Forest biodiversity of Basitchay state nature reserve

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice

UDC 574                                            

Heydar Aliyev, who fought against the ecological terror policy of the Armenians when the plane-tree forest in Basitchay gorge was threatened with extinction since the 1950s, submitted a project to the Cabinet of Ministers in 1959 to create a reserve to protect the plane-tree forest. Due to the intervention of pro-Armenian officials, this project submitted by Azerbaijan was met with indifference. Armenians, who created a reserve in the Armenian part of the forest in 1960, took an active part in the deplorable condition of the territories belonging to the Azerbaijani side of the forest. With the support of the project submitted by Heydar Aliyev, 107 hectares of natural sycamore forest located in the south of the Lesser Caucasus, Zangilan region, 117 hectares, were transferred to the Basitchay State Nature Reserve by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR dated July 4, 1974. This is one of the greatest achievements of Heydar Aliyev in the fight against the policy of environmental terrorism in Armenia.

The plane-tree forest in the Basitchay valley is a unique pearl that belongs not only to Azerbaijan but to all European nature. With the transfer of Zangazur lands to Armenia in the first years of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, part of the plane-tree forest in the Basitchay valley - trees along the Khachin River and Shikhavuz river valleys - remained in Nerkin-Hand, Sav and Shikhavuz villages of Gafan region. The atrocities committed by the depraved enemy have threatened to destroy the certified Oriental plane trees in the area. The Basitchay State Nature Reserve is dominated by the Eastern plane tree ( Platanus orientalis L.). There are a large number of specimens 100-200 years old, 80-120 cm in diameter and 25-30 meters high.

Materials and Methodology

Analysis of natural plant species of Basitchay State Nature Reserve, the population status of plants in the areas, the taxonomic composition of trees, shrubs and grasses were analyzed on the basis of S. Cherepanov (1995), Engler and APG systems [2]. The Diva-Gis system was used to obtain environmental parameters in the study area. Hypsometric height and area coordinates were measured by Garmin eTex 20 model GPS. During the monitoring, various literature from satellite images (V. Hajiyev, S. Musayev Plants and plant formations recommended for the "Red and Green

Books" of Azerbaijan (1996), H. A. Aliyev, X. H. Hasamov "On the guard of nature" (1993), Alexander E. O. “Protection of rare and endangered trees and shrubs of Azerbaijan and analysis of its condition” (review) (2010), Ibrahimov Tahir. “Reserves of Azerbaijan” (2015), Grossheim A. A. “Flora of the Caucasus” (1939)) and internet [1-6].

The plane-tree forest, which is the object of research, the second in the world and the first in Europe, is protected in the Basitchay reserve. The name of the reserve is of Mongol origin and is named after the Beysut tribe. Plane forests in the Basitchay valley occupy 93.5% of the reserve. The territory of the reserve, located in the Zangilan region, is mainly mountainous, located at an altitude of 600-800 m above sea level. The right bank has steep slopes, and the left bank consists of hills. The area has a temperate-hot climate with dry winters. Its territory consists of alluvial-forest soils, chestnut, grey-brown, grass-meadow soils with brown mountain-forest soils in the surrounding areas. It is characterized by geographical location, soil-climatic conditions, diversity of plant species in forests and fertile soil.

Aims and Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to study the natural area of plant taxa of Basitchay State Nature Reserve, assess the ecological condition of the area, determine the level of anthropogenic exposure.

For this purpose, the director of the Institute of Dendrology of ANAS, corresponding member of ANAS Tofig Mammadov together with the representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan got acquainted with the current condition of the liberated area. Satellite imagery, various data and GPS coordinates were used during the monitoring.

Natural Amorpha fruticosa L., Platanus orientalis L., 12-15 km along the Basitchay, which starts from the eastern slopes of the Zangazur range; in the north with xerophytic forest cover consisting of Pistacia vera , Mespilus germanica , Celtis caucasica Willd., Rhamnus pallasii , Paliurus spina-christi , Crataegus monogyuna and others; to the south is a forest massif of Quercus orientalis and Carpinus orientalis [1].

Table 1

TAXONOMIC COMPOSITION OF TREE PLANTS IN BASITCHAY STATE NATURE RESERVE

In the forest cover of the mountainous part	On dry rocky slopes	At altitudes from 800 m to 1400 m, in the massif of Surtun
1. Platanus orientalis	1. Quercus araxina	1. Amygdalus fenzliana
2. Quercus iberica	2. Celtis caucasica	2. Amygdalis narica Fed.et
3. Juglans regia	3. Carpinus orientalis	3. Diospyros lotus L.
4. Celtis caucasica	4. Pyrus boissieriana Buhse	4. Juniperus foetidissima
5. Morus nigra	5. Acer iberica	5. Juniperus polycarpos
6. Carpinus caucasica	6. Ulmus araxina	6. Taxus baccata L.
7. Salix L.	7. Pyrus salicifolia	7. Corylus colurna
8. Juniperus depressa	8. Juniperus foetidissima	8. Quercus longipes Steven
9. Pistacia mutica	9. Elagnus orientalis
10. Populus

During the monitoring, it was observed that the plane tree, which occupies the first tier of the forest in the area, was mixed with ordinary walnut ( Juglans regia L.). Celtis caucasica was found in the second tier, and poplar ( Populus L.), elm ( Ulmus L.), and long-stemmed oak ( Quercus longipes

• L.) were found along the river. The taxonomic composition of trees, shrubs and grasses of the area is grouped and reflected in Tables 1 and 3 [4].

Relict and endemic plant species were also studied in the area and a total of 7 species were identified - 5 trees and 2 shrubs (Table 2).

Table 2

RELICT, ENDEMIC TREES, SHRUBS AND GRASSES

OF BASITCHAY STATE NATURE RESERVE

Trees                                             Shrubs

• 1.    Platanus orientalis L.                                1. Punica granatum L.

• 2.    Pterocarya pterocarpa Kunth ex I. Iljinsk.            2. Crataes еriаnthа А. Pоjаrк.

• 3.    Corylus colurna L.

• 4.    Juniperus foetidissima

• 5.    Diospyros lotus L.

As a result of the monitoring, 10 species were identified in the forest cover of the mountainous part of the Basitchay State Nature Reserve, 9 on dry rocky slopes, and 8 species in the Surtun massif at altitudes from 800 m to 1400 m.

TAXONOMIC COMPOSITION OF SHRUBS AND GRASSES OF THE RESERVE

Table 3.

Shrubs (18)	Herbaceous plants (12)
Paliurus spina-christi	Iris paradoxa Steven.
Sambucus ebulus	Andropogon sp.
Punica granatum L.	Teucrium sp.
Cotoneaster integerrimus	Thymus sp.
Cotoneaster melanocarpus	Xeranthemum sp.
Rhamnus pallasii	Stellaria media
Berberis densiflora	Poaannua
Rosa sachokiana P. Jarosch.	Geranium molle
Kol jasmini ( Jasminum fruticans )	Urtica dioica
Crataegus еriаnthа А. Pоjаrк.	Taraxacum vulgare
Atraphaxis spinosa L.	Crocus adamii
Mespilus germanica	Ophrys caucasica
Pyracantha coccinea M.Roem
Spiraea sp.
Ephedra intermedia Schrenk. Et. C.A.Mey.
Cerasus microcarpa
Lonicera iberica
Myriаcаriа squаmоsа Dеsv.

Relict, endemic rare and endangered plants were also studied, grouped and tabulated in the Basitchay State Nature Reserve. 17 rare and endangered trees, 6 shrubs and grasses were observed in the reserve (Table 4) [5].

As a result of the monitoring, Platanus orientalis L., Taxus baccata L., Corylus colurna L., Quercus arachnid Grossh. were found in the area., Pterocarya pterocarpa Kunth ex I.Iljinsk., Celtis caucasica, Pyrus boissieriana Buhse., Pyrus salicifolia Pal. Along with rare and endangered relict species such as, Pistacia mutica, Diospyros lotus L. [3], Punica granatum L., Vitis sylvestris, Morus nigra, Elagnus orientalis species have been identified as endangered as a result of the abominable actions of Armenians [2].

Table 4

RARE AND ENDANGERED TREES, SHRUBS AND GRASSES OF BASITCHAY STATE NATURE RESERVE

Rare and endangered tree plants Juglans regia L. Quercus iberica Celtis caucasica Willd.

Rare and endangered grasses and shrubs Pyracantha coccinea M.Roem Rosa sachokiana P. Jarosch. Atraphaxis spinosa L.

Ophrys caucasica Crocus adamii J.Gay Iris paradoxa Steven

Corylus colurna L.

Salix cаucаsicа Аndеrss Taxus baccata L.

Pyracantha coccinea M. Roem

Iris paradoxa Steven.

Crocus adami J.Gay.

Figure 1. Species included in the Red Book of the reserve

Ophrys caucasica Woronow ex

• 5 species listed in the Red Book in the reserve — Platanus oriaentalis L., Pyracantha coccinea M. Roem. Iris paradoxa Steven. Crocus adami J.Gay., Ophrys caucasica Woronow observed [3].

The soil sample brought from the territory of Basitchay State Nature Reserve by the Institute of Dendrology of ANAS was analyzed with Palintest Soil equipment. The soil sample brought to the "Plant Ecology" laboratory of the Institute was studied with 14 parameters according to the mineral content by means of "Palintest soil kits 400" equipment. The results are shown in Table 5.

Table 5.

RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOIL SAMPLE BROUGHT

FROM ZANGILAN-BASITSHAY STATE RESERVE

EXAMPLE	< Q	0	Co О co 'SS			+ g	+ st и		'o' co	o' <	+	'c			1
	st Co	7	-	s ci	S ci	S ci	s ci	о	^ S ci ci	S ci	s ci	s о	s Ci ci	s ci	s ci
Roadside 1	10-25	7,8	520	>>	350	<<	7,0	120	65	49	4250	2375	0,8	4,2	<<
Riverside 2	10-25	7,1	920	27,0	360	0,5	18,4	370	65	0	3750	2250	<<	21.8	0,0

Figure 2. Analysis of soil sample brought from Basitchay State Nature Reserve in the laboratory with Palintest Soil equipment

The first soil sample is taken from the reserve area on March 6, 2021, from a depth of 10-25 cm in a medium-yield area, the analysis revealed that the soil pH was weakly alkaline (7,8), electrical conductivity was 520 cm/m2, contains metal ions. There is a lot of nitrate-nitrogen (NO32), which indicates that nitrogen bacteria are active in the soil. Potassium ions are present in the area

(K⁺) at 350 mg/g, confirming the low water holding capacity of the soil. If you look at the ammonium ion (NH⁺⁴) in the soil, almost no organic fertilizer was applied to the area. In the example, copper ions (Cu^{2 +}) are about 3 times higher than the standard value, the area that belongs to the pasture. Magnesium ions (Mg^{2 +}), on the other hand, are 2 times lower than the standard, sulfur ions (SO^42-), and phosphorus (P 2 O^53-) ions are 3 times lower than the standard. These indicators show that mineral fertilizers have not been applied to the soil for a long time.

Figure 3. View of analysis of 14 parameters according to mineral content with “Palintest soil kits 400” equipment

In this example, Ca2 salts and chloride salts 3 times higher than the standard confirms that the area is moderately saline. Aluminum ion is only 0.8 mg / g, iron ion (Fe2+) is very small, manganese ion (Mn2+) is completely absent. According to the above-mentioned analytical analyzes, the application of organic and mineral fertilizers to such lands can allow obtaining productivity.

The second example is coastal soils with a pH of 7.1, ie a neutral environment. This proves that the area is constantly washed away by water. Due to the leaching of organic and mineral elements from the soil, the electrical conductivity is high due to heavy metal ions — 920 cm/m2, nitrate nitrogen is only 27.0 mg/g, potassium ions (K+) 360 mg/g, which indicates poor soil moisture capacity. Lack of organic fertilizer in the soil, copper ions, magnesium ions below the standard, 5 times the sulfur compounds, the absence of phosphorus ions confirms that the soil is unsuitable for cultivation. The content of calcium and chloride ions in these soils is higher than the standard and is significantly saline. Aluminium and manganese ions were not found in the sample, and iron ions were close to the standard. It is not expedient to select such lands as arable lands [6].

During the monitoring of Basitchay State Nature Reserve located in the Zangilan region, 27 trees, 18 shrubs and 11 grass species were registered, of which 18 trees, 3 shrubs, 3 grass species are rare and 5 endangered trees and 2 shrubs are relict and endemic plants (Table 6, 7).

Table 6

RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANTS

Number of species

Tree plants 17

Grasses and shrubs

Relict and endemic

Table 7

AREA OF DISTRIBUTION OF TREE PLANTS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE RESERVE

Of the mountainous part      On dry rocky slopes     At an altitude of 800 m to 1400

in the forest cover                                      m, in the Surtun massive

Number of              10                       9                         9

species

The damage caused to the ecology and natural resources of Azerbaijan as a result of the occupation of our territories by Armenia is immeasurable (Figure 2). Karabakh's natural resources, especially plant resources, have been ruthlessly looted by Armenians. They are the most looted forests after the gold extracted from our occupied lands for 30 years. Trees were cut down and destroyed in a part of the Chinar forest in the Basitchay State Nature Reserve. Red oak trees were uprooted and cut down, furniture was produced and most of them were sold to foreign countries. The reserve was looted by Armenians and threatened to completely destroy the vegetation in the area. All this is the terrorist damage inflicted on nature, natural monuments and the environment as a whole by Armenians.

Results

Eastern plane trees were cut down, various explosives were used to destroy the roots of the broken trees, and fires broke out in the area, which led to the destruction of the reserve.

As a result of monitoring, in the forest cover of the mountainous part of the area, Quercus iberica and Carpinus caucasica , 2 species of J. foetidissima , Juniperus depressa Stev. and Pistacia mutica , walnut, hackberries, mulberry, willow, poplar, hawthorn, rosa, buckthorn, dry-steppe, mountain xerophilous plants, shrubs, blackthorn, etc. found.

On dry rocky slopes Q. araxina , Celtis caucasica Willd., C. orentalis , P. mutica , Acer iberica , Ulmus araxina , Pyrus salicifolia forms sparse forests with juniper. These forests include xerophytic shrubs: Atraphaxis spinosa , Lonicera iberica , Cerasus microcarpa , Ephedra intermedia Schrenk. Et. C.A.May., Jasminum fruyicans, Rhamnus pallasii and Paliurus spina-christi are naturally distributed.

In general, as a result of monitoring, 27 species of trees, 18 shrubs and 11 species of grasses were registered in the Basitchay State Nature Reserve. Of these, 17 trees, 3 shrubs, 3 grass species were identified as rare and endangered plants, and 6 trees and 2 shrubs were identified as relict and endemic plants.