LEGAL STATUS, STANDARDS OF ALLOCATION AND CONDITIONS of use of specially protected forest areas In forest districts of VORONEZH REGION
Allocation in the forests of specially protected forest areas (SPFE) is one of the legal forms of preservation of unique in significance or location and small areas for the conservation of biological diversity of forest flora and fauna. In the forest districts of the Voronezh region, located in the forest steppe and steppe forest zones (13 and 9, respectively) during the forest inventory in 2003 11 types of specially protected forest areas (SPFE) was allocated, a total area of 54478 hectares. Together, this amounts to 13.1 % of the total area of forest fund. Studies have shown that the largest share of the area of SPFE comes on plots of forest on a radius of 1 km around the villages, gardening companies, resorts, holiday homes and camping (76.6 %), in the second place - natural monuments of regional significance (7.2 % ), on the third-plantations of nectar-bearing plants (5.1 %). The lowest share falls on forest cultures and geographic areas of scientific value (0.1 %). The presence and spatial distribution of SPFE types in forest districts is uneven and their areas because of forest district belonging to the forest-steppe and steppe zones are different. The largest area of SPFE is in Voronezhskoe (3411.4 hectares) and Novousmanskoe (3933.8 hectares) forest districts. In some forest districts SPFEs were not allocated (Somovskoe), in other forest districts from 4 to 9 types were allocated. The greatest diversity of SPFE types is seen in Rossosh and Tellerman forest districts (9 types), as well as Anninskoe and Vorontsovskoe forest districts (8 types). Forest districts of forest-steppe zone is characterized by not only the greatest biodiversity of forest vegetation, but also a greater variety of types of SPFE compared with forest districts of the steppe forest vegetation zone. In selected types of SPFE, activities incompatible with their purpose and performed functions are prohibited from performing.