Monitoring of high quality plats in Dilijan National Park

A number of species of global value grow in Dilijan National Park. Among mentioned, endemic species need special attention for Armenia and there are several species, which are included in the Red Book of Armenia. During the monitoring process it is necessary to monitor/keep trach of the condition of the populations of these species and record the changes made. The following species are under monitoring: 1. Bupleurum koso-poljanskyi, 2. Snowdrop of Merendera mirzoevae, 3. Atropa belladonna, 4. Anemone ranunculoides and 5. Ken berry (Taxus baccata).

All of these are very rare for Armenia and possess easily identifiable characteristic features. 1-2 populations of mentioned species are present in Dilijan NP, which makes the issue of their effective conversation extremely urgent. On the other hand, the monitoring of the mentioned indicators will give an opportunity to judge about the degree of anthropogenic pressures on the main plant types. Thus, for instance, the increase of deadly nightshade population speaks about the deterioration of the condition of the primary subforest of the beach forest, while the increase of the populations of Anemone ranunculoides speaks about the reduction of anthropogenic impact on the natural vegetation. EU BSB 884 Project “Joint Monitoring for Environmental Protection in BSB Countries” is aimed at solving common problems of nature parks and protected areas in the Black Sea Basin (BSB). In Armenia, the project is being implemented by REC Caucasus Armenia.