The station was established in 1969 on the initiative of Academician E.E. Syroechkovsky of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences on the site of the then-essentially abandoned village of Mirnoye in the Turukhansk District of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Since 1980, the station has belonged to the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The station is located on the banks of the Yenisei River in its middle reaches and is surrounded by middle-taiga dark coniferous forests of Siberian cedar, spruce, pine, and larch. The Yenisei Valley features a complex of dark coniferous taiga, shrub (willow) communities, and several types of meadows. The station is located within the biosphere test site of the Central Siberian Biosphere Reserve.
The organizers of the station set themselves the task of studying the zonal natural features of Central Siberia along the Yenisei meridional transect. Therefore, while the station's primary objective was to study taiga ecosystems, it served as a base for broader research and generalizations concerning not only taiga territories but also tundra and arctic landscapes, including Taimyr to the north, as well as southern Yenisei Siberia all the way to the steppes and semi-deserts of Khakassia and Tyva.
The station has two laboratory buildings, a cafeteria, a dormitory, a bathhouse, and a warehouse. Transportation is primarily by water (to Lesosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk). The station can accommodate up to 15–20 staff and students at a time.
Photo by: Ivan Sotnikov
Photo: The 55th anniversary of the Yenisei station “Mirnoye”