"Medobory Nature Reserve" is situated in the central part of the Tovtry range of hills. Vegetation in this area is a combination of broad-leaved deciduous forest, meadow-steppe and specialist plant communities on lime soil and rocks. The present limits of the reserve do not completely reflect this feature of the region: steppe communities occupy less than 1% of the reserve area, moreover the steppe zone was partly disturbed before the reserve was established. As a result bushes began to colonize the steppe, mostly Ligustrum vulgare L., Juniperus communis L. and saplings of Pinus austriaca Höss, and species in the middle part of the steppe slopes became endangered, particularly the most sensitive rare plants and species at the limits of their range. Species found solely in restricted areas or represented by only a single specimen are: Adonis vernalis L., Clematis integrifolia L., Eremogone longifolia (Bieb.) Fenzl, Oxytropis pilosa (L.) DC., Trinia multicaulis (Poir.) Schischk., Dracocephalum austriacum L., Hyacinthella leucophaea (C. Koch) Schur, Iris hungarica Waldst. & Kit., Salvia cremenecensis Bess., Pulsatilla grandis Wend. A scientific programme to preserve the endangered steppe and meadow-steppe plant communities in the reserve is being developed. It includes control of shrub distribution; enforcement of efficient conservation regulations, expansion of adjacent steppe areas to the north of the reserve to increase representation of regional steppe biodiversity in the reserve as much as possible. The research is supported by BSP.