Pasvik State Nature Reserve, Rajakoski, Murmansk Oblast, Russia:

N. V. Polikarpova, Deputy Director on Scientific Work, e-mail: polikarpova-pasvik@yandex.ru

Ryazan State University named for S. A. Yesenin, Ryazan, Russia:

I. V. Zatsarinnyy, Head of Scientific Laboratory of Evolution Ecology

Institute of the North Industrial Ecological Problems of Kola Science Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia:

L. G. Isaeva, Head of Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystems

Centre for Problems of Ecology and Productivity of Forests of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:

N. V. Lukina, Executive Officer

Moscow State Regional University, Mytishchi, Russia:

O. A. Khlebosolova, Professor, Head of a Chair of General Physical Geography and Nature Protection

The monitoring of status of terrestrial ecosystems of European Far North becomes more urgent for assessment of industrial impact consequences and development of approaches to environmental protection. Pasvik State Nature Reserve is located in the north-west part of Murmansk Oblast along the Pasvik River on the border between Russia and Norway. The main territory of the Reserve includes pine and birch forests, occupying 44% of the total area. Industrial sites of Kola MMC (Nikel settlement and Zapolyarnyy town) are situated to the north-east of the Reserve territory. Industrial air pollution is a very important factor for determination of the current state of ecosystems (especially, the terrestrial ones). Airborne industrial emissions of non-ferrous metallurgical companies produce direct and indirect effects on the forest ecosystems, where heavy metals and sulfur compounds are the main pollutants. Since 2006, together with the Kola MMC, Pasvik Reserve has launched the ecosystem monitoring program, aimed to assessment of status and dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. This article gives the description of the program and the research results, received in the area of industrial sites and on the Reserve territory. The International Program on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP-Forests) is considered as one of prospective instruments of environmental monitoring of forest status coverage by mining and metallurgical plants. In 2009, Pasvik Reserve placed the stations of integrated monitoring on Russian-Norwegian border. It is noted that the forest ecosystems are under certain technological impact. However, it takes at list five years of materials' synthesis to get reliable results. The participation of transboundary transfer in total chemical pollution for assessment of real impact of Kola MMC emissions on terrestrial ecosystems near the Russian-Norwegian border is planned to be defined together with the development of permissible loads to the nature and suggestions for further monitoring. Low level of biodiversity and abundance of vertebrates’ populations (on the example of birds) is detected in the vicinity of industrial sites in Nikel settlement and Zapolyarnyy town. It is shown that the species composition of fauna and bird abundance of birch forests in the different stations are increased at the distance of 15–18 km from the factory (near the Pechenga and in the northern part of the Reserve). There is observed more typical structure of the bird population for the birch forests of the Kola Peninsula.

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