Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs of the company Andrey Grachev spoke about this at the first International Forum “Day of the Falcon” as part of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
The development of the program began under an agreement between Norilsk Nickel and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Research sites have already been established in Yamal and Kamchatka, where the largest families of birds of this species are located.
Specialists from the Research Institute for Environmental Protection are studying the habitat of falcons and determining their diversity.
The research includes genetic analysis and tracking of birds using transmitters. Nesting sites have already been found and genetic samples are being taken. At the same time, factors influencing the gyrfalcon population are being studied. Norilsk Nickel expects that the results of the expeditions will be presented in early 2024.
The study of gyrfalcons is not the first collaboration between Norilsk Nickel and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Previously, the company supported a project to preserve and restore the polar bear population. In addition, Norilsk Nickel systematically invests in scientific research in the regions where its enterprises operate, finances the largest scientific institutes in biodiversity research, cooperates with nature reserves, and annually supports the incubation and release of valuable fish species into water bodies.
To study how industry affects the ecology of the Arctic, the company works closely with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Over the past 3 years, 5 large scientific expeditions have been carried out - this is the first such large-scale exploration of the Arctic since Soviet times.
The Ministry of Regional Security of the Murmansk Region has developed a draft regulatory act that eases the possibilities of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for photography and videography
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