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Abstract

This article presents the results of floristic, geobotanical, systematic and ecological studies conducted during expeditions to the Zagatala State Nature Reserve and surrounding areas in 2022–2025, along with a GIS-based analysis of these results. The investigation of species composition in the study areas allowed for the assessment of current floral biodiversity, revealing a total of 1109 species of higher spore-bearing, gymnosperm, and flowering plants belonging to 505 genera and 112 families. The total species richness recorded in this study (1109 species) is higher than previous reports from the reserve, which documented 900–1000 species. Analysis of life forms showed that perennial herbs dominate the flora, comprising 714 species (64.38%), followed by annual herbs with 127 species (11.45%), trees with 76 species (6.85%), shrubs with 73 species (6.58%), and biennial herbs with 60 species (5.41%). Additional life form categories including annual-biennial herbs, biennial-perennial herbs, undershrubs, tree-shrub forms, subshrubs, and lianas account for 21 (1.89%), 12 (1.08%), 10 (0.90%), 7 (0.63%), 6 (0.54%), and 3 (0.29%) species, respectively, together comprising all 1109 species (100%). Precise GPS coordinates were recorded for new localities within the study area. A total of 65 species (including higher spore-bearing, gymnosperm, and flowering plants) belonging to 56 genera and 36 families are included in the third edition of the Red Book of Azerbaijan. A priority issue for the reserve is the conservation of drought-resistant, soil-protective, and climate-resort important mountain meadows and forests in different zones of the northeastern part of the Greater Caucasus, along with the sustainable utilization of the richness of the area's vegetation for international biological research.

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