Vegetation Fires as a Factor of Reducing the Volume of Ecosystem Services of Forests of Specially Protected Natural Areas

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630*435

DOI:

10.17238/issn0536-1036.2019.6.79

Abstract

Specially protected natural areas of federal importance in Irkutsk region occupy 1.84 mln ha, or 2.38 % of its area. Two objects are located in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory (Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve and Pribaikal National Park); and are represented by five objects, two of which are located in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural area (Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, Pribaikalsky National Park). One of the key problems in these territories is fires. The article provides a brief forest fire characteristic of Irkutsk region; the analysis of fire frequency of vegetation of the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve and Pribaikalsky National Park in 2007–2018 based on the statistical data is made. Fires occurred between March 28 and October 31 during these years. The maximum number of combustion occurrences grown into fires in the Pribaikalsky National Park was observed in April–June. In the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve the starting dates for forest fires are shifted to summer. The maximum area covered by fires was in 2015. More than half of all the fires registered in recent years in the National Park (57 %) are in the forest areas of Irkutsk region, 13 % in the forest areas of the Slyudyanskiy district and 30 % in the forest areas of the Ol’khonskiy district of Irkutsk region. The dependence of the fire hazard on the recreational load of the territory is observed. Most of the fires occurred in forest ecosystems, which led to a significant reduction in the potential of ecosystem services of forests. The total damage averaged 136.26 mln rub a year for the Pribaikalsky National Park, and 1,081.71 mln rub a year for the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve. This amount includes the costs from wood losses, damage from a decrease in the environment-forming functions of a forest and pollution of the surrounding environment by burning products. This value also characterizes the decrease in the volume of regulating, supporting and cultural services of the forest. The analysis of the sources of vegetation fires and their consequences was carried out using the Bowtie method. Security barriers have been proposed. They reduce the likelihood of fires and extent of their consequences. The most effective barriers could be the introduction of autonomous systems for monitoring forest fires, increasing environmental awareness and culture of tourists.

Authors

Candidate of Biology, Assoc. Prof.; ResearcherID: AAB-8113-2019, ORCID: 0000-0003-0515-8811

Affiliation

Irkutsk National Research Technical University, ul. Lermontova, 83, Irkutsk, 664074, Russian Federation; e-mail: belyana64@inbox.ru

Keywords

specially protected natural areas, forest, vegetation fires, fire frequency, wood loss, damage

For citation

Volchatova I.V. Vegetation Fires as a Factor of Reducing the Volume of Ecosystem Services of Forests of Specially Protected Natural Areas. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2019, no. 6, pp. 79–91. DOI: 10.17238/issn0536-1036.2019.6.79

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