Sources of potential threat to the ecosystems of the "Yelnya" reserve have been eliminated - ecologists

February 22, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. All sources of potential threat to the ecosystems of the republican landscape reserve "Yelnya" have been eliminated, the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informed a BELTA correspondent. In 2010, secondary waterlogging of the Ostravskoye peatland was carried out on the territory of the reserve. Of the 12 identified sources of potential threat to ecosystems, all have been eliminated thanks to the implementation of the project "Optimization of the hydrological regime of the Yelnya reserve". 46 hydraulic structures were built on the territory, and equipment for monitoring groundwater levels was installed at 37 points. According to scientists, as a result of repeated waterlogging, the swamp landscape will be restored over most of the area, and swamp-forming processes will resume, based on the emergence of marsh vegetation and peat-forming plants. In areas with high groundwater levels, the process of natural forest regeneration will gradually intensify. All this will ultimately lead to an increase in the species diversity of animals and birds. The "Yelnya" reserve is the largest in Belarus and one of the largest in Europe complex of raised and transitional bogs. It has the status of a Territory Important for Birds (TIB) and a Ramsar site. Thanks to numerous lakes, alternating with small mineral islands covered with forest and creating a unique mosaic landscape, "Yelnya" has a very picturesque appearance, distinguishing this unique territory from most other bogs. The regional committee noted that ecological measures for the re-waterlogging of peatlands are being carried out quite effectively in the region: "Renaturation and sustainable management of peatlands to prevent land degradation, climate change and ensure the conservation of globally significant biodiversity." As a result of the implementation of international projects with the financial support of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), the public association "Aхова птушак Бацькаушчыны" (Belarus), the Michael Succow Foundation (Germany), the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility, work has been completed on the restoration and re-waterlogging of five depleted peat extraction sites with a total area of 6.4 thousand hectares, for a total amount of over Br1 billion. The restoration of wetlands is of great importance, preserving natural potential for the local population and promoting the development of ecotourism in the region. In addition, these measures make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change. Raising the water level in the bogs also helps prevent peat fires, stops the processes of peat mineralization and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In the Vitebsk region, bogs cover almost 5% of the territory - 199.55 thousand hectares. Of these, 135.1 thousand hectares are lowland bogs. -0-