The Vascular Plant Flora Burabay National Park, Kazakhstan: Composition, Life Form Classification and Ecological Groups

Conservation of biodiversity is one of the world’s highest priorities. Floristic studies help to quantify the botanical resources and better design strategies for plant conservation. We studied the vascular plant flora Burabay National Park, Kazakhstan: composition, life form classification and ecological groups (Burabay NP) to determine how this park contributes to conservation and restoration of local plant diversity. Flora study was carried out by route-recognostic method with use of the determinant. In short, a list of plant species of the Cladgrass Division by ladder species has been compiled and a total of 10 permanent sampling plots were established across Burabay NP representing all main vegetation types (steppe, mountain steppe, meadow steppe and forest steppe). Sites have been re-sampled since 2018 until now, at intervals of every 10–15 days from April to October. Moreover, we have made field survey every summer that yielded further collections and complement the data from the regularly visited monitoring plots. The floristic composition of the park includes six types of life forms: trees, bushes, semi-shrubs, perennial grasses, biennial and annual species. The flora’s park is represented by xerophytes (36.34%), mesophytes (36.05%), hygrophytes (18.9%) and hydrophytes (8.72%). Burabay National Park is an oasis in the steppe, with a wide representation of hygrophytes and hydrophytes. Therefore, it should be prioritized in strategies of conservation.