ОТЧЕТ за 2004 год

Program of fundamental researches of the RAS Presidium
"Scientific bases of biodiversity conservation in Russia "

ITERMEDIATE REPORT for 2004

Section 2: Development of methodological basis for monitoring of biodiversity

Subsection 2.1: Development of methodological basis for monitoring of biodiversity in Russian forests
under global environmental changes and growing human impact

Curator of the section: Academician A.S. Isaev

Main objectives:

1.	Description of main nature management types and intensity of anthropogenic impact (fires, cuts, industrial contamination) for the purpose of detection of forest diversity state
2.	Detection of regional features of forest biodiversity on the example of forest areas of Kola peninsula, Karelia and the centre of European Russia
3.	Development of forest typology as the basis for ecosystem diversity assessment
4.	Development of potential ecosystem diversity of forests conception
5.	Implementation of complex field surveys for species and structure biodiversity parameters detection within model territories and for correction of forest ecosystems typology
6.	Improvement of techniques for remote sensing data verification
7.	Forming pilot version of forest biodiversity GIS-project at regional and federal levels
8.	Development of spatial structure and forest biodiversity dynamics models

It is necessary to be informed with different types of nature management and its consequences to understand tendencies of contemporary forest biodiversity forming (changes of tree-species composition and age structure, decreasing steadiness to unfavorable factors). The report contains characteristics of main nature management types within the territories of Central Russia, Karelia and Kola Peninsula including short history of development and distribution of traditional nature management systems, review of its main components and analysis of human impacts on forest ecosystems.

Regional features of forest biodiversity information obtained in model regions situated in different zonal and province complexes. Each region has specific features influencing on forest biodiversity. Negative factors influencing on forest biodiversity include concentrated cuts, extensive fires, mass insect invasions and industrial pollution. According to the last forest inventory data the area of burned and dead stands is almost 4 times more than area of non-forested cuts for the whole country. Annually within framework of actively fire protected area (area of forest fund) about 30 thousand forest fires occur, injuring forests over an area from 2 up to 5 million hectares. The most of burned forests are situated in Siberia and Far East. The area of pests and diseases nidi makes up about 3 million ha per year. During period of mass pest propagation Siberian forests perish in areas of hundreds of thousand and millions hectares. Area of forests perished because of industrial emissions contains about 1 million hectares and this value is constantly increasing especially in the north-western part of Russia and in Eastern Siberia.

To detect and to assess consequences of anthropogenic transformation of forests over Karelia region the areas of primeval and secondary forests were compared in similar landscape conditions. As it was discovered, under cutting influence the biological diversity of forest ecosystems is subject to a cardinal transformation. The most typical illustration of this process is appearance of large areas of small-leaved forests occupying about several tens of thousand hectares. Figure 1 demonstrates key territories (about 30 thou. hectares) with deeply transformed biogeocoenotic structure of forest cover in landscape of middle taiga with glacier hill-range relief, and swampy spruce habitats.

Fig. 1. Classified Landsat 7 images of key territories in Karelia: а - after concentrated cuttings without remained fragments of primeval forests, б – after intensive clearing economy and selected cuttings of coniferous stands in past. Colors: green – coniferous forests (prevailingly spruce), blue – small-leaved forests (prevailingly birch), red – open cuts and agricultural lands

Strong anthropogenic distortions spread over the territory of Murmansk region too. Its forests illustrate a mosaic of restoration successions after anthropogenic impacts (agricultural development, fires, cuttings etc.). The peculiarities of post-fire successions and post-cuttings successions have been studied. In particular it was discovered that after cuttings lichen, heather, hairgrass, crowberry, and blueberry and wild rosemary types of communities are formed in dependence of initial forest types.

In order to assess forests condition over large areas the priority type is the monitoring of typological (ecosystem) diversity based on vegetation cover classification accounting geobotany and forestry approaches. Although the unified classification is highly urgent it still has not proper methodological basis and it is the object of constant discussion up to present. So one of the main results of the Project’ is development of synthetic typology of forest ecosystems for major natural vegetation zones basing on dominant and floristic classifications comparison. Pointed areas were also fulfilled for groups of forest types especially rich in flora .

Biodiversity characteristics of the most representative groups of forest types for each zone of European Russia are performed in matrix tables (fig.2).

At present works on the identification of species diversity with division of vegetation into main life-forms is preparing for forests of northern and middle taiga, as well as for broad-leaved forests. The most part of this work has been fulfilled for light-coniferous and dark-coniferous forests. Subsequent inventory of typological diversity of zonal ecosystems of other regions of Russia will be implemented next year.

Derived typological characteristics are an effective form of semantic information which may be used to connect different attributes of each group of forest types. These groups related by ecological properties, topographical features, and succession status may serve for biological interpretation of space images and biodiversity parameters obtained at the imagery base.

As a result of analysis of national scientific references the card index of main groups of forest communities has been created for taiga zone of European Russia; the terminology of Russian names has been unified. Computer database PRODROMUS has been created; it includes list of forest vegetation syntaxons for European Russia as well as database of field geobotanical descriptions - FORUS. This is the basis for database on main forest types for European Russia forming.

Another basis for implementation of methodological approaches to biodiversity monitoring is represented by cartographical and verbal reconstruction of potential forest vegetation of European Russia. It is based on the theory of climax communities structure and mapping of edificator tree species areas as well as constant species of ground cover. The database of contemporary edificator tree species distribution created at the base of historical and modern data (fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Contemporary area of Carpinus betulus and its area in historical period

Historical and contemporary areas of tree species were compared and the group of species has been detected. Its areas are essentially reduced during last two-three centuries because of low tolerance to human impact. Maps of pointed areas created for constant herbaceous plants of boreal and nemoral ecological-coenotic groups; the area of their combined habitation discovered, marking spread of mixed coniferous and deciduous forests in historical period.

Experience gathered in study of biodiversity allowed to begin the generalization of data for different spatial levels. In this connection the main procedures of biodiversity monitoring were implemented for adopted spatial levels of biodiversity measurement (local, regional, national). They are 1) collection of field data, 2) analysis of remote sensing data, 3) interpolation of biodiversity measuring parameters for territory of higher level.

Field surveys on discovery and description of main succession types and assessment of spatial temporal dynamics of forest areas were implemented in Kostroma, Kirov, Moscow, Murmansk, Perm oblasts, Karelia Republic. For example, three main succession types were detected and described within Kostroma oblast forming in different soil conditions and as a result of different human impact (fig. 4).

Fig. 4. Specific and typological diversity regularities of reforestation successions were discovered and described.

Data of space monitoring of forests are considered to be the most important components of information cover for assessment of regional ecosystem diversity as well as for modeling of natural and anthropogenic forest dynamics. Analysis of some landscape indices allowed to receive integral assessment of territory structure complexity determining the biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems (fig. 5).

Fig. 5.

Combination of terrestrial surveys data and remote sensing data gave an opportunity to interpolate information on local biodiversity measuring to the regional level; and therefore the vegetation map was compiled showing the most important properties of its diversity. The base of such a typological data generalization was presented by combination of local dotted data with regional covers accompanying by quantitative analysis of obtained characteristics.

Efficiency of forest monitoring is determined by developed information base on state and dynamics of forest fund, its environmental and resource potential, as well as knowledge about forest ecosystems functioning. In this connection the scientific base was developed with the purpose of inventory and monitoring of biodiversity for Russian forests. The scheme of multi-level GIS was established, supplying monitoring and assessment of human impact on natural territorial systems (fig. 6). Also the algorithm of sequent creation of biodiversity thematic maps was developed at regional and federal levels. Complex base of standard information data on biodiversity was formed for Russian forests.

For the purpose of conservation of forest biodiversity within the framework of sustainable forest use it is necessary to develop optimal sceneries of nature management on the base of environmental and economic models. In this connection the model of productivity and carbon and nitrogen cycles in forest ecosystems was developed and used to predict biodiversity dynamics under different sceneries of forest use (EFIMOD-PRO).

Thus this year the main attention was paid to development of methodological basis of biodiversity monitoring. It is based on comparative assessment of spatial and temporal dynamics of forest forming process and contemporary state of forests. Some scientific and methodological tasks had been successfully decided and following stages of further researches are marked:

Fig. 6. Thematic content of forest monitoring GIS

1) improvement of inventory of typological diversity for zonal forest ecosystems of European Russia;

2) development of forecast methods and accounting algorithms for biodiversity dynamics variants under different sceneries of nature management;

3) development of methods for biodiversity assessment at the base of terrestrial and space information for instance of different regions;

4) improvement of methods for quantitative assessment of forest ecosystem diversity;

5) development of methods for assessment of past, present and potential forest biodiversity for different zonal and provincial complexes;

6) development of strategy for conservation of ecosystem and landscape diversity.