ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Scientists and conservationists in Russia's Arctic zone will launch a large-scale field research program in 2026 to study how ecosystems recover after long-term industrial impact, local authorities said Friday.
Natalia Polikarpova, director of the Pasvik Nature Reserve in the Murmansk Oblast, told TASS news agency in an interview that the project will establish "open-air laboratories" to monitor soil restoration and the recovery of terrestrial ecosystems in areas affected by decades of industrial activity.
Researchers will test various ecological restoration methods and track how landscapes regenerate under different environmental conditions.
Specialists from the Russian State Geological Prospecting University and the Russian Academy of Sciences will take part in the project, Polikarpova said.
"We will study how moisture, terrain and slope orientation affect recovery, and how restoration differs on hilltops, slopes, and in various exposures," Polikarpova said.
Alongside soil research, scientists will also observe how wildlife adapts to transformed landscapes, including former industrial zones, abandoned farmland and old logging roads. The project will examine changes in the distribution and behavior of birds and mammals in these modified environments.
The initiative is part of the program "Transformed Landscapes of the Arctic" supported by the Presidential Fund for Environmental and Nature Conservation Projects.
Covering nearly 15,000 hectares, Pasvik Nature Reserve stretches for about 44 km along the Russian-Norwegian border and forms part of a cross-border conservation area with Norway and Finland. ■