MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Experts of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch will structure for the Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) a system of ecology impact indicators, which the company will use in every region of its presence. The system will be used to assess the company's environmental protection measures, Nornickel's Vice President on Industrial Security and Ecology Stanislav Seleznev told TASS.
"To us, these studies are useful, since the scientists will come up with indicators to see the industrial impact," he said. "[They will teach us] how to calculate, what criteria and parameters to use in order to see whether our impact is big or small. Whether we need to count deer or to check how tall the trees are, or what size leaves on trees are. The scientists will let us have indicators for every region, and they will reflect the biological diversity quality."
The indicators must be analyzed regularly, he continued. The company will accumulate these results for a few years. The longer scientists will use the indicators to follow up the industrial impact, the more precisely they will realize the company's impact. These indicators will also show success of the works to preserve the nature and to restore the damage to it.
According to the studies' leader, Director of the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch) Viktor Glupov, scientists use many various animals as indicators. They use birds, insects, microorganisms, plans, fish.
"The species, which is a very good indicator to assess biocenoses conditions, is ant. In the high-impact zones, anthills may not exist or may be only very rare. But as soon as we retreat into the sanitary [-protection] zone we can see them. If we involve experts who know ants' structures, they can determine clearly the impact rate on biocenoses by using at least only these criteria," the expedition's press center quoted the scientist as saying.
The basic biodiversity survey continues the work, which the Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) and the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Siberian Branch began in 2020. Since the Great Norilsk Expedition, this work has extended into another three regions. The 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.