KRASNOYARSK, November 22. /TASS/. The biodiversity expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch found the nature on the Kola Peninsula was recovering after emissions were cut there by 90%, Nornickel's Vice President for Ecology and Industrial Safety Stanislav Seleznev told TASS.
"The environment on the Kola Peninsula is improving, because we have been cutting the impact there over recent few years. We have closed the plant in Nickel, the smelter. Our main impact have been emissions into the atmosphere. We have cut them by more than 90%. Our assets on the Kola Peninsula have a minimal impact on the environment," he said.
The earth has a very good potential for self-recovery and, if people stop the negative impact, then everything will recover to the initial indicators, he added.
"Scientists had an interesting observation at the Kola Division - using on the data from the survey's second year, they have seen a tendency towards decreasing concentrations of water-soluble salts and sulphate sulfur in the area where the former Nickel plant used to be. This means that after the plant was closed, the soil began to self-clean, and thus we can forecast that after some time there will be a gradual net increase in biodiversity. The observation and the survey of how ecosystems recover are a rare occasion that can potentially help scientists in understanding mechanisms of the nature's self-recovery and they will serve as an impetus for the creation of nature-like and eco-technologies that are the basis of the strategy for Russia's scientific and technological development," he said.
The basic biodiversity survey continues the work, which the Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) and the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Siberian Branch began in 2020. This work has extended into three regions - the Kola Peninsula, the Krasnoyarsk Region's north and the Trans-Baikal Region. The current survey’s purpose is to identify Nornickel’s impact zones and to assess biodiversity in areas of Nornickel’s operations. The research results will be used in building out a corporate biodiversity management system and biodiversity monitoring and conservation programs.