Kinburn peninsular
Description of the area
Kinburn peninsular is a low-lying territory situated between Dniepro-Bugski liman (lagoon) and the Yagorlytski bay of the Black Sea (in Kherson and Nikolaev provinces). The length of peninsular is 40 km and it has a width of 8 to 10 km. The peninsular is important for many species of the birds. It has a steppe vegetation and a wide zone of artificial coniferous groves, oak trees, birches, etc. On the territory of peninsular over 200 fresh- and saltwater lakes exist. In itТs Eastern part the peninsular consist of swamps. There are numerous places of the peninsular where relict wood vegetation occurs.
Management of the area
In 1992 the Regional Landscape Park УKinburn peninsularФ was created which covers an area of 17.890 hectares. The peninsular is included into the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve.
Value for dragonflies
Lestes macrostigma is a species of European concern. The species was recorded in the South-West of peninsular near Pokrovka village for coastal and saline inland wetlands. In that area Lestesmacrostigma was very numerous (Tytar, pers. comm). The species probably occurs on other parts of peninsular because many suitable habitats were registered there. The information on the species distribution is very limited because the region is not enough studied for this moment. Future investigations will for sure bring new data on the distribution of L. macrostigma for the peninsular. Anax imperator is a species protected on the national level in Ukraine (1994). Selysiothemis nigra is a rare species in the SW Ukraine. One specimen was registered near the salty lakes in a coastal zone in the South-West of the Peninsular in 2002 (Tytar, 2007) and was included into the ckecklist of dragonflies of Ukraine as a new species. In general, 11 species of dragonflies are recorded in the study area (Dyatlova, Martynov, in print; Dyatlova, Martynov, unpublished data) but new investigations are still important in the area. The most abundant species is Sympetrum fonscolombii, it was registered in all parts of the peninsular.
Advice for management
The territory is poorly studied because of its isolated location and problems with transportation on sandy area. More investigating will help to develop ideas on management. It is part of a Nature Reserve and the area seems to relatively save.
Brackish lagoon on Kinburn Peninsular. Photo A. Makarov
Dried-up salty lagoon on Kinburn peninsular. Photo E. Dyatlova
Other important dragonfly areas of the SW Ukraine...
