CREATING A MICRO-RESERVE EXPANDS THE AREA OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS
Expanding the territories of natural forest communities is one of the most important mechanisms for preserving biodiversity. To expand the territories of ecosystems, it is necessary to create micro-reserves.
A micro-reserve is a relatively small plot of land where no economic activity is carried out: plowing, livestock grazing, construction, etc. A micro-reserve is an island of natural biological diversity amid agricultural land depleted by human activity: pastures, fields, gardens, and parks.
This can be a section of pasture, a small rocky ravine, a strip of unplowed steppe amid fields, a small grove, a group of shrub or reed thickets, and so on. If it is possible to establish a regime that excludes economic activity in the micro-reserve, it is not necessarily to fence it off. If the agreement is honored, the micro-reserve regime will also be honored. Fencing is primarily aimed at preventing livestock from entering.
If fencing is necessary, sites with a natural restriction of access for livestock should be chosen, and fencing made from available material should be used. For example, enclosures or stone walls that block the entrance to a ravine or gully.
The purpose of a micro-reserve is to restore and increase biodiversity within its territory and in adjacent areas. Excessively intensive grazing or continuous plowing leads to the disappearance of many useful and productive species. The most attractive grasses are completely eaten by livestock and cannot produce seeds. There is nowhere for beneficial bird and insect species to reproduce.
A micro-reserve on a pasture allows the seeds of useful and forage plants to ripen and to seed the surrounding areas, thereby increasing their productivity. It should be taken into account that the radius of a micro-reserve’s beneficial effect is limited by the distance seeds are dispersed. Therefore, the main thing in organizing micro-reserves is not to achieve large areas for each individual micro-reserve, but to create as many small plots as possible.
Beneficial fauna reproducing in a micro-reserve will reduce the number of pests and improve the health of agricultural land. In some cases, artificial nests (shelters) can be installed to attract beneficial species, and other biotechnical measures can be carried out that do not disrupt the conditions for restoring natural biodiversity.
