Colchis Boxwood in Sochi May Recover Naturally
RU EN

Colchis Boxwood in Sochi May Recover Naturally

News  
01-23-2025
 

A pest was introduced to the Sochi area along with plants as part of the preparations for the 2014 Olympics. As a result, from 2012 to 2015, the box tree moth destroyed almost all plantations of the relict, endangered Colchis boxwood, a plant that survived the Ice Age almost two million years ago. After the pest infestation, 99% of the unique trees died.

In early 2022, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and personally the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, Alexander Kozlov, made every effort to lift the legislative ban on the use of plant protection products. A list of preparations that can be used in specially protected natural areas was determined, and the legislative ban on their use was lifted. Thus, from the first half of 2022, we were able to protect boxwood with plant protection products. This yielded such positive results that in 2024 we did not have to treat boxwood against the moth. In natural conditions, the undergrowth of the aboriginal Colchis boxwood has been preserved, and as a result, the chances of the natural restoration of boxwood in the future have significantly increased, the press service of the Caucasus Reserve reported.

To restore the population of the unique Colchis boxwood in Sochi, a special nursery was created. Today, it contains 30 thousand seedlings of the plant, grown from seeds collected by forestry teams in a specially protected natural area.

Since 2020, more than 22 thousand trees have been planted in the wild. The restoration of boxwood will take decades and centuries. In a year, the plant gains only 10-15 centimeters in height, and its natural maturity is reached after 500-600 years.

More
02-12-2025
Sochi to Build Artificial Island for One Trillion Rubles
An artificial island with an area of 50 hectares is planned to be built opposite the Matsesta viaduct
02-11-2025
Kamchatka Volcano Could Erupt Within a Month
Experts from the Kamchatka branch of the FITs Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences have discovered signs of an impending eruption of the Bezymyanny volcano
02-11-2025
Santorini Shaken - Population Fleeing the Island in Panic
More than 280 underground tremors, with an amplitude of up to 4.9 on the Richter scale, occurred in the first weekend of February in the area of the Greek island of Santorini
02-11-2025
India's Tiger Population Doubles in Ten Years
The Associated Press reported that India's tiger population has doubled in the last ten years
02-10-2025
Scientists Conduct First-Ever Count of Wintering Eagles, Vultures, and Other Birds of Prey in Dagestan
Russian scientists have completed the first major mid-winter census of diurnal birds of prey in Dagestan, in the Caucasus regio
02-10-2025
World War II Tunnels to Become New Tourist Attraction in London
Reuters reports that a new attraction may soon appear in London