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Ìàòåðèàëû VI Ìåæäóíàðîäíîãî ñèìïîçèóìà, Êèåâ-Àñêàíèÿ Íîâà, 1999 ã. 7 UDC 591 POSSIBLE USE OF PRZEWALSKI HORSE IN RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF AN ECOSYSTEM OF UKRAINIAN STEPPE – A POTENTIAL PROGRAM UNDER LARGE HERBIVORE INITIATIVE WWF EUROPE Akimov I.1, Kozak I.2, Perzanowski K.3 1Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2Institute of the Ecology of the Carpathians, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 3International Centre of Ecology, Polish Academy of Sciences Âîçìîæíîå èñïîëüçîâàíèå ëîøàäè Ïðæåâàëüñêîãî â âîññòàíîâëåíèè è â óïðàâëåíèè ýêîñèñòåìîé óê- ðàèíñêèõ ñòåïåé êàê ïîòåíöèàëüíàÿ ïðîãðàììà â èíèöèàòèâå WWE Åâðîïà “êðóïíûå òðàâîÿäíûå”. Àêèìîâ È., Êîçàê È., Ïåðæàíîâñêèé Ê. –  ñâÿçè ñ êëþ÷åâîé ðîëüþ âèäîâ êðóïíûõ òðàâîÿäíûõ æèâîòíûõ â ãàðìîíèçàöèè ýêîñèñòåì ïðåäëàãàåòñÿ øèðå èñïîëüçîâàòü åäèíñòâåííûé âèä äèêîé ëîøàäè — ëîøàäü Ïðæåâàëüñêîãî – â ïðîãðàìíîé èíèöèàòèâå Âñåìèðíîãî ôîíäà äèêîé ïðèðîäû â Åâðîïå (LHF WWF). Êîíöåïöèÿ èñïîëüçîâàíèÿ ýòîãî âèäà êàê èíñòðóìåíòà âîññòàíîâëåíèÿ è óïðàâëåíèÿ â ñòåïíûõ ýêîñèñòåìàõ â Óêðàèíå õîðîøî ñîîòâåòñòâóåò îñíîâíîé íàïðàâëåííîñòè LHJ WWF: à) ñîõðàíåíèè ëàíäøàôòîâ è ýêîñèñòåì êàê ìåñò îáèòàíèÿ êðóïíûõ òðàâîÿäíûõ á) ñî- õðàíåíèå âñåõ êðóïíûõ òðàâîÿäíûõ â âèäå æèçíåñïðîñîáíûõ è øèðîêîðàñïðîñòðàíåííûõ ïîïóëÿ- öèé â) ðàñïðîñòðàíåíèå çíàíèé î êðóïíûõ òðàâîÿäíûõ ñ öåëüþ óñèëåíèÿ áëàãîïðèÿòíîãî îòíîøå- íèÿ ê íèì ñî ñòîðîíû íàñåëåíèÿ. Íàìå÷åíû òåððèòîðèè ïîòåíöèàëüíî ïðèãîäíûå äëÿ èíòðîäóê- öèè ýòîãî âèäà. The large part of Eurasia is undergoing now considerable economic and land use changes, which brings a threat to some endangered populations or even species, but on the other hand creates new opportunities for ecological restoration of former wilderness areas. Large herbivores are key species for numerous ecosystems being the link between producers (vegetation), and secondary consumers (predators), including people. They are also important for nature conservation since their presence and activities contribute to shaping plant communities, increase the diversity of landscapes, and often are crucial for other species survival. In the past, rich fauna of large herbivores was essential for maintaining the biodiver- sity in natural ecosystems. Grazing and browsing restricted a dominant growth of woody vegetation, preventing overgrowing of natural openings or grass communities, thus slow- ing down the process of natural succession.(Duncan,1987). In forest ecosystems, the ef- fect of the presence of large grazers was a mosaic pattern of forest stands of uneven age, intermixed with patches of grassy openings and shrub communities. That created niches suitable for other species which otherwise could not dwell in forest habitats with a closed canopy. In open grasslands, grazing was a crucial element of matter cycling and energy flow through those ecosystems, ensuring their stability. Due to increasing anthropopres- sion, i.e. intensive hunting, and habitat transformation large herbivores become extirpated or pushed back to remote areas not attractive for development (Kampf 1998). In Central and Eastern Europe, the only wild large herbivore species, still present in considerable numbers are red and roe deer. Those species accordingly to their foraging behaviour are classified as browsers – intermediate feeders, or concentrate selectors, but not typical grazers. Therefore, the niche of a large grazer remains unfulfilled since the ex- tinction of the aurochs, the bison and native wild horses. Present steppe ecosystems of Ukraine are in the critical situation due to long-term mismanagement and the lack of adequate conservation strategy. In the past, the equilib- rium of vast steppe ecosystems of Ukraine depended on high density of grazers, including numerous horses (about 5.5 million in 1916. Now there are only 755 thousand of do- 8 Ëîøàäü Ïðæåâàëüñêîãî: ïðîáëåìû ñîõðàíåíèÿ è âîçâðàùåíèÿ âèäà â ïðèðîäó mestic horses in Ukrainae.). According to former Polish and Ukrainian studies, moderate grazing by horses has been identified as the closest to natural, way to maintain steppe ecosystems in stability .(Ïà÷îñêèé 1908, 1917; Òêà÷åíêî, 1993). Apparently at the moment, the only available species able to act as an effective grazer, and present in numbers sufficient to effectively influence successional processes in Ukrainian steppes is the Przewalski horse Equus Przewalskii. In the past it was the largest herbivore of steppe zone in Eurasia. Although most probably extinct in the wild, it has been successfully bred, and the captive population exceeds now 1000 animals. There were strong recommendations to create wild populations of this species to avoid behavioural and genetic changes irreversible if the species was to spend many generations in captivity. First such attempts (e.g. Mongolia, China) have been already done and proved that Przewalski horse can easily adapt again to the life in the wild. Reserve Askania Nova, the largest breeding ground of the Przewalski horse, may become a source of excess animals for their introduction in other areas of Ukrainian steppe. At present, remaining fragments of Ukrainian steppes, some protected as nature re- serves, are used as a pasture by large enterprises for work horses (e.g. Derculskij, Li- marevskij, Novoaleksandrovskij in Lugansk region; Aleksandrijskij in Kirovograd region; Dubrovskij in Poltava region). The suitable areas for the introductions of Przewalski horse are the isolate steppe islands Birjuchi and Djarylgatch in Blac and Azov seas. It seems that at the moment there is no realistic concept to properly protect and manage those remnants of the most important natural ecosystem of Ukrainian lowlands. Unfortu- nately in Eastern Europe, still dominating approach to nature conservation and manage- ment of protected areas is passive, focused on maintaining the status quo, and does not consider the dynamic aspects of habitat evolution and adaptation. Long term management program for those reserves could be based on bringing back an effective grazer able to build up quickly a viable population. Such species would fill up a niche of a first level consumer, able to restrict the growth of plant species non native for a steppe habitat, and accelerate the rate of energy flow through the ecosystem. Except some unavoidable protective measures, wild horses would not need supplementary feeding or artificial shelters, therefore maintenance costs could be kept at minimal level. Addi- tionally, such an attractive species could become a major attraction for visitors, thus con- siderably increasing tourist interest in this area, which would contribute to the local econ- omy. Therefore the Przewalski horse could be introduced to still existing patches of steppes as an ecological tool allowing for the natural management, regeneration and future sus- tainable use of the steppe zone in Ukraine. Another option to use the Przewalski horse as an efficient primary consumer, not requiring constant human support, is to control over- abundant vegetation within Chernobyl zone. The concept of using the Przewalski horse as a restoration and management tool for the Ukrainian steppe ecosystem fits very well to the baseline of Large Herbivore Initiative WWF . Its three main goals are as follows: – the conservation of landscapes and ecosystems as habitats for large herbivores; – the conservation of all large herbivores in viable and widespread populations; – the increase of knowledge and appreciation of large herbivores by people. The potential introduction program for Przewalski horse should therefore be based on: – evaluation of pasture conditions, and carrying capacity of potential reintroduction sites; – selection of suitable individuals to form family groups at reintroduction sites with a consideration to genetic aspects; – evaluation of potential threats for a new subpopulation, and the assessment of hu- man related conflicts (IUCN 1998). Ìàòåðèàëû VI Ìåæäóíàðîäíîãî ñèìïîçèóìà, Êèåâ-Àñêàíèÿ Íîâà, 1999 ã. 9 That should be followed by the estimation of the effects of this introduction on the succession patterns in steppe ecosystem, and monitoring of changes in population struc- ture and dynamics in new free-ranging subpopulations of Przewalski horse. Ïà÷îñêèé È.Ê. Ïðè÷åðíîìîðñêèå ñòåïè // Çàï.Èìïåðàò.îá-âà ñ/õ Þæíîé Ðîññèè. – Îäåññà, 1908. – 42ñ. Ïà÷îñêèé È.Ê. Îïèñàíèå ðàñòèòåëüíîñòè Õåðñîíñêîé ãóáåðíèè. II.Ñòåïè. – Õåðñîí, 1917. – 366 ñ. Òêà÷åíêî Â.Ñ. Ðåçåðâàòíûå ñìåíû è îõðàííûé ðåæèì â ñòåïíûõ çàïîâåäíèêàõ Óêðàèíû. // Ñòåïè Åâðà- çèè: ïðîáëåìû ñîõðàíåíèÿ è âîññòàíîâëåíèÿ. ÑïÁ., Ì., – 1993. – Ñ.-77-88. DUNCAN P. Horses and grasses. N.Y, Berlin , Heidelberg: Springer- Verlag, 1987. — 287p. / IUCN (1998) Guidelines for re-introductions. IUCN Gland, Cambridge UK. 20 pp. Kampf, H. (1998) Grazing in nature reserves, from domestication to de-domestication. Rep. Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries of the Netherlands, 20 pp. 10 Ëîøàäü Ïðæåâàëüñêîãî: ïðîáëåìû ñîõðàíåíèÿ è âîçâðàùåíèÿ âèäà â ïðèðîäó ÓÄÊ 591.11+591.4:599.723 ÑÐÀÂÍÈÒÅËÜÍÀß ÌÎÐÔÎ-ÔÈÇÈÎËÎÃÈß ÊÐÎÂÅÍÎÑÍÛÕ ÑÎÑÓÄΠËÅÃÊÈÕ ËÎØÀÄÈÍÛÕ Àíòèï÷óê Þ. Ï.1, Îñèíñêèé Ë. Ï.2 1Ãîñóäàðñòâåííûé Óíèâåðñèòåò òóðèçìà è êóðîðòíîãî äåëà, Ñî÷è, Ðîññèÿ 2Èíñòèòóò çîîëîãèè èì. È. È. Øìàëüãàóçåíà ÍÀÍ Óêðàèíû Ñðàâíèòåëüíàÿ ìîðôî-ôèçèîëîãèÿ êðîâåíîñíûõ ñîñóäîâ ëåãêèõ ëîøàäèíûõ. Àíòèï÷óê Þ. Ï. Îñèíñêèé Ë. Ï. – Ñ öåëüþ âûÿñíåíèÿ ñòðóêòóðíûõ èçìåíåíèé êðîâåíîñíûõ ñîñóäîâ ìàëîãî êðóãà êðîâîîá- ðàùåíèÿ ó íåêîòîðûõ ëîøàäèíûõ ñ ðàçëè÷íîé ñòåïåíüþ ïîäâèæíîñòè ðàññìîòðåíû âîïðîñû ñðàâ- íèòåëüíîé ãèñòîëîãèè ñòåíêè ñîñóäîâ ëåãêèõ