Review of materials for monitoring the vegetation cover of the Lower Volga valley

Only the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga River delta have survived in the Volga River valley in a relatively natural state. The total length of this part of the valley is about 500 km. The rest of the Volga River valley was turned into a cascade of reservoirs and power plants. Natural forest, meadow and grass swamp habitats are preserved in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga River delta. Special water discharge into the tail pond of Volgograd HPP ensure their existence surrounded by desert and semi-desert. However, the new hydrological regime differs from the natural one, which affects the ecosystems of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga River delta. In addition, the Lower Volga valley is affected by other anthropogenic factors. These include haying and grazing, converting meadows and marshes into arable land, mining and processing near the valley of oil and gas raw materials, recreational use. The article examines the materials stored at the Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin, which make it possible to carry out a full-fledged scientifically grounded monitoring of the vegetation and, in part, the soil cover of the Lower Volga valley.