YAKUTSK, December 5. /TASS/. Russia's diamond producer Alrosa tripled in 2023 investments in the biodiversity conservation and protection of Yakutia's nature territories, the company's Chief Ecologist Polina Anisimova told TASS.

Alrosa implements environmental initiatives under a comprehensive environmental protection and environmental safety program for 2019-2023.

"One of the important directions in the program is to protect nature territories, to conserve and replenish the biological diversity. In 2023, the company has allocated more than 130 million rubles ($1.4 million) for these purposes. This is three times more than the investments made a year earlier," she said.

The company's main areas are monitoring and protection of the Lena-Olenek wild reindeer population, monitoring of the lesser white-fronted goose, listed on the Red Data Book, stocking of rivers and lakes with valuable fish species, restoration and rehabilitation of forests, scientific research in biodiversity, as well as support for specially protected areas.

In 2023 alone, the company has allocated more than 30 million rubles ($330,000) for river stocking and for the fishing industry development in Yakutia. Over 85 million rubles ($933,000) have been invested in the forest restoration and rehabilitation.

Scientific research

The Alrosa Company in cooperation with the Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch) continues to study the lesser white-fronted goose population. In the outgoing year, scientists have assessed the company's impact on the birds' local population in the Muna River Valley. They compared the population's quantitative data with results of earlier studies.

The researchers used satellite transmitters to monitor the bird migration routes. "The expedition's results show no negative impact from the company on the environment, which is confirmed by the presence of the Red Book species and by the growing numbers of nesting sites in the river's lower reaches," the chief ecologist added.

With the support from the company, scientists of Yakutia's Scientific Center (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch) continue for the second year studies to assess how wildfires affect Yakutia's ecosystems. The project's budget is 14.8 million rubles ($163,000).

"We continue to analyze the reference and literature data on the dynamics of vegetation on fire sites and on changes in the composition and structures of phyto-and zoo-cenoses, on the nature of changes in soil conditions and microclimate. The purpose of the study is to obtain reliable data on the degree of impacts from wildfires on various components of the environment, to forecast unfavorable developments and natural rehabilitation of the territories," she continued.

The permafrost region's forests are the basis for the sustainable development of the territory and the biodiversity conservation. Forest fires in Yakutia are one of the main and most common natural threats. In 2022, experts managed to collect extensive descriptive material on the environment's main components and on forest fires' impact on the permafrost ecosystems.

Biodiversity conservation

For many years, the company has been supporting the Living Diamonds of Yakutia Nature Park that preserves Western Yakutia's natural ecosystems. In the park, in conditions close to natural, live yaks, bison, musk oxen, bears, roe deer, deer and other animals.

The Alrosa Company has supported the organization of the Alrosa-Rangifer-Chekanovsky specially protected nature area, with occupies more than 64,100 hectares. The nature area is home to main breeding stock of the Lena-Olenek reindeer population, which supports the traditional life of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples. Results of the monitoring conducted in 2022 show the deer population's breeding herd uses fully the protected territory for summering and for feeding young animals.