The portal “Science in Siberia” informs that under the scientific and methodological leadership of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a Scientific Council on ecology of Siberia and the Eastern Arctic will be created. It will include leading scientists from scientific organizations and universities. The council will be divided into sections: urban ecology, aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, and industrial ecology.

The main direction of the council’s activity is to work out solutions for a drastical improvement of the state of the environment through ecosystem management. “In my opinion, the main tasks are the initiation, development and support of urgent projects based on the involvement of the expert society of Siberia, as well as coordination of research, and  communication with the authorities, especially in terms of environmental expertise of new industrial and technological projects. Now, according to the law, such expertise is voluntary, but it must be obligatory, ” underlines the Deputy Chairman of the Council, Director of the Institute of Biophysics of the Federal Research Center “KSC SB RAS ”, academician,  Andrei Degermendzhi. He notes that the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has large capacities for all areas of research.

Under the influence of climatic and anthropogenic factors, there occur changes in ecosystems, leading to serious biological threats, which are accompanied by disruption of the life cycles of various organisms, invasions of alien species and migrations of animals, including a disorder in the circulation of species in natural foci of diseases, which, in turn, creates unforeseen risks to human life. Ecosystems accumulate a large number of toxic compounds (both organic and inorganic). The circulation of substances is also disrupted, which leads to a change in the environment, including humans.

The Council includes the sections “Aquatic ecosystems”, “Terrestrial ecosystems”, “Mathematical modeling”, “Industrial ecology”, and “Urban ecology”. The number and directions of their activities can be adjusted, depending on the emerging tasks within the competence of the Council.

The main tasks of the Council are to formulate and inform the authorities on an agreed position of the scientific community on behalf of SB RAS and RAS based on the examination of scientific reports, coordination of research and development within the framework of state assignments, to organize and support large projects at the level of Council sections to solve urgent problems with participation of the institutions of SB RAS and other organizations and universities concerned. In addition, the tasks include scientific expertise and submission of the expert opinions on large projects related to the use of natural resources, as well as on other legislative and regulatory initiatives at regional and federal scale to the Presidium of SB RAS.

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