THE PHYTOECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RESTORATION OF RIPARIAN FORESTS ALONG THE KURA RIVER (IN THE TERRITORY OF THE AGJABADI DISTRICT)

Abstract. The vegetation cover constitutes the composition of the biocenosis and reflects the changes occurring in the natural environment as a result of human activity. Thus, plant communities are subjected to degradation due to anthropogenic factors and technogenic impacts. In this context, the deterioration of the ecological condition of riparian forests leads to disruptions in the ecosystem and necessitates the study of their phytosociological characteristics for the conservation of the vegetation cover.Riparian forests characteristic of forest vegetation have been studied in the Kura-Araxes lowland, as well as in the territory of the Agjabadi district of the Karabakh-Mil plain (riparian forests along the Kura River). The study site or object of the riparian forest within this region was chosen to be the area near the village of Nejafqulubeyli, along the Kura River, following the Kura bridge on the Zardab-Agjabadi highway. Here, riparian forests are encountered in alluvial-meadow type soils in bands alon the Kura River. As is known, the floods that continue from the beginning of spring to the middle of summer fill the “axmaz” (non-flowing water bodies) with water, providing a normal moisture source for plants. Thus, the conversion of areas where riparian forests along the Kura are found into agricultural lands for the cultivation of crops leads to salinization and desertification of these areas. Regarding this issue, the riparian forests along the Kura River in the territory of the Agjabadi district have been poorly studied by botanists.