Problems of Organising Specially Protected Natural Areas in Cities, Using the Valley of the Izhora River and its Tributaries as an Example

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to analyse the problems arising when organising new specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) in cities, using the Valley of the Izhora River and its tributaries as an example. Materials and methods. In the course of the fi eldwork and desk research the area of 562.8 ha on the territory of the Kolpinsky district of St. Petersburg was surveyed in 2020. Historical-geographical, hydrological, floristic, geobotanical, zoological, landscape studies were carried out. Actual land use and anthropogenic pressure were studied and maps at a scale of 1:5000 were drawn. Results and discussion. For the first time for the studied area, information about the nature and human development of the territory has been summarized and systematized; annotated lists of flora and terrestrial vertebrates have been compiled; geobotanical and landscape zoning has been carried out; 4 species of plants and 26 species of animals listed in the Red Book of St. Petersburg have been identified. Two valuable landscapes and three natural complexes with ornithological importance with a total area of 120 ha have been identified. Insights into the actual land use and anthropogenic load have revealed a high concentration of spontaneous horticultural farms, occupying about 40 % of the territory. In addition, unauthorized dumps of household and construction waste as well as anthropogenic pollution of natural waters are of great importance. Conclusions. The research has shown that even despite of especially valuable natural complexes and objects, the organization of PAs in urbanized areas is not always appropriate due to the high level of anthropogenic pressure and the impossibility of providing a special protection regime on the lands of PAs. The main problems of ensuring the protection regime for all advantageous areas are: the elimination of numerous illegal buildings of horticultural farms; disposal of dismantled building structures; elimination of unauthorized waste dumps; difficulty of diverting contaminated wastewater, drainage water and diff use runoff .