Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land Reclamation

Borys Oleksandrovych Baranovskyi, PhD in Biology, Senior Researcher

Head of the Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land

Reclamation

ORCID: 0000-0003-0732-7447

E-mail: boris.baranovski@ukr.net

+380964749091

The Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land Reclamation conducts fundamental and applied research in the fields of biology, ecology, environmental protection and rational use of natural resources. The Research Laboratory also provides scientific services to external organizations, legal entities and individuals in accordance with its areas of scientific activity.

The Research Laboratory focuses on addressing problems related to the impact of anthropogenic and technogenic factors and climate change on natural and artificial ecosystems; conservation of biological diversity; prevention of plant invasions, desertification and soil degradation processes; reclamation of disturbed lands; restoration of natural vegetation, including forest ecosystems; creation of sustainable multifunctional green spaces in suburban and urban areas of the Steppe Zone; development of the nature reserve system, the ecological network of Ukraine and the Emerald Network of Europe; preparation of regional Red Lists and Red Data Books; development of green infrastructure in Ukrainian cities; and optimization of the ecological functions and ecosystem services of urban green spaces under conditions of global climate change and anthropogenic pressure.

The Research Laboratory includes thematic experimental laboratories: the Soil Chemistry Laboratory, Soil Physics Laboratory, Soil Biology Laboratory, Soil Micromorphology Laboratory, Radioecology and Bioenergy Laboratory, and the Laboratory of Isotope Solid-State Mass Spectrophotometry named after Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor A. P. Travleiev. These laboratories are equipped with advanced scientific instruments, including the MI1201AT-01 solid-state isotope mass spectrometer, C-115M1-PC atomic absorption spectrophotometer complex, PFP-7/C flame photometer, LABOVAL-4 microscope, and KFL-3 photometer.

Over its many years of scientific activity, the Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land Reclamation has achieved significant results. These include the development and implementation in practice of typologies of natural and artificial forests in reference and technogenically transformed areas, as well as principles for the design of green spaces under natural and destructive conditions of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine.

In particular, rational designs of reclamation layers using potentially forest-suitable rocks have been developed, and forest plantation projects have been implemented at PJSC DTEK Pavlohrad Coal. These projects contribute to the restoration of the forest-meliorative potential and economic value of disturbed lands.

For the areas of mining waste dumps of the Pavlohradska, Ternivska and Samarska mines, where technogenic subsidence of the surface occurred, forest plantation projects were developed. On their basis, during 2016–2017, forest plantations with a total area of 165 hectares were designed and established and subsequently transferred to forest land within the territories of the Pavlohrad Forestry State Enterprise.

An innovative project for Ukraine and European regions — the Cadastre of Adventive Species of the Steppe Zone — has been created.

Scientific and methodological recommendations for the establishment and maintenance of green spaces formed the basis of the Green Programme and the Rules for the Management of Green Spaces in the City of Dnipro, adopted by the decision of the Dnipro City Council on September 25, 2019.

The results of research on alien and invasive dendroflora of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine were used in the preparation of the List of Invasive Tree Species with a Significant Capacity for Uncontrolled Spread, Prohibited for Use in Forest Reproduction, approved by Order No. 184 of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine dated April 3, 2023.

With the participation of the staff of the Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land Reclamation, more than 70 scientific justifications have been developed for projects aimed at establishing protected natural areas and objects. These include the Dnipro-Orilskyi Nature Reserve, the Samarskyi Bir and Orilskyi national parks, the Samarski Plavni and Balka Kobylna regional landscape parks, as well as a number of nature reserves in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Mykolaiv regions.

Researchers of the Research Laboratory participated in the development and implementation of a number of biological and ecological justifications for projects aimed at restoring and improving the hydrological regime and ecological condition of water bodies in the Forest-Steppe and Steppe zones of Ukraine, including two international projects related to the development of the E40 international waterway, Kherson–Gdańsk.

Specialists of the Research Laboratory participate in working groups preparing proposals for reforming the national environmental monitoring system in Ukraine in the field of Biodiversity, as well as in working groups addressing measures for the conservation and restoration of forests in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The staff of the Research Laboratory are authors and co-authors of Ukraine's second regional Red Data Book, “Red Data Book of the Dnipropetrovsk Region. Flora”, the official Red List of rare plants of the Dnipropetrovsk region, and a number of monographs and articles assessing the condition of protected natural areas and biodiversity in general.

The specialists of the Research Laboratory also participated in the preparation of the Green Book of Ukraine and the monograph “Ruderal Vegetation of Ukraine” for publication.

Over the last five years (since 2019), the Research Laboratory has carried out the following fundamental and applied state-budget projects and research works (services) commissioned by external organizations:

“Bioindication as a Basis for the Optimization and Protection of Valley-Terrace Landscapes of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine under Conditions of Anthropogenic and Climatic Changes,” State Registration No. 0118U003303 (Client — Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine);
“Environmental Assessment of Invasive Activity for the Creation of a Cadastre of Adventive Species of Flora and Fauna of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine,” State Registration No. 0121U109771 (Client — Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine);
“Scientific and Methodological Recommendations for the Establishment and Maintenance of Green (Tree and Shrub) Plantations in the City of Dnipro” (Client — NGO “Ecological Council of Dnipro”);
“Development of a Project for the Organization of the Territory of the Samarski Plavni Regional Landscape Park, Protection, Restoration and Recreational Use of Its Natural Complexes and Objects” (Client — LLC “Agrovektor-Plus”);
“Scientific Justification of the Feasibility of Forestry Measures in the Hrushevatske Tract of the Piatykhatske Forestry Unit of the Petrikivske Forestry State Enterprise” (Client — Petrikivske Forestry State Enterprise);
“Biological Characteristics and Dynamics of the Ecological Condition of the Sula River for the Feasibility Study ‘Improvement of the Ecological Condition, Restoration of Water Flow and Protection of Water Resources of the Sula River in the Poltava Region’” (Client — State Regional Design and Survey Institute “Dniprodiпrovodgosp”);
“Biological and Ecological Justification for the Feasibility Study ‘Improvement of the Ecological Condition of the Dnipro River within the City of Dnipropetrovsk within the Framework of the National Programme for the Ecological Rehabilitation of the Dnipro Basin and Improvement of Drinking Water Quality’ (Adjustment of the Feasibility Study)” (Client — PE “Kaskad-Dnipro”);
“Biological and Ecological Justification ‘Restoration of the Hydrological Regime and Sanitary Condition of the Vovcha and Haychur Rivers in the Pokrovskyi District of the Dnipropetrovsk Region — Capital Repair’” (Client — LLC “PVP Dniprovodprom”);
“Botanical Research in the Territory of the Ash and Slag Dump (Inactive) of DTEK Prydniprovska Thermal Power Plant” (Client — Scientific and Production Enterprise “Centre for Environmental Audit and Clean Technologies” LLC);
and other projects.

Currently (2023), the Research Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology, Forest Soil Science and Land Reclamation is carrying out two fundamental research projects:

“Innovative Concept of Managing the Ecological Functions of Introduced Woody Species under Urban Ecosystem Conditions,” State Registration No. 0122U001226;
“Concept of Transformation of the Vegetation of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine to Minimize the Negative Consequences of Military Actions,” State Registration No. 0123U101546.

Scientific Services

The Research Laboratory offers a wide range of scientific services to external organizations, legal entities and individuals in all areas of its scientific activity:

development of biological and ecological justifications for projects aimed at establishing protected natural areas and objects;
development of biological and ecological justifications for projects aimed at restoring and improving the hydrological regime and ecological condition of water bodies, including the development of the E40 waterway project and restoration of the hydrobiological regime of the Kakhovka Reservoir;
development of the biological component of projects for the reclamation of disturbed lands;
assessment of the condition of natural forests and artificial forest plantations, with recommendations for their conservation, restoration and optimization;
inventory and assessment of the condition of urban green spaces, with recommendations for their optimization;
development of biological and ecological justifications for projects involving the establishment and reconstruction of tree and shrub plantations as part of the green infrastructure of cities;
preparation of regional Red Data Books (Flora) for publication and republication;
monitoring studies of territories and water areas during the implementation of hydraulic engineering and construction projects.