Landscapes of the Coastal Zone of Cape Khako (Abrau Peninsula, Black Sea)

V. V. Solyannikov

Saint Petersburg Branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (“GosNIORKH” named after L. S. Berg), Saint Petersburg, Russia

e-mail: lacrimas.777@mail.ru

Abstract

The Black Sea coast of the North-Western Caucasus is a key biodiversity hotspot; however, its landscapes are experiencing increasing anthropogenic pressure. Cape Khako, located within the Abrausky State Nature Sanctuary, represents a unique model site for studying the interaction of geomorphological processes and vegetation cover in the coastal zone. The paper aims at a comprehensive analysis of the landscape structure of the coastal zone at Cape Khako, including an examination of its geomorphological structure and the spatial distribution of terrestrial and benthic vegetation, as well as an assessment of the current state of the ecosystems. The study was conducted using landscape-ecological profiling, geobotanical and hydrobiological descriptions, interpretation of satellite imagery and geoinformation mapping. For the first time for this territory, a large-scale geomorphological map has been compiled, and the spatial organization of terrestrial and benthic phytocenoses has been detailed. The study shows that the landscape structure is characterized by the dominance of abrasion-denudation cliffs, complicated by active gravitational processes (landslides, rockfalls), which determines the mosaic pattern of ecotopes. A clear zonation of vegetation was revealed: from shiblyak (deciduous shrubland) and relict krummholz stands of Pinus pityusa on upland plains to upland xerophytic communities on steep slopes, which host a number of protected and endemic species. It is shown that in the coastal waters, the distribution of benthic phytocenoses is strictly governed by the geomorphology of the underwater coastal slope. Signs of anthropogenic ecosystem degradation were identified: pyrogenic transformation of vegetation over part of the territory and the emergence of algocenoses dominated by genera Ulva and Ectocarpus as indicators of the initial stage of eutrophication. The obtained results underscore the high vulnerability of this unique landscape complex and the necessity of applying a systemic approach to its conservation, considering not only the preservation of individual species but also the integrity of the entire system of interconnected geomorphological and biotic processes.

Keywords

cliffs, benthic vegetation, petrophytes, Black Sea, Abrau Peninsula, nature sanctuary

About the authors

Vadim V. Solyannikov, Specialist, Laboratory of Hydrobiology, Saint Petersburg Branch of “VNIRO” (“GosNIORKH” named after L. S. Berg) (26, Makarova Emb., 199053, Saint Petersburg, Russia), ORCID ID: 0009-0005-3889-1237, lacrimas.777@mail.ru

For citation

Solyannikov, V.V., 2026. Landscapes of the Coastal Zone of Cape Khako (Abrau Peninsula, Black Sea). Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (2), pp. 26–42.

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