Influence of the Lithuanian Sea industry on natural environment biodiversity of Smeltė peninsula

Intensive industrialisation of the Smelė peninsula, the pollution of the Northern part of the Curonians lagoon, increasing with each year. Recreation activities on the coastal meadows – it is the main harmful factors for the flora, especially for rare and vanishing populations of plants as Glaux maritima, Aster tripolium, Triglochin maritimum, Juncus gerardii, included into Red Data book of Lithuanian. The construction of the Ferry port (Klaipeda – Mukran) in the Nother part of the Smeltė peninsula has been covered with concrete about ten hectares meadows and the terminal for huge sea ferries have been established as well. For these reasons, this rare plant species have vanished irrevocably from the territory of the Smeltė peninsula. Latter decade, the industrialization of the Smeltė peninsula has been renewed, the construction of the sea container terminal has been in progress. Concrete covering has covered a big part of the Smelte peninsula territory. Only a part of the Smeltė peninsula has not yet been covered with concrete. So this remaining part of the territory currently is the only place where in Lithuania can detect such rare species as: Aster tripolium L., Glaux maritima L., Triglochin maritimum L., Juncun gerardii Laisel. Purposes of the study were determining the dynamics of plant species populations; determine rare plants species state and conditions of growth in the inventory habitat (from 1988 till 2012). For these research of the anthropogenic influence on the plants habitats and determination of abundance of rare plants population, was used itinerary investigation method. The Smeltė peninsula biodiversity has been measured and investigated by using various routes and objectives of estimation. The floral has been estimated on the circular record plots with the diameter of 4 meters. [...]