The Red Data Book of Crimea and macrophytes stormwrack: how to deal with it?
The thicket communities of eelgrass ( Zostera L.) form the trophic and structural foundation of many key coastal marine ecosystems; their distribution patterns determine the state of aquatic and semi-aquatic organisms' habitat and, ultimately, the wellbeing of the human population of coastal areas. The global transformation of habitats under the influence of a complex of natural and anthropogenic factors causes a reduction of their distribution and production indicators. In many countries and regions, as well as at the international level, eelgrass species, their communities, and the biotopes they form are subject to special protection. Since 2015, Zostera marina L. and Zostera noltei Hornem have been included in the Red Data Book of Crimea (RDBC) and have officially received regional conservation status. At the same time, the very inclusion of marine macrophytes in such documents is often misunderstood and, unfortunately, is further misinterpreted. Thus, in one of the Crimean regions, a problem was artificially created around the eelgrass storm wrack in the recreation zone. In this regard, we have shown that the RDBC and other official and advisory environmental documents of various ranks are aimed at preserving biota species in their natural habitat and do not limit the maintenance of the proper sanitary condition and aesthetic appearance of urbanized, industrial, recreational and other infrastructure facilities in their established boundaries. This fully applies to the collection and disposal of eelgrass storm wrack and any other macrophytes included in the Red Data Book. In the future, it is expedient to include in the relevant legal documents wordings that clarify the scope of the concept of the object of protection. At the moment, it is recommended that these aspects be explained to regional environmental specialists, representatives of local authorities, and the population of coastal areas.