MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft supports projects to study and preserve biodiversity

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On October 4, the whole world celebrates Animal Protection Day, which was established in 1931 with the aim of drawing attention to the problems of preserving the inhabitants of our planet.

Rosneft pays special attention to environmental issues and biodiversity conservation. Environmental care is an integral part of the Company’s corporate culture and social responsibility. The protection and preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity is one of Rosneft’s main environmental goals until 2035.

The Company is implementing the largest Arctic region study program since Soviet times. Over 50 expeditions have been conducted over 12 years, during which the country’s leading scientists have studied key species-bioindicators of Arctic ecosystem stability: polar bear, Atlantic walrus, wild reindeer and ivory gull. This has allowed them to collect a unique array of information about the Arctic animal world. The data obtained is used to create a series of ecological atlases by Rosneft and Innopraktika.

In 2024, as part of the national project “Ecology”, the Company launched a new research program called “Tamura”. In the period up to 2027, it is planned to study reindeer, polar bear, valuable bird species, and fish in the mouth of the Yenisei River on the Taimyr Peninsula. In total, ten expeditions will be conducted over four years. This season, scientists have already carried out field work to study birds on the Brekhov Islands, as well as large islands of the Yenisei Gulf. The total length of the air routes of the bird study expedition conducted in the Krasnoyarsk Territory exceeded 4,000 km.

In addition, with the support of Rosneft, a research expedition to study wild reindeer was organized within the Tamura program. The total length of the expedition’s boat routes to study wild reindeer exceeded 2,800 km, and the area of aerial observations was 360 thousand km2. Rosneft has been studying wild reindeer since 2014. During this time, large-scale ground and aerial surveys of animals were conducted in Evenkia and Taimyr. Using satellite tags installed on the reindeer, scientists tracked their full annual migration cycle for the first time, and also identified seasonal behavior patterns.

The Company pays special attention to the study and conservation of the polar bear. Scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with the Company’s specialists, conducted a full-scale census of the polar bear population distribution during the ice-free period on the northwestern coast of the Taimyr Peninsula and the islands of the Kara Sea as part of the Tamura program. The total length of the polar bear study expedition’s air routes exceeded 2,500 km, and the scientists encountered 50 Arctic predators in total. For the first time in Russian practice, ear radio tags were placed not only on females, but also on males.

Rosneft, together with the non-governmental development institute Innopraktika and the Center for Full Genome Sequencing, are implementing a unique project to create a genomic database of living organisms in the Russian Arctic. This information is needed for long-term planning of the region’s sustainable development and the preservation of its fragile ecosystems. Among the priority projects is the assembly of the polar bear’s full genome.

Since 2013, Rosneft has been the guardian of all polar bears living in Russian zoos. Currently, the Company patronizes 34 polar bears in 16 zoos in the country, providing them with care, feeding, veterinary support, and updating their enclosures. With the support of the Company, special toys have been developed to increase the physical activity of the animals. In addition, Rosneft is implementing a program to rescue and rehabilitate young polar bears left in the wild without the care of their mothers.

Rosneft also supports programs to preserve the Amur tiger population – interacting with specially protected natural areas in the predator’s habitat, rehabilitation and reintroduction centers for animals. With the Company’s participation, equipment and transport for scientific purposes are purchased, and social infrastructure for scientists is being built.

In 2024, scientists from the Siberian Federal University, with the support of Rosneft, analyzed the state of the wolf population in the Evenki District of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The result of the research was a set of recommendations from specialists on improving the regulation of the number of predators to maintain the balance of ecosystems. In total, the researchers conducted 67 field trips to various areas and reserves of Yenisei Siberia. Specialists developed a method for calculating the number of predators, according to which the wolf population in Evenkia numbers 2,600 individuals.

The study and protection of the whale and dolphin population is one of the areas of the Company’s environmental program. As part of environmental monitoring when supporting Rosneft projects, observations are made from ships of all mammals found in the vast expanses of the seas, including whales and dolphins. One of the main species that receives close attention is the gray whale of the Okhotsk Sea population. The program for monitoring the Okhotsk Sea population of gray whales on the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island has been conducted for 27 years. As part of the program, the population size is annually counted, animal behavior is observed, their food supply is studied, photo-identification studies and acoustic monitoring are carried out.

In addition, in 2020, Rosneft, together with the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, implemented a large-scale project to study and monitor Black Sea dolphins. Based on the results of 3 years of observations, modern up-to-date data were obtained on the number and preferred habitats of Black Sea dolphins, and the characteristics of their seasonal distribution. Recommendations were prepared for the study and conservation of Black Sea cetaceans.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft October 4, 2024

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.rosneft.ru/press/nevs/item/220882/

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

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