The experts discussed the results of the Large Scientific Expedition with representatives of Norilsk Nickel, city authorities and public organizations.
(Northern City) – Norilsk Nickel and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a presentation of the results of the Large Scientific Expedition.
Large-scale studies in the areas where Norilsk Nickel enterprises are located were devoted to studying the biodiversity of life in these territories, assessing the human impact on the Arctic ecosystem. The obtained data will help the company to develop a corporate system for managing the impact on biodiversity and a program for its conservation and monitoring.
Local communities traditionally participate in environmental protection activities in the regions together with Norilsk Nickel. Therefore, the company shares relevant information with them at the presentation of the results of the Great Scientific Expedition. In our city, the meeting was held on November 30 in the conference hall of the "Ayka" sports hall. The presentation took place with the assistance of the Public Chamber of Norilsk.
The significance of the topic under discussion is not limited to the Severov – research funded by Norilsk Nickel is important for the whole country.
Scientists from the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences have done a lot of work in the Murmansk Region, the Trans-Baikal and Krasnoyarsk Territories to study ecosystems and develop measures to maintain the balance of these ecological systems, - Elena Sharoikina, Chairman of the Commission of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation on Ecology and Environmental Protection, addressed the participants via video link. “Scientists around the world are recording a decline in biodiversity. This is a big problem, and I am glad that serious scientific work is being carried out in Russia and we will be able to work out the necessary steps together so that biodiversity not only does not decline, but can develop.”
The results of a large scientific expedition have already become familiar in Transbaikalia. After Norilsk, next week the presentation will take place in Murmansk, and on December 12 the results of the Great Scientific Expedition will be considered at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
“This will not be just a statement of the facts obtained during the study – expert work will take place, we invite scientific specialists, public figures and students,” Elena Sharoikina added.
Such global scientific research has not been carried out for three decades. As the head of the Large Scientific Expedition, Director of the Institute of Systematics of Animal Ecology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Glupov noted, the Large Expedition immediately acquired the status of uniqueness.
“It is difficult to remember such a wide coverage of territories, like our expedition, in recent history. In the Trans-Baikal Territory, studies were carried out on an area of about eight thousand square kilometers, in Norilsk - more than 30 thousand square kilometers,” said Viktor Glupov.
He also emphasized that the serious impact on the Norilsk ecosystem began back in the 30s of the last century, and "threw a bridge" from the processes of those years to the present day. Using specific examples, he spoke about the observations and preliminary conclusions of scientists regarding the state of animal populations, insects, and water bodies of the Norilsk industrial area. On the identified zones of influence of industrial activity on wildlife.
“It is interesting that during the collection of material, we were faced with the fact that these zones are not continuous, they are highly fragmented, due to the fact that there is a certain, let’s say, urban agglomeration here, it also affects the ecosystem,” shared the head of the Big Scientific Expedition. “Therefore, next year we are adjusting a number of studies.”
Viktor Glupov did not hide the fact that the reaction of some animals and plants to industrial emissions turned out to be unexpected for him.
“It turned out that the influence on them is not as great as it should be. The same hares and some birds are highly adaptive. There are, of course, indicator species that are very fragile and very sensitive to any pollution. But in general, biocenoses turned out to be very resistant to emissions, except for cases when they are directly on the territory of a working metallurgical enterprise, Viktor Glupov continued. "It's not conducive to bird nesting, for example."
The speaker especially singled out the Sulfur Program of Norilsk Nickel.
“When I learned about this project, I was sincerely happy, because soon you will have a very serious air purification - almost 80 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions will go away. This will lead to serious positive consequences,” said the head of the Big Scientific Expedition.
It was previously reported that biodiversity research is a continuation of the fruitful work of Norilsk Nickel and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which started in 2020 with the Great Norilsk Expedition. By initiating a voluntary large-scale study of the environment in the regions of presence, the company not only receives up-to-date information on the current state of nature, but also works to reduce the negative impact on it.
