Biodiversity of Vegetation around the Mingechevir Reservoir

Abstract

Mingechevir reservoir is one of the deep-water artificial reservoirs in the territory of Azerbaijani was created on the Kura River in the 50s. Before the construction of the Mingechevir reservoir, 681 species of plants belonging to 74 families and 325 genera were found here. As a result of our research in the valley in 2019-2021, only 154 species were found, belonging to 24 families and 36 genera. As a result of changes during the last 70 years of the hydrographic regime, the influence of edaphic, physical, anthropogenic factors, the original vegetation cover of the Mingechevir Valley has completely changed, and urbanization, land reclamation and other works have further accelerated these changes. If the successions that have begun are not prevented, there may be a risk of destruction of the high-pressure earth dam built in Europe using the leaching method. With the implementation of the proposed phytomeliorative measures, the bare slopes of the reservoir dam can be turned into a “green cover”.