The monitoring network has been defined with allowance for the fact that the construction activity has an impact on the vegetation communities of the Sochi National Park with its distinct features, richness of species composition, species diversity and a lot of endemic and relict plants and endangered plant species.

The objective of monitoring in 2013 is to continue collecting data series to understand the response of vegetation, rare species in the first place, to human-induced impacts during the construction of a combined rail and motor road and infrastructure facilities in the Mzymta valley from the settlement of Moldovka to the lower station of the “Aplica-Service” cableway.

The vegetation monitoring in the first three months of 2013 was carried out on the plots and paths along the combined rail and motor way in the Mzymta valley.

The conclusion drawn based on the monitoring results are as follows:

• The vital state of forest stand could not be assessed in January-March 2013 due to seasonal features and absence of leaves on the trees.
• The box forest around the construction sites (sample areas 9 and 10) were killed in 2012 and its recovery does not currently seem feasible due to radical changes in the environment and the species habitat.
• The monitoring of rare vascular species in 2013 along the combined rail and motor way Adler- “Alpica-Service” has led to the conclusion about a satisfactory state of the monitored plant species and their populations on most of the control plots and on 3 out of 4 control paths. Two monitoring plots were destroyed in 2012.
• For some of the control plots and paths further increase in the population of invasive plant species was observed.

The monitoring network is organized with allowance for the fact that the construction activity has an impact on the vegetation communities of the Sochi National Park, considering their peculiarities, richness of species composition, a lot of endemic and relict plants and abundance of endangered plant species.

The objective of monitoring in 2012 was to go on with collection of monitoring data series to understand response of vegetation , first of all, rare species to anthropogenic pressure during the construction of a combined rail and motor road and infrastructure facilities in the Mzymta valley from Moldovka to the lower station of the cableway “Aplica-Service”.

During the construction phase in the second half of 2012 vegetation monitoring was carried out on plots and routes along the combined rail and motor way in the Mzymta valley.

The conclusion drawn on the monitoring results are:

• Monitoring of tree and shrub species in 2012 shows that the vital status of forest is declining under the exerted anthropogenic pressure. This has been demonstrated for both the control plots showing decreasing forest vital status and the background plots located at a distance from construction sites, where adverse changes are not as numerous.
• Of the 8 control plots in 2012 only one plot (#4) can be considered to be stable, other 7 plots show deterioration of the vital status and increased weakening of trees.
• Of the 6 background plots the deterioration is seen at 3 plots (plots 1f, 5f, 6f).
• While in 2011 the box forests showed catastrophic changes in the area of Olympics facilities construction, in 2012 this forest was totally killed and its recovery does not seem feasible due to drastic changes in the site conditions and destruction of the sites where species were growing.
• Monitoring of vascular species in 2012 along the combined rail and motor way Adler- “Aplica-Service” led to the conclusion about a satisfactory status of the monitored plant species and populations on most of control plots and on 3 from the 4 control routes. Three plots were partly or totally destructed, one of the routes was significantly damaged.
• For the majority of the control plots and routes further increase in the population of invasive plant species is noted.