ИСТИНА

Russian Emerald Team has implemented two phases of the European Union / Council of Europe Joint Programme “Emerald Network of Nature Protection Sites” in 2009-2016. We have identified 1633 potential Areas of Special Conservation Interest (pASCI) in European Russia. Russian Reference Database contains data on the 131 habitat types of European importance as listed in Annex to the Resolution 4 (1996, 2010) of the Bern Convention. 120 of them occur in the pASCI’s. The Emerald Database of European Russia contains 3940 records on their distribution on pASCI’s. The number of the mentioned habitat types varies among biogeographical regions. For example, we have identified nearly 50 habitat types of European importance in Northern Caucasus (Alpine bioregion), 20 ones in Novgorodskaya Oblast’ (Boreal bioregion), and only 10 ones in Arctic bioregion. Most habitats in European Russia meet related descriptions in the EUNIS habitat classification. Nevertheless, we note several typical problematic situations requiring special solutions: 1. In several cases Russia should be indicated in the habitat type description as a country where the habitat occurs – e.g. F4.2 Dry heaths. 2. A habitat occurring in Russia meet description of a habitat type but there is no appropriate subtype in the classification. Often, it’s related with a regional climatic, geologic, or other specificity. Therefore, we need a new subtype. In some cases, the description of a new habitat subtype requires a special research – e.g. E.1.2_new for mountain steppes of Central Caucasus; G1.A7_new for high mountain oak forests of Eastern Caucasus. 3. A habitat type occurs in Russia but lack in the other Europe and is not mentioned in the classification. So, it should be entered there. If being rare or endangered, it should be listed in the Annex to the Resolution N 4 – e.g. G3.1_new. Eastern dark polydominant taiga [Picea obovata, Abies sibirica, Pinus sibirica, Pinus sylvestris]; H5.new. or E1.new. Aralo-Caspian cool deserts; X_new. Aralo-Caspian deserted steppes (“semideserts”). 4. A habitat type has its place in the classification, is rare in Russia but not mentioned in the Annex to the Resolution N 4 may be because of lacking out of Russia – e.g. G1.919. Siberian steppe birch woods. We propose to add such habitat types to the Annex. 5. A habitat type of European importance is common in Russia – e.g. G3.A. Picea taiga woodland. In such cases we need the reconfirmation of its high conservation quality through inhabitancy of rare and endangered species. We have compiled the list of habitat types of European importance occurring in European Russia and provided it with habitat type interpretation in Russian scientific terminology. The brief analyses show that priority habitat types occur in the Asian Russia too. We expect to apply the approach as outlined above when extending the Emerald network principles to the entire Pan-European Ecological Network.