Assessing the impact of construction and installation works on flora during the laying of an inter-settlement gas pipeline in Samara Luka

The construction of infrastructure facilities in intensively developed areas, as well as in protected areas, makes the issue of potential changes to the natural environment increasingly relevant. This article presents the results of a geobotanical assessment conducted during the design phase (2023) and construction and installation work (2024) for the construction of an inter-settlement gas pipeline in the Volzhsky District of the Samara Region (Samara Luka) from the village of Rozhdestveno to the village of Gavrilova Polyana. The focus is on a retrospective comparison of the state of the vegetation before and after construction and installation work for the inter-settlement gas pipeline in the Volzhsky District. For the first time in engineering and environmental survey practice, the Jaccard coefficient is used to quantitatively assess changes in the floristic composition. It was established that construction and installation works led to a localized decline in species diversity, a reduced occurrence of rare and vulnerable plant species, fragmentation and simplification of the structure of phytocoenoses, and the replacement of valuable steppe and meadow species with synanthropic and ruderal plants (e.g., Chenopodium album and Conyza canadensis). At the same time, in some sections, the pipeline was installed using conservation technologies without disturbing the soil and vegetation cover. The data obtained confirm the need for mandatory environmental monitoring and subsequent reclamation of disturbed areas to preserve the biodiversity of Samara Luka National Park.