THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIOTOPES LOESS OUTCROPS IN THE SOUTH OF UKRAINE

Abstract

In the article was review the necessity of integration in the national environmental practice the approaches and methods of European classification for the determination of habitats; introduction of methodological and scientific principles of the Habitats Directive with the aim of biodiversity conservation. The essence of the term of «biotope» as the primary classification unit was developed. The paper is devoted of natural conditions of the projected landscape reserve "Loess canyon" (Kherson region, Ukraine), which by its biological, geological, landscape and ecological values is promising for preservation, but not part of the natural Reserve Fund of Ukraine. The result of the paper is the classification of biotopes of the projected landscape reserve "Loess canyon" according to hierarchical classification and codes of EUNIS. During the study it was determined five classes of habitats of the first order and, given the specificity of the biotopes of the South of Ukraine proposed to include in EUNIS two subclasses the order below. This approach to classification of habitats can rely use in the study of all natural objects to determine their landscape, floral and faunal values, with the prospect of further inclusion of these territories in the National and European Ecological Network.