News
September 25, 2023
International symposium on the study of mires of Northern Eurasia started in Petrozavodsk

International symposium “Mires of North Eurasia: biospheric functions, diversity and management” started at the Karelian Research Centre RAS. Scientists from Karelia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Komi, regions of Siberia, the Urals and the Far East, as well as from Belarus to discuss the diversity and functioning of mire ecosystems, the scientific foundations of their restoration, mire management, and modern research methods.
On September 25-28, Karelia became the place for scientists from Russia and Belarus to discuss problems of mire science. The International symposium "Mires of North Eurasia: biospheric functions, diversity and management" gathered more than a hundred participants in person and online. Live broadcast is streaming on KarRC RAS YouTube channel.

Mire ecosystems occupy huge areas in the taiga and tundra zones of Northern Eurasia. They provide unique biospheric functions, contributing greatly to carbon cycling and regulation of atmospheric greenhouse gas content. Mire have a pronounced effect on the economic development of northern regions, making the development of new territories more challenging and costly, while at the same time acting as sources of peat, berry and medicinal plant resources, valuable hunting grounds, and tourism destinations. The importance of studying mire ecosystems is beyond doubt.

During the opening of the symposium, its guests were greeted by KarRC RAS Director General, RAS Corresponding Academician Olga Bakhmet. She remarked on the intensity of the program.


Guests were welcomed by KarRC RAS Director General, RAS Corresponding Academician Olga Bakhmet

– Quite a number of papers deal with classical issues of mire ecosystem functioning and transformation. There are also topical presentations related, in particular, to the carbon agenda. Carbon pools and fluxes have been studied for a long time and successfully, but the demand for this information is especially high today, - said Olga Bakhmet.

Karelian mire science school is known far beyond our region, the results produced by Karelian scientists are published in reputable Russian and foreign scientific journals. One of the tasks for specialists today is estimation of carbon cycling in mire ecosystems within the unified national system for monitoring climate-active substances which is being created in Russia.

– Since Eurasia has vast wetlands, it is natural that the issues of mire system functioning, protection and management are important tasks for both applied and theoretical science, - emphasized Nikolai Ilmast, Director of the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS, at the opening ceremony and wished his colleagues productive work.

The audience was welcomed by the Secretary for Science of the Russian Botanical Society (RBS) Valentina Neshataeva. She acknowledged the active work of the Karelian branch of RBS, as well as the role of the mire science section within the society.

– It's always on the radar, organizes many conferences, conducts excursions to mire sites, popularizes science, works with the youth. No wonder there are so many young faces in the audience, which is very important. Our task today is to attract new talents to botany, including mire science, - Valentina Neshataeva noted.


Secretary for Science of the Russian Botanical Society Valentina Neshataeva speaking

The plenary session started with a talk by Chief Researcher at the Mire Ecosystem Laboratory of the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS Oleg Kuznetsov. He presented the main results of studies by the Karelian mire science school.

The scientist informed that mires of the European North have been researched actively since the beginning of the 20th century. Mires have been comprehensively studied in Karelia by the Mire Ecosystems Laboratory of the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS since 1950. Multifaceted studies by several generations of researchers have produced theoretical and methodological developments, detailed classifications of mire areas, vegetation, peat and peat deposits in the region. Peat cadastres for the republic and recommendations on using peatlands in agriculture are of practical importance.

In order to conserve the high diversity of mire ecosystems in the region, a network of protected areas of different statuses, both mire-focused and integrated ones, has been created on the basis of scientific feasibility studies produced by the laboratory. For more than 30 years, integrated research has been carried out within a range of international projects and programs.


The geography of the symposium participants covers regions from the Far East to Kaliningrad

The symposium will include a plenary session, two thematic sections, poster presentations and field excursions to research sites in the Kondopoga and Pryazha districts of the republic.

Photos by M. Dmitrieva / KarRC RAS Science Communications Service

See also:

July 7, 2025
A successful introduction: the zander has settled down in Lake Sundozero and continues to spread

Scientists of the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS have published the results of long-term observations over the population of the zander (or pikeperch) introduced to Lake Sundozero more than a half-century ago. They confirm the species has become naturalized. Maintaining the population requires regulation of harvesting, protection during spawning, and tending of spawning grounds.
June 26, 2025
Ice-related phenomena on rivers emptying into the White Sea now last three weeks less than 60 years before

Ice on northern rivers now forms later while ice-off occurs earlier. Karelian scientists confirmed this having analyzed 64 years of marine and meteorological data from the estuaries of rivers draining into the White Sea along its western coast. Climate change has bit three weeks off the ice-covered period on these rivers. The reductions have been the most significant in the last 30 years, aligning with global warming trends in Arctic water bodies.
June 23, 2025
Citizen science and web technologies help researchers study insects of Karelia

More than 30 insect species not encountered in Karelia previously have been revealed by entomologists from KarRC RAS during their expeditions and using data communicated by active participants of the iNaturalist portal – an open platform for collecting biodiversity data.
June 20, 2025
Application process for 2025/2026 Doctoral Studies started at KarRC RAS

On June 20, Karelian Research Centre RAS began accepting papers from applicants for its Doctoral Courses. This year, university graduates can choose from ten academic specialties in the STEM, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences.