Biodiversity conservation in Karelia: problems and solutions

Eugeny Ieshko

Karelian Research Center Russian Academy

and

A.F. Titov

For many years now Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences (KRC RAS) and its institutes have been engaged in wide-ranging research related to biodiversity, taken active part in the implementation of research programmes held by RAS, various scientific foundations, as well as in target-oriented federal programmes. Inventories, assessment of the state of the living nature objects, conservation of unique natural heritage are essential components of international co-operation programmes and projects between Karelia and the Nordic countries. Their results are manifest i. a. in publications such as the Red Data Book of Karelia (1995), Red Data Book of Eastern Fenoscandia(1998), establishment of the network of protected areas, which now occupy 957,475 ha (5.3% of the Republic's territory).

The main scientific outcome of biodiversity studies in Republic of Karelia is the extensive amount of knowledge about the Republic's plant and animal world accumulated during several decades of research. E.g., in the last several years only KRC RAS employees have prepared and published collected thematic papers describing the current diversity of the flora and fauna in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Karelia: Ecosystems, fauna and flora of the Finnish-Russian Nature Reserve Friendship(1997), Biodiversity, dynamics and conservation of mire ecosystems in East Fennoscandia (1998), Inventory and biological diversity studies in the areas of Republic of Karelia bordering on Finland (1998), Present state of water objects in Republic of Karelia (1998), Inventory and biological diversity studies on the Karelian coast of the White Sea (1999), etc.

However, many taxa of invertebrates and plants some representatives of which play a significant part in the northern ecosystem functioning, remain practically unstudied. The present state of habitats of many animal and plant species also requires more in-depth studies. Another pressing task of today is to organize biodiversity monitoring, which will not only allow to trace the principal transformations and trends, but also provide tools for making decisions that would alleviate potential negative changes in biodiversity.