Unusual rescue operation on the Dvina: scientists are "relocating" water moss

It's time to gather stones on the Western Dvina, but unusual ones. Half a century ago, scientists discovered the Danube Cinclidotus – a water moss – on such dolomite boulders. If it can be found anywhere, it's only in the Alps.

Now scientists are conducting a special rescue operation to prevent this unique species from disappearing forever.

Knee-deep in water – today botanists are engaged in loading and unloading operations. For hundreds of kilometers around, this is the only place where this rare plant grows.

The unique moss lives almost its entire life underwater, but depths greater than two meters are already a threat to its existence. And here, the water will soon rise to all 10 meters, as the Vitebsk HPP is being built downstream. Half a century ago, a similar scenario unfolded in Latvia. But there, no attention was paid to the plant. Now, the Danube Cinclidotus remains only here.

Irina Voznichuk, leading researcher of the monitoring sector of the plant world at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the National Academy of Sciences: "When the HPP was being built downstream of the Daugava River, this species was flooded. We decided to take a different path, to give this species a chance to survive on other rivers."

The high water does not threaten other Red Book representatives on the Western Dvina – this is the result of an environmental assessment. The endangered plant will be relocated to several places, on the Ovsyanka River and on the Western Dvina, where there is no threat of water level rise.

Oleg Maslovsky, head of the plant world cadastre sector at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the National Academy of Sciences: "We are becoming an example for many other CIS countries. There are no such relocation examples in Ukraine, the Baltics, or Russia. In this regard, we are becoming pioneers and a leading nation that is forming not only a positive image as a country but also creating a methodology for nature conservation."

Scientists prepared for the relocation of the water moss for several months. The task was not simply to transport the stones. They selected locations where natural conditions would allow botanists to create new microecosystems and conduct observations. Especially since the Ovsyanka River is also home to other Red Book species.

In two days, scientists will transport hundreds of stones covered with the rare plant, and they collected boulders from the Western Dvina with a surplus, so that the water moss would have room to grow.

ONT.