Eco-floristic monitoring in the urbanized territories on the example of the Orel region’ cities

Under conditions of increasing urbanization, plants improve the quality of the natural environment, performing many important sanitary and health functions. The purpose of the research is to carry out the monitoring of the various floristic communities to assess the ecological status of urban habitats. Objectives of the study is to investigate the state of natural floristic complexes, as well as the flora of lawns, flower beds, trees and shrubs in the cities of the Orel region, to give a comprehensive assessment of public green spaces and to provide recommendations for improving their state. Monitoring of the ecological state of natural phytocenoses showed that the transformation of flora reflected in the formation of the synanthropic nucleus affects all communities. The greatest pressure of the anthropogenic factor is observed in suburban forest parks of large cities and meadow areas near residential buildings and along the shores of water bodies. Minimal anthropogenic transformation is observed for steppe biotopes. The least favorable conditions for the development of green spaces are formed in Livny, Novosil, Dmitrovsk. Higher indicators of the ecological state of the plantations characterize the cities Orel, Mtsensk and Maloarkhangelsk. The monitoring of biodiversity of urban biotopes also revealed invasive species included in the Black book of flora of the Central Russia.