Participants of the press conference (from left to right): Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Office for Liaison with the Russian Federation Oleg Kobyakov, Member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Alexander Bashkin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Chairman of the VOOP Vyacheslav Fetisov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vyacheslav Rozhnov, head of the representative office of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the Russian Federation Vladimir Moshkalo. ©photo: Tatyana Divakova. On March 4, TASS hosted a press conference dedicated to “World Wildlife Day 2024: Digital Innovation” and dedicated to the official opening of the International Year of Camelids in Russia. The press conference was attended by the chief researcher of the Institute of Economics and Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on problems of ecology of biological systems, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vyacheslav Rozhnov. V.V. Rozhnov began by talking about the role of digital innovation in environmental projects, in particular the use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of space images, which makes it possible to identify and count saigas on them, which opens a new page in animal monitoring. Digital conservation technologies like these help conserve wildlife. Regarding camelids, he noted that camels provide more than just meat, wool or transportation. This includes wildlife, culture, religion, medicine, and history. V.V. Rozhnov spoke about the wild camel - khavtagai, whose name translated from Mongolian (flat) reflects the peculiarities of the body shape of this species. Several hundred individuals of Khavtagai still live in the Great Gobi Nature Reserve in Mongolia, where the Joint Russian-Mongolian Biological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of the Mongolian People's Republic operates. V. Rozhnov recalled the canvases with camels by the wonderful Russian battle painter Vasily Vereshchagin, and that Christians greatly reverence Orthodox holy healers, many of whom are well known to people - for example, St. Luke of Crimea, Great Martyr Panteleimon, and told the story of the cured brothers-healers Cosmas and Damian the wild camel. These brothers lived in Asia Minor in the 4th century and vowed not to charge for treatment. But towards the end of his life, Damian had to break his vow - he took three eggs from a healed woman in the name of the Holy Trinity, and Cosmas, not knowing the reason for this, was so upset that he made a will in which he forbade burying himself and his brother together. And only thanks to the camel cured by the silverless brothers that came to the people they learned the secret that almost led to a rupture in relations between them. V.V. Rozhnov focused a lot of attention on the place of camels in medicine, pharmacology and biotechnology, to which they owe antibodies, or immunoglobulins, which today are a key tool for the study of specific proteins and the processes in which they participate, as well as the basis for the production of medicine and immunobiotechnological drugs. It turned out that only camelids and some cartilaginous fish have not just antibodies, but single-domain nanoantibodies (nanobodies). Camels that are kept at the Chernogolovka scientific and experimental base of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences are used by employees of the Institute of Gene Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences to obtain nanobodies, immunizing them in a special way to obtain special camel nanoantibodies to given antigens. They use such nanoantibodies to treat allergic diseases, a number of infectious diseases (mycoplasma, anthrax, leptospirosis, rabies, etc.), and to diagnose diseases, including cancer. Speaking about history, Vyacheslav Rozhnov spoke about camels, which replaced horses during the Great Patriotic War. In 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the 28th reserve army was formed in Astrakhan, in which the draft force consisted of captured wild camels and ones brought from Central Asia. And one of the first shots at the Reichstag was fired by a crew in which the camels Mashka and Mishka “served,” to whom a monument was later erected in Akhtubinsk.

Fig.1: Aquariums with experimental fish Currently, a wide range of software of varying degrees of complexity and economic availability is offered for recording the behavior of experimental animals. Not all of these programs and techniques are convenient for use due to the frequent lack of a graphical interface and general requirements for high quality video with contrasting objects being studied. As a result, a researcher trying to automate observations of experimental animals may encounter a number of problems: lack of necessary and expensive equipment to record changes in behavior; the need for advanced training in the use of specialized recording devices and software; the need to modify the experimental design to meet the requirements of the software (for example, increasing illumination), which could potentially in itself change the behavior of the animal, etc. Employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (Pavlov E.D., Ganzha E.V.) together with a Vietnamese colleague (Tran Duc Dien) developed a new method for non-invasive assessment of the motor activity of fish (LAAD, Locomotor Activity Auto Detection). The technique makes it possible to assess the biological rhythms of animals based on their movements over a long period of time (an hour, a day or more). LAAD includes an experimental design, a recording software module, and a data sequence aggregator (time series data sets). The software module, based on the open source Python code, is capable of simultaneously analyzing video files with an accuracy of more than 95%, the number and size of which are limited only by the capabilities of a personal computer for simultaneous processing of an array of video data. On a PC with average performance, the application is capable of processing 24-hour video files with a resolution of 480p, obtained from at least 10 experimental animals (>240 hours of video recordings per day), in one day. In this case, the discreteness of software analysis is less than one second. Fig.2: Circadian rhythm of locomotor activity of the climbing perch: motor activity (in %) by time (in hours) The main differences between the original LAAD method and other software approaches are as follows: No strict requirements for video quality. You can use inexpensive video cameras that operate in the infrared range.The omnivorous nature of the method in terms of the object of research - from ciliates to mammals.Easy to configure and launch the recording module.Does not require a powerful PC.There are no license restrictions for use. The work was carried out within the framework of the Ecolan 3.2 project in 2022‒2023. (Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center) with financial support from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. At the moment, the technique has been verified on two representatives of tropical fish: the chain catfish Pterygoplichthys spp. and Anabas testudineus. The protocol of experiments on armored catfish is published on the protocols.io website and in the first quartile journal: PloS ONE.

Urban forests provide ecosystem services: temperature regulation, air purification, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, etc. To assess the condition and develop management measures, it is important to ensure a baseline assessment and further regular monitoring of biodiversity, vegetation dynamics and spatial structure of urban forests. For most cities, a unified monitoring system has not been developed that would allow systematically carrying out such work and integrating their results and recommendations into the existing urban area management system. The territory of Moscow is extremely heterogeneous in the context of different types of land use, which in turn determines the different functions and condition of urban forests. To what extent do the forests of modern Moscow support the natural resource and environmental potential and what are the risks in meeting the social and environmental needs of the population in the urban region? The assessment was carried out for three sectors characterized by different anthropogenic load and land use: 1. “old Moscow”, 2. “new Moscow” up to the A-107 highway and 3. beyond the A-107 highway. The study assessed three aspects of the condition of Moscow's forests. Firstly, typological diversity was studied (heterogeneity of forest types: coniferous, broad-leaved, etc.). Secondly, the stages of forest succession were studied: the extent to which the forests are old-growth, indigenous and, therefore, valuable, or vice versa, young - for example, long-term derivatives in overgrown clearings. The third aspect is the fragmentation and mosaic nature of forests - how small and disconnected they are or, on the contrary, how they are grouped into large coherent masses. About 1,700 field geobotanical descriptions were used to classify forest formations and groups of associations. The Random Forest algorithm was used for cartographic modeling. Elementary territorial units of forest cover (divisions), with their assigned membership in formations and groups of associations, were the object of analysis of the diversity, dynamics and spatial structure of forests. As a result of the classification, 11 forest formations and 33 groups of forest cover associations were identified. Overall accuracy of mapping modeling was 59% for association groups and 67% for formations. With distance from the center, an ambiguous trend is observed: despite a significant increase in the share of forest cover from 9% in the center to 56% on the periphery, there is a slight decrease in typological diversity due to the dominance of pine forests in the second sector (32%) and spruce-small-leaved forests in the third sector (39%). The share of conditionally indigenous forests is steadily decreasing from the center to the periphery, and the share of long-term derived forests, on the contrary, is increasing. In terms of fragmentation, multidirectional processes are also observed. The average area of a forest stand, the complexity of shape, the similarity and proximity of stands increase from the center to the periphery. However, there is a decrease in the share of the ecological core in the patch (in conjunction with an increase in contrast), and at the same time, a decrease in connectivity between the patches. Based on the study, it is shown that the combination of significant fragmentation with a high proportion of long-term derived forest types is critical for the sustainable existence of forest cover in the region. The unsatisfactory ability of forests to meet the social and environmental needs of residents in the central part of the city is quantitatively substantiated. In general, the methodology and results of the work create the basis for monitoring Moscow forests, as well as other urban areas. Article: Kotlov, I., Chernenkova, T. & Belyaeva, N. Urban forests of Moscow: typological diversity, succession status, and fragmentation assessment. Landsc Ecol 38, 3767–3789 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01788-7

Fig.1: Candidate of Biological Sciences, leading researcher at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS Ilya Mordvintsev / Maxim Stulov from Vedomosti Their dependence on sea ice makes polar bears extremely vulnerable to climate change, so they need to be studied and protected. In Russia, measures to protect these animals are carried out within the framework of the national project “Ecology”. A new program for monitoring bears in the Kara Sea was launched in 2024. Candidate of Biological Sciences, leading researcher at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS Ilya Mordvintsev spoke about how animals are counted, why it is needed and what the role of business is in this. – In 2024, as part of the national project “Ecology”, a new program to study the polar bear will start in the Russian Arctic. What is your role in this process? – Strictly speaking, this is not a completely new project, but a continuation of the work that we have been carrying out for three years together with the Rosneft company. Since 2020, we have been researching polar bears in the Barents Sea - on Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. We determined the composition of the population, the routes of its movement, and assessed the health of the animals. Therefore, Rosneft entrusted us with a new job - for another three years and already in the Kara Sea. – What is the main task of new research? – The project is called “Study and monitoring of the Kara subpopulation of polar bears in conditions of climate change.” We understand that climate change is a growing issue  and that it is worse in the Arctic than anywhere else. At the same time, approximately a third of the entire polar bear population lives in the Russian Arctic; it amounts to 5,000–7,000 individuals. Climate change directly affects the polar bear because its habitat is sea ice, which is now shrinking at a catastrophic rate. We need to understand what is really happening, at what speed and how to preserve this species. – What is interesting about the Kara Sea? How is it different from Barents? – The Kara Sea is a blind spot, an absolute lack of data. There is no information about how many polar bears inhabit its area. No records were ever carried out; even in Soviet times there were only incidental observations during ice reconnaissance. For the first time in the history of the country, we are going to conduct a total count of polar bears in the Kara Sea, determine the size of the population, see how it is distributed, and identify key water areas to maintain its stable state. – That is, to do a kind of population census? - Not really. When a population census is taken, many parameters are recorded: gender, age, etc. Our main research method is aerial survey; there is no way to determine the sex of a bear from an airplane. But if in the end we can confidently say that, say, two or two and a half thousand polar bears live in the Kara Sea, from a scientific point of view this will already be a super result. – How is field work carried out? – Counting polar bears is done from a laboratory aircraft using two methods. First, the visual counting method: scientists with binoculars look out the portholes on the port and starboard sides and record the number of bears encountered. Secondly, the instrumental accounting method. There are devices installed on board the aircraft - cameras for photo and thermal imaging. Since each device has its own shooting angle, they do not capture some part of the field of view. That is why it is important to use all methods simultaneously: they complement each other, allow you to capture the whole picture and not miss anything. – What is a laboratory aircraft? – In our project we use two aircrafts – An-26 “Arctic” and An-28, equipped with all the necessary equipment for carrying out field work. The principle of complementarity also applies here: the An-26 is larger, it is capable of covering longer distances, because we plan to reach the northernmost point of the Kara Sea. The An-28 is smaller both in size and in flight range, but with its help we plan to more often and carefully examine the surrounding area, in particular the coastal zone. This is important because we expect that the density of polar bears will be higher on the coast - where there is thin ice with a lot of cracks and polynyas, where there are a lot of true seals and ringed seals. – What makes the work difficult? – Our research in terms of the coverage of the territory and the conditions in which they must be carried out is one of the most complex, technically, logistically, and financially. In addition to the fact that we need to work throughout the Kara Sea, which is almost 900,000 square km, it is necessary to cover it in a fairly short period of time. We have to do everything quickly because the ice is always moving and the bears with it. Fig.2: Press service of PJSC Rosneft – So as not to count the same bears twice? – Yes, we cannot allow individuals to be counted again. Another difficulty is that weather conditions in the Arctic are very varied. Imagine, you received a weather report in the morning near the airport, but while you are flying 1000 km north, everything has changed and you have no visibility. You are forced to turn around and leave, and the cost of renting an airplane per hour is very, very high. In addition, in parallel with airplanes, we will also use helicopters. – Why helicopters? – Helicopters are necessary to deliver specialists to the place of contract work. This is the second task of our project - assessing the health status of polar bears and studying the routes of their movement in the Kara Sea. Now the plane has flown by, observers have seen that the density of bears in this area is high, and we can confidently head there by helicopter to try to get closer to the animals. – How much closer? – Contact work involves catching animals for installation of satellite transmitters. We use satellite collars made in Russia; they allow us to track the migration routes of bears, their activity, and determine the possible locations of females in their maternity dens. In addition, during contact work we take biological samples to identify diseases and heavy metals using blood, conduct hormonal studies, and determine nutrition using isotopic analysis of fur collections. – This is a large amount of information, how do you process it? – Biological samples are studied by specialists during laboratory analytical and desk research. But the results of aerial photography over such a gigantic area is a huge array of data, the manual processing of which will take several years. Therefore, for the project in the Kara Sea we will use algorithms based on neural networks - artificial intelligence. It will help automatically identify bears in a large number of photo and thermal images. To count them accurately and, most importantly, quickly. – Planes, helicopters, thermal imagers, transmitters, artificial intelligence... Is counting polar bears an expensive undertaking? – Yes, like all work in the North. Back in 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources approved a roadmap for the conservation and restoration of the polar bear. Rosneft was the first to get involved in this work, since businesses have more opportunities to finance them, pay for equipment, and attract scientists. – How do businesses benefit from this? – There is a practical meaning. The development trend of the Arctic suggests the presence of more and more people in the region every year. This is due to an increase in the number of infrastructure projects and the development of the Northern Sea Route. No wonder they say that the Arctic is our future. However, with climate change, more polar bears are being spotted on land. This is the moment when man and bear will inevitably collide. And you need to understand how to act in such encounters. How to create an effective response system, video surveillance, sound alerts, develop safety protocols to protect both people and animals. – Who is more dangerous to whom – a bear to a person or a person to a bear? – There are only three types of animals that are dangerous to humans: a hungry predator, a sick one, and a female protecting cubs. A polar bear that is well-fed, healthy, has the opportunity to hunt and lead its normal lifestyle, does not need a human. He will often bypass them. Therefore, it is so important to preserve its natural habitat. You need to remember about order and cleanliness, to not pollute nature, to not throw away waste, and to store it correctly. – Do you already know everything about polar bears? – No, we still know very little about polar bears. – What does this knowledge provide globally? – Knowledge is primarily needed to understand this species. Any knowledge is necessary for a person to develop; it is good to accumulate it, but it is also better to be able to apply it. We must use our knowledge to preserve the polar bear. – Do you have a dream as a scientist? – Our dream is to cover the entire Arctic, to work in all polar bear populations, from the Barents Sea to the Chukchi. For us, this is a big mystery that needs to be solved.

As part of the International Exhibition and Forum "Russia", the Rosneft company presented its new program for the study and conservation of bioindicator species of the Arctic region. The press conference was attended by representatives of the company, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. The research will take place from 2024 to 2027 and take place  in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. During the expeditions organized by Rosneft, specialists from leading scientific organizations in Russia will for the first time conduct an aerial survey of polar bears in the Kara Sea, monitor wild reindeer and study the fish of the mouth of the Yenisei River, and also build maps of the ecological sensitivity of the shores of the Yenisei Bay and the adjacent waters of the Kara Sea, checking the nesting places of valuable bird species. Information about animal populations will allow scientists to draw conclusions about the state of their habitats and develop measures to preserve the biodiversity of the Arctic region. At the moment, the scientific world does not have data on the Kara subpopulation of the polar bear, and Rosneft’s research will add to the knowledge base about this animal. Scientists will also try out a new type of satellite transmitter to track bear activity and migration movements. Monitoring of wild reindeer in Western Taimyr is of practical importance for the region, since this animal is a key element in the existence of the indigenous population engaged in traditional crafts. Part of the work on studying animals in the northern regions is carried out by the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS. According to Sergei Naidenko, director of  IEE RAS, in the context of global warming and climate change in the Arctic, the behavior of animals is constantly changing. Scientists are tracking these changes to better understand the processes taking place in the region. The presentation of the project took place as part of the themed Arctic Days until February 18 in the Rosneft pavilion at the International Exhibition and Forum “Russia” at VDNKh. Related materials: AiF: "The pristine Arctic. Scientists and Rosneft will continue to study ecosystems" Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Rosneft holds Polar Bear Days at VDNKh

Fig.1: A - normal individual.B - individual with morphological anomalies.The arrow points to the anal pore During parasitological studies of mites in the nests of swallows (Riparia riparia L., 1758) in the Vladimir region, scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences noticed that among the 6982 collected larvae of Ixodes lividus Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), one was observed with an abnormal appearance and the presence of two anal pores. Thus, only 0.01% of all ticks collected in 2022 had morphological abnormalities. Teratological changes are a rare phenomenon in ticks. The most common abnormality reported in ticks is gynandromorphism (i.e. individuals have both male and female characteristics). There are also other types of morphological abnormalities, such as asymmetry, bifurcation, fusion of adanal plates and scallops, atrophy or absence of one or two legs. At the same time, according to the literature, in Ixodes persulcatus (Schulze, 1930), a neighboring species from this genus, which has a normal exoskeleton structure, no more than 3–4 types of pathogenic microorganisms can be simultaneously recorded, which a tick can transmit through a bite, while the individuals with abnormalities often carry 5–7. This work represents the first study of morphological abnormalities (i.e., teratology) in I. lividus, and the findings are the first for this tick species. Bykov, Y., Yatsuk, A., Kondratev, E., Porshakov, A., & Matyukhin, A. (2023). Abnormal morphology of a larva Ixodes lividus Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae). Persian Journal of Acarology, 12(4), 593–597. https://doi.org/10.22073/pja.v12i4.82615

Fig.1: Participants in field work on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia A collective monograph has been published, the basis of which is information on the diversity and structure of hydrobiont communities in artificial reservoirs of the semi-desert zone using the example of the reservoirs of Western Mongolia - Taishir and Durgun - in the first decade of their existence. Fig.2: Durgun reservoir Separate chapters present the results of studies of planktonic algae and cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria and nanophlegellates, invertebrates, benthic macroinvertebrates, as well as fish populations and fish parasitic fauna. A review of data on the biological regime of reservoirs in semiarid and arid territories of the world is presented. Fig.3: Morpho-ecological forms of the Altai Osman Potanin Oreoleuciscus potanini of the Durgun reservoir:1 - sharp-snouted form2 - herbivorous form3 - piscivorous form The chapters on the reservoirs of Western Mongolia were prepared on the basis of original materials obtained by the authors (including employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences) as part of the Joint Russian-Mongolian integrated biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia. Fig.4: Morpho-ecological forms of the Altai Ottoman Potanin Oreoleuciscus potanini of the Taishir reservoir, demonstrating rapid diversification from the river form, exhibiting similarity with the previously established cyclic formation of the Altai Ottomans in the periodically drying reservoirs of the Valley of Lakes of Mongolia The publication is the 8th monographic edition of the hydrobiological and ichthyological team of the expedition. Fig.5: Dzabkhan River below the Taishir Hydroelectric Power Station dam The book is intended for hydrobiologists, ichthyologists, parasitologists and ecologists, teachers and students of universities, as well as specialists involved in issues of rational environmental management and protection of aquatic ecosystems. Fig.6: Taishir Reservoir The publication is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 55th anniversary of the Joint Russian-Mongolian Complex Biological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Fig.7: Participants in field work on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia Reservoirs of the semi-desert zone: Western Mongolia / hole. ed. Krylov A.V. Moscow; Yaroslavl: Filigree, 2023. – 204 p.; ill. –‒ Biological resources and natural conditions of Mongolia: Proceedings of the Joint Russian-Mongolian complex biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences; v. 69). ISBN 978-5-6050859-8-0 Fig.8: Participants of research on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia Fig.9: The cover of the monograph

Drawing. In conditions of intensified use of meadows and pastures, ecosystems “accelerate” due to the predominance of individuals and species characterized by smaller sizes, greater mobility and speed of functional processes. Collage of photos and images: A.S. Zaitseva and M. Neiert. Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as part of a representative international consortium of researchers, have found that in the event of increased anthropogenic impact on herbaceous ecosystems, the organisms in them, regardless of the systematic group, become smaller and demonstrate an acceleration of functional processes. The problem of ensuring the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems while increasing the intensity of their use in agriculture is extremely relevant in the modern world. Employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as part of a representative international consortium of researchers from eight countries, conducted a large-scale study of 150 European meadows and pastures. The composition and functioning of their biota were studied at the level of individual organisms, species and their entire community. Scientists have made an interesting discovery that in the case of intensification of agricultural use of herbaceous ecosystems, species and individuals characterized by small sizes and accelerated functional processes become increasingly functional in the communities of above-ground and underground organisms inhabiting them. To prove this quantitatively, various morphological and functional parameters, which in the world literature are called traits, were measured for plants, bats, birds, flying insects and various terrestrial and soil invertebrates. Traits include, for example, body size, speed and type of reproduction, respiration rate and other functional characteristics of organisms. Undisturbed communities were found to be dominated by larger, slow-reproducing organisms characterized by relatively slow physiological processes (termed “slow” traits). In disturbed ecosystems, on the contrary, small, fast-moving, fertile species with intense physiological processes (called “fast” traits) prevail. Accordingly, ecosystems in poorly exploited meadows and pastures are “slow”, accumulating a large supply of biomass and characterized by a relative slowdown of processes, and in the case of intensive use - “fast” with reduced biomass, but accelerated functioning and response to stimuli. Due to this, intensively used meadows and pastures can effectively resist complete degradation, as they recover faster in the event of additional impact. “The discovered mechanisms for ensuring the sustainability of meadows and pastures during the intensification of their use by humans open up impressive prospects in the field of green economy and the cultivation of clean and healthy agricultural products,” noted Andrey Zaitsev, head of the work from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading researcher at the laboratory for studying the ecological functions of soils. The participation of the Russian group in the study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF grant 23-14-00201). The results were published in February 2024 in the leading prestigious international journal Nature Communications.

The Russian Wildlife portal contains recordings from camera traps installed in Russian nature reserves and national parks, photographic materials captured by scientists and professional photographers, as well as the most important news. The site also makes it possible to take a virtual trip to the most remote and unexplored corners of Russia, learn about the rich wildlife and protected areas, and observe the life of various animals and birds, including rare species. A special section reveals details of the implementation of programs for the conservation and study of endangered and particularly important species. Related materials: RAS: "The portal “Wildlife of Russia” has opened"

A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and North Ossetia will join forces to preserve and restore rare species of animals on the territory of the republic. This is one of the tasks of the national project “Ecology”. The corresponding agreement was signed at the Russia exhibition, reported the regional Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. “For our part, we will make every effort to achieve the goals of the agreement, to preserve the biodiversity of animals on the territory of North Ossetia. It is no coincidence that the Caucasian leopard and bison became the central theme of the North Ossetian site,” said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Republic Yulia Khludeeva. The Institute, together with scientists and ecologists from North Ossetia, is already successfully implementing a program for the restoration of the Caucasian leopard in the Caucasus, thanks to which 15 individuals have been released into the wild since 2016. The current agreement will contribute to the development of new environmental projects to restore the ecosystem and rare species of animals. The “Ecology” national project is aimed at increasing the efficiency of waste management, radically reducing the level of air pollution in large industrial centers, as well as preserving the unique flora and fauna of Russia. National projects have been implemented by decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2019.