Natural Resources, 1998, No.3

PRIRODNYE RESURSY (Natural Resources) Published by The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus & The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus

Number 3; 1998

CONTENTS

Articles. Статьи

Summary: The significance of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the governmental decrees, adopted on its basis, for providing effective participation of the Republic of Belarus in solving the global problem on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and coordination of activities on the national level are analyzed. The main action guidelines reflected in a set of governmental documents, are characterized: 1) formation of the state policy and improvement of legislation, 2) optimization of monitoring, management and economic regulation of biological diversity use; 3) development of fundamental and applied sciences; 4) improvement and development of the network of specially protected natural territories and lands with limited anthropogenic influence; 5) development of an ecological network of the Republic of Belarus; 6) ecological optimization of different social and -- economic sectors (territorial and urban planning; transport and road construction; tourism and recreational activities; agriculture; forestry; game husbandry and fish-farming; water economy and melioration; power, mining and chemical industries); 7) personnel training, ecological education and public awareness activities. Indicators for sustainable development of the Republic of Belarus related to the problems of conservation and use of biological diversity are presented.

Pikulik M.M.
Main principles of the National strategy and action plan for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the republic of Belarus and the First National report on the implementation of the Convention on biological diversity in Belarus. pp. 21--33

Summary: Approaches, priorities, structure and basic action guidelines of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversify in the Republic of Belarus, which have been approved by the government and which are the fundamental guidelines of the implementation of practical steps on conservation of biological diversify in Belarus for the benefit of the present and future generations are defined. The basic provisions and structure of the First National Report on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversify in Belarus, aimed at realization of the immediate objectives are characterized: to provide the basis for taking political and organizational decisions; to secure extensive provision of information to the state structures and public on the problems of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Main indicators for monitoring the efficiency of implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity are presented.

Savicky V.K., Muraviev Z.F.
Development of the prior measures for realization of the National strategy and action plan for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the Republic of Belarus. pp. 34--37

Summary: A list of prior measures directed on concrete and practical realization of the "National Strategy and Action Plan for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in the Republic of Belarus" is reviewed in the article. Process of their realization is analyzed in detail on the regional and district levels, and also for different ministries and departments. A need for target budgetary financing of the major nature conservation projects and measures directed on conservation and sustainable use of the biological diversity in Belarus is revealed.

Golod D.S., Rykovsky G.F.
Problems of implementation of the plan of activities for conservation and use of the vegetable world resources. pp. 38--44

Summary: The paper discusses the matters of preservation of the biological diversity of the vegetable world of Belarus in view of the use of plant resources as a part of top priority measures for realization of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in the Republic of Belarus and implementation of the UN Convention on Biological diversity ratified by the Belarusian parliament in 1993. Resource consumption over the past 40 years in the basic categories and trends of exploitation is analyzed. A complex of the top priority measures for realization of the Strategy and the Action Plan for conservation of biodiversity and gene pool of vegetable world comprises: the elaboration of a Strategic plan for forestry development in Belarus (1997) as a basis for transition to a strict regulation of forest exploitation; the system of unclear felling and ecologization of major technological processes; creation of an optimized network of particularly protected natural areas (PPNA), and elaboration and publication of the Red and Green Books of the Republic of Belarus.

Nikiforov M.E.
Prospects of realization of national action Plan on conservation and sustainable use of animal biodiversity in Belarus. pp. 45--48

Summary: Two approaches were analyzed in realization of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: biocenotic (ecosystem) and systematic (species). The necessity of fundamental study of rare and threatened species populations as the principles of effective systematic approach realization is substantiated. This approach finally leads to ecosystem level through protection of specific habitats. The succession of main stages is as follows: determination of priority species for urgent actions, revealing of main threats for rare and threatened species, development of measures or Action Plans on diminishing of these threats for every species and its population. Unification of Action Plans would lead to the development of complex ecosystem Management Plans, that is to conservation of ecosystems, but through particular interest of every threatened species in a given ecosystem.

Kartel N.A., Khotyljova L.V.
Problems of conservation of the floral genetic diversity and biological security. pp. 49--53

Summary: At present the problem of preservation and enrichment of plant and animal gene pool is one of the main problems of conservation of biological diversify and creation of conditions for sustainable use of natural biological resources. An acute necessity for development and maintenance of genetic collections, unique genetic lines which are stored in the country, as well as plant varieties and animal races arises. There is also a possibility of enhancement of the existing natural genetic diversify by methods of genetic engineering. However, despite the apparent value of biotechnology, there is a certain danger of uncontrolled introduction of genetically changed objects into the environment and potency of destabilization of natural biodiversity. In connection with this there emerges the need for the development of a legislative basis of the biological security in the country.

Astapovich N.I., Obraztsova N.V.
Significance of investigation, preservation and application of microbial diversity. pp. 54--58

Summary: The importance of preservation of the microbial diversity, which plays a vital role in functioning and self-adjustment of global ecosystem, is demonstrated. The function of culture collections as a mechanism, that ensures preservation of microbial species and availability for further studies and use, is assessed. Collection of microbial strains maintained at the Institute of Microbiology, NASB and other republican research institutions are characterized. The collection stock deposited at the Institute of Microbiology incorporates over 1700 strains. Industrial, type cultures and microbial isolates from various Belarusian regions, including variants from soils contaminated by anthropogenic activities are maintained. The bulk of bacterial stock is made up by strains-degraders of aromatic xenobiotics, which are essential agents in combattng environmental pollution. The impact of long-term radiation pressure on microbial diversity is evaluated. More than 200 bacterial cultures were isolated from soils of Polessye radioecological reserve for subsequent identification. The collection also maintains filamentous fungi and yeasts -- sources of enzymes, proteins, carotenoids, other active compounds and bacterial cultures applied in creation of preventive and therapeutic drugs and plant biological control agents. The functional principles of the National collection of microorganisms as the basis for microbial diversity fund in Belarus is discussed.

Yatsukhno V.M., Bambalov N.N., Rakovich V.A., Davydik E.E.
On the necessity of a landscape appoach to realisation of measures aimed at conservation of biological diversity in Belarus. pp. 59--66

Summary: Based on the literature data and results obtained by the authors, the paper gives a substantiation to the idea of the unity of biological and landscape diversify. It has been shown that the influence of the landscape and geographical factor on the species diversity of ecosystems is determined by the zonal and provincial peculiarities of the environment, on the one hand, and by a zonal and local factors of the landscape formation, on the other hand. The latter define the intrazone inhomogeneity of geomorfological, soil, hydrological and edaphic conditions and also gradations of micro- and mesoclimatic regimes at specific locations. The principal threats affecting the level of landscape diversity through the excessive fragmentation of natural ecosystems, meliorative activities, agricultural exploitation of large areas of land have been analyzed without going into detail. It has been inferred that a landscape approach to the formation of territorial systems for conservation of biodiversity offers much promise, especially in determination of the compromise combination of the extent of transformed landscapes and the natural ones, including marsh and boggy ecosystems.

Baranets G.G., Yurgenson N.A.
Development of a national ecological network as an objective of the territorial planning. pp. 67--76

Summary: Practice of territorial planning in Belarus is based on elaboration legal, semi-legal and other analytical, informational and technical planning documents. Problems associated with the national system of territorial planning emerge from the absence of legislative regulations on interconnection and collateral subordination of planning documents of different types. An ecological network as well as a system of settlements and infrastructure corridors is a component of a planning framework. Thus, its development should be considered as one of the objectives of the territorial planning. There is no recent experience of the ecological network development in planning on the national level in our country. The Scheme of Especially Protected Areas Rational Distribution adopted in 1995 cannot be considered as a planning document, which embraces all the necessary aspects associated with a national ecological network. Analysis of the existing ecological network and assessment of prospects of its development have revealed some problem points. For example, there is a negative trend in the balance between the growth of urban and natural protected areas. Then, the system of especially protected natural areas does not embrace all the diversity of natural landscapes, ecosystems and species. The necessary links between some elements of ecological network and with ecological networks of the neighboring countries are broken. There are threats for natural protected areas caused by traffic, urban and industrial development. Planning of national ecological network can be as a result of development of theory, methodology and legislative framework of territorial planning. And that requires mutual understanding and collaboration between the researchers, planners and politicians.

Moroz L.N.
Problems of forming of the legislation of the republic of Belarus concerning biological diversity. pp. 77--82

Summary: Comprehensive scientific study of the natural resources of Belarus went together with the uncertainty of the legal status of biota which was partially defined by the Convention on biodiversity of the 1993. The Convention presumes that same legislation would be included in the national ecological law. But biological diversity should be regulated separately in correspondence with the physical (genetic and other), ecological (environmental elements) and social (the use) characteristics. The legal standards on biological diversity should be included in the civil, agrarian, aquatic and forest laws, in the laws on mineral resources, protected territories, vegetable and animal kingdom, investments and finance. There is a need for a law on natural cadastres, including registers of biological resources, taxes and other payments for the use of land, mineral, water, wood, atmosphere, vegetable and animal kingdom resources. The legal status of the biological resources should be defined in detail by the law on preservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity. This law is meant to create a basis of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus on biological diversity.

Neverov A.V., Moroz L.N., Vodopyanov P.A., Burak P.M., Glinsky M.M., Redkovskaya O.V.
Conceptual basis of forming of the ecological economic mechanism of the biodiversity management. pp. 83--92

Summary: Two initial principles are fixed as a basis of the development concept of the ecological economic mechanism of the biodiversity management. They are the principle of allocation of reserved areas and that of coevolutional development. The spatial integrated system of special protected natural areas and objects (SPNA) is offered as an object of biodiversity management. This system includes: a) ecological regions, covering reserves, Nature Reserves and other SPNA; protective zones of SPNA; territories, bordering with SPNA and their protective zones, which are used in non-reservation purposes; b) links between SPNA, their protective zones and unprotected areas (these are artificially created natural objects, landscape and ecological niches, seasonal and daily migratory ways. The ecological economic mechanism of biodiversity management structurally comprises: organisational economic subsystem; state ecological control subsystem. The organisational economic subsystem consists of: organisational structure of management; ecological economic mechanism of stimulation and financing of the biodiversity preservation and sustainable ecosystem production. In forming of the organisational structure of the SPNA management the basic principle is that of divisibility of authority towards property (the right of possession, use and disposal). The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection is offered to he in charge of the right of ecological resources possession; enterprises -- the right of use; the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus -- the right of disposal. Ecological economic estimation of natural resources; forecasting and planning; normalisation, limiting; licensing and standardisation; ecological payments; financing; ecological insurance and ecological audit are considered to he the basic elements of the ecological economic mechanism of stimulation and financing. State ecological control is of a special importance in the mechanism of biodiversity management, as it is meant to ensure the system of purposeful influence associated with the biodiversity preservation and sustainable ecosystems production. Function of biodiversity management should be passed to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

Parfenov V.I., Pikulik M.M.
Development of fundamental and applied sciences in the field of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in Belarus. pp. 93--102

Summary: The article proves the urgency of development of fundamental and applied research to provide implementation of provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the National Strategy and Action Plan for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in the Republic of Belarus. The level of research and problems on study of biological diversity in Belarus as well as the main objectives, structure, results of implementation and their practical significance of the Republican complex programme on the fundamental research "Structural and Functional State and Scientific Basis for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity of Flora and Fauna in the Territory of Belarus (Biological Diversity)" (1996--2000) is analyzed. Study of the problems of conservation and use of biological diversity in other scientific and technical programmes is presented

Lopatin I.K.
Personnel training, ecological education and educational activity. pp. 103--105

Summary: The article presents the arrangements, undertaken during the last 3 years in a process of realization of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in Belarus, concerning personnel training, ecological education and upbringing. Training of certified ecologists has been organized on a basis of 3 faculties of the Belarusian State University Ecological issues have been included in school curricula in biology and geography. A set of programs and training aids have been worked out. Ecological center on ecological education of school students is working actively Academic institutions and universities have taken part in a research work on biodiversity It is necessary to strengthen and change the coordinating activity of the National Academy of Sciences in a study of biodiversity of Belarus and also begin training of scientists, making a speciality in systematics.

Yelovitcheva Ya.K., Shvetsov A.A.
A retrospective look at the dynamics of phytodiversity of Belarusian territory. pp.106--112

Summary: The problem of biodiversity conservation is associated with the anxiety caused by dynamics, which is negative for biota, conditioned by the human economic activity But here is overlooked the natural dynamics, that undergoes these anthropogenic changes. Paleogeographic data can help to fill this essential gap in activity planning in conservation of biological diversity A retrospective look at the dynamics, that occurred during a long period of time, would contribute to better and clearer understanding of events, that take place today, and of the real meaning of anthropogenic changes in nature. Analysis of paleobotanic data shows that biota is being changed by numerous factors. On this ground it is natural to conclude that maintaining off a status-quo is principally impossible. That means that we should find other principles of preserving biodiversity, for example, pragmatic interest of the mankind. Furthermore, exactly this interest determined the relevance to the problem that had been discussed for a long time and shaped it into the Rio de Janeiro Convention. Moreover, biota on the territory of our country has underwent great changes after the centuries of economic activity, and long since biota has been presenting a combination of natural and anthropogenic matter

The Convention on Biological Divercity. pp. 113--128

Reviews

A.V. Yatsyk
Monograph on underground waters of Mogiliov region. pp. 131--132

Chronicle

L.M. Yaroshevich
Scientific and organization activities of the Scientific Council of the NAS of Belarus on the biospheric problems for the year 1997. pp. 135--138

Two Protocols to Convention on Transboundary Air Pollution. pp. 139--140

Problems of Methodical Ensuring of Emissions Inventory. pp. 141--142

A.S. Meyerovsky
Conference on the modernization of the meliorative systems and effective use of meliorated lands. pp. 143--144.