part reaching 70 m vertically.
Mangup was one of the largest fortresses of the medieval Crimea, which, if necessary, accepted significant masses of the population under the protection of its walls (11, p. 75-76).
It is clear that it was not an easy task to take possession of such a natural fortress, which was also protected by high walls and battle towers. In the 40-meter cliffs of Mangup, there are many artificial crypt caves with economic or cult purposes. In the XIII - XV centuries. here was a large city-capital of the principality of Theodoro at that time.
The plateau-like peak of Mangup is pushed to the sides by original capes. From the foot of the mountain, a forest climbs along its slopes: the fluffy oak, hornbeam, hazelnut, ivy are abundant, and the Crimean pine is found here. On the flat top of the mountain, there are sparse thickets of trees and bushes (18, p. 80).
5.10. Parks-monuments of landscape gardening art
1. Alupkinsky (Vorontsovsky) park(founded in the first half of the 19th century, the reserve regime was established in 1960, an area of 40 hectares) - part of an exquisite palace and park complex, a masterpiece of architecture and landscape art, located in the city of Alupka.
Alupka Park stretches from east to west for about a kilometer. The creation of the park began in 1824. Count M.S. Vorontsov even before the construction of residential premises. The author of the compositional plan of the park was the German gardener Karl Kebach. The volumetric - spatial composition of the park was created taking into account the natural relief of the area. In the Alupka area, it is an amphitheater, bounded by hills in the west and east, and mountain spurs in the north, and by the sea in the south.
The courtyard part of the park with white marble sculptures and fountains looks especially solemn and festive. The rest of the park is conditionally divided by the road connecting Yalta and Simeiz into the Upper and Lower parks.
The upper park was laid down simultaneously with the construction of the palace. The terrain is hilly, with ups and downs. This is the area of the Small Chaos, which begins directly at the palace and extends north to the grandiose Big Chaos - detached rocks, small placers of stones and their heaps. All plantings here for the most part serve only as a green background for natural piles of stones and grottoes. A cascade has been created in a boxwood grove, falling from a height of three meters. Waterfalls, cascades, streams are shaded by tall trees, the rocks around are entwined with ivy and moss. Everything here resembles a wild mountainous area. Here grow maple, ash, almond, evergreen boxwood bushes, stone oak groves, small-fruited strawberries, juniper, downy oak.
The lower park was created on the principle of regular parks with a clear layout and curly shearing of plants. There are flat terraces that calmly descend to the sea. A wide diabase staircase decorated with lion sculptures approaches the entrance to the palace. On the second terrace, near the library building, the "Fountain of Tears" is installed. There are many waterfalls in this park, an abundance of various flowers blooming at different times of the year.
There are now about 200 different plant species in the park. Many of them were imported from America, Italy, China, Japan, Russia and other countries.
2. Livadia Park was founded in the first half of the 19th century, now it is located on the territory of the Yalta City Council in the urban-type settlement. Livadia. The park is part of an outstanding monument - the Livadia palace and park complex. Its area is 15 hectares.
Livadia Park was founded in the 30-40s of the last century by the famous gardener Delinger. By the nature of the layout, the park belongs to the landscape or landscape type. This style was especially widespread in Russian park construction at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. Landscape parks are usually based on natural nature, ennobled, according to the plan of the gardener, by the inclusion of picturesquely arranged groups of various plants. A significant addition to such parks are reservoirs, ponds, lakes or cascades.
It is laid out in a regular style near the palaces. Retaining walls decorated with climbing plants, parterre with low trimmed bushes of laurel, laurel and thuja are successfully combined with architecture. There are many roses on the terraces below the walls. At the southeast corner of the palace, a magnificent 80-meter pergola begins. Its metal frame is entirely entwined with roses, wisteria and vineyards. Skillfully arranged viewpoints and gazebos give the park a special charm - a kind of viewpoints of palaces, mountains and the sea. Such corners as the Pink Gazebo and the Turkish Gazebo with a silver dome are also good.
There are 200 species of shrub varieties in Livadia Park. In the center of the park is a shady grove of mighty oaks. It serves as a background for the blue satin cedar. A giant sequoia with a superbly developed crown grows nearby. The height of the giant is 35 meters. The powerful curved branches of the sequoia resemble the tusks of a mammoth, which is why it is called the mammoth tree. Also interesting is a specimen of yew, which grows at the eastern facade of the palace. There are many plane trees, Lebanese and Himalayan cedars, several varieties of pine, fir, magnolia in the park.
3. Gurzuf park(founded at the beginning of the XIV century; the reserve regime was established in 1960; an area of 12 hectares.) Now it is located on the territory of the Yalta City Council in the settlement of t. Gurzuf. The park was created in 1803 on a seaside rock. Olives, palms, laurels and other exotic plants grow here. There are 140 types and forms in total. There are many monuments and sculptures in the park. Not far from the southern gate you can see a whole sculptural gallery: busts of Adam Mitskevich, Lesya Ukrainka, Fyodor Chaliapin, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky. These people have been to Gurzuf at different times, leaving a bright trace in the history of the Crimean culture. The park has preserved original old sculptures and fountains. The fountain "Night" stands out among them for its fabulous beauty. His sculptural group was made by famous Russian masters and is a copy of the sculptor German professor Berger, presented at the international fountain exhibition in Vienna in late XIX v. The motives of ancient mythology are felt here: the goddess of the night Nyukta is depicted as a naked woman with a torch over her head; she is accompanied by the god of sleep Hypnos and the god of love Eros. In the center of the sculptural group there is a ball, surrounded by the signs of the Zodiac and symbolizing the Universe. Below the Night Fountain is the Bather Fountain; in the western part of the park - the fountain "Rachel" or the Girl with a jug "(based on the ancient biblical legend about the beautiful Rachel).
Not far from the entrance gate, a group of olive trees grows - this is one of the places in Gurzuf associated with the name of A.S. Pushkin. Now in the park, in the "Richelieu house" there is a museum of Alexander Pushkin. Near the museum there has been preserved "Pushkin's cypress", about which the poet wrote in a letter to Anton Delvich; the tree is over 170 years old (41, p. 190-193).
In the park you can see Lebanese cedars, Sudak pine, magnolia, laurel, cypresses, chestnuts, evergreen viburnum, Japanese sophora, sequoia, spruce. There is a grove of olive trees on the outskirts of the park.
4. Massandra Park(founded in the first half of the 19th century, the reserve regime was established in 1960 with an area of 44.1 hectares; now it is located on the territory of the Yalta City Council in the village of Massandra).
The park was laid back in the 40s of the last century at the direction of M.S. Vorontsov. Several gardeners took part in the work, including Karl Kebakh, the creator of the Alupka Park. There are more than 250 species of tree and shrub forms here. These are shady spreading beeches, Himalayan and Lebanese cedars, evergreen laurel, mighty oak and tall resinous pine. Here there are Italian pine trees, thickets of bamboo, berry yew, and a mammoth tree. Walnut bushes, dogwoods, evergreen magnolias hide under their shade. The steep cliffs are entwined with creeping juniper bushes. Wild jasmine grows in the crevices of the rocks. On the mountain slopes you can see peonies, rose hips, belladonna. Crimean edelweiss grows on mountain lawns (34, p. 77).
5. Foros park(founded in the first half of the 19th century; the reserve regime was established in 1960, with an area of 70 hectares) - old landscape park in the village Foros with the famous "paradise" among picturesque reservoirs, 200 species and forms of plants grow here.
Foros is located 40 km from Yalta. There was a Greek colony here, and later, in the Middle Ages, the Genoese fortress Fori.
Now in Foros there is one of the best South coast- Foros Park. It is divided into three parts. The lower, seaside part is separated from the middle garden road. In the middle of the park there is a "Paradise" with six miniature lakes, built at different levels and connected into a single cascade with miniature waterfalls. Above the "Paradise corner" along the slope to the highway, a forest park rises.
Foros Park is adjoined by the Tesseli dacha (silence), associated with the name of A. M. Gorky. Behind the dacha there is a juniper forest, a forest of Crimean pine. Behind them you can see a remarkable geographical point - Cape Sarych (the southern tip of the Crimean peninsula and Ukraine). From Cape Sarych (44о 23'N) to Cape Kerempe on the Anatolian coast of Turkey is the narrowest point of the Black Sea - 142 miles (41, p. 259).
6. Miskhorsky park(founded at the end of the 18th century, the reserved regime was established in 1960, with an area of 23 hectares) - a monument of landscape art on the territory of the Yalta City Council, in the urban-type settlement. Koreiz.
Miskhor, which stretches along the coast for 7 km, is the warmest place on the South Coast: the average temperature of the coldest month in winter is + 4.4оС. The fact is that Miskhor is located under the shadow of the Aypetrinsky Yaylinsky massif. Mountains close Miskhor from cold north winds.
Miskhorsky Park was founded at the end of the 18th century. in a landscape style, created by the serfs of the princes Naryshkin, Dolgorukov and Count Shuvalov. On a small area of 23 hectares, there are 100 species and garden forms of exotic trees and shrubs.
At the beginning of the park, on the coast, there is a sculptural group - the fountain "The Girl of Arza and the robber Ali Baba", and a little further in the sea on the rock there is a sculpture of a mermaid with a child in her hands; it is a single composition. Its author is the Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson. The composition is based on the legend about the kidnapping of a girl by a robber for the sultan's harem (9, p.82).
The history of the park is rich. Many writers, poets, composers and artists have been here. In 1984, a monument to AM Gorky was erected in the park, depicting the writer during his stay in Miskhor in 1901-1902, when he worked on the play At the Bottom.
7. Park "Utes"(founded in the middle of the 19th century; the reserve regime was established in 1960, with an area of 5 hectares) - located on the territory of the Alushta City Council, urban settlement. Utes, sanatorium "Utes".
"Cliff" is located at the bare tip of Cape Plaka, which in Greek means "flat stone". In 1907. the palace was built here by the princes Gagarins. A park was laid around the palace. Here are concentrated 100 species and garden forms of trees and shrubs.
Section II. Economic development of Crimea
