Collaboration within the SUNRAISE project enables to fulfill functions of UNESCO biosphere reserves.

The first practical outcomes have been achieved by means of the Altai-Sayan Collaborative Platform established at the beginning of this year in order to launch cooperation in sustainable development of Altai-Sayan Mountain Region. The Platform includes Gorno-Altaisk State University, Siberian Federal University, Altai-Sayan Mountain Partnership and Katunskiy Biosphere Reserve.

The field research has been organized in Katunskiy Reserve within the framework of platform activities. GASU students and academic staff assessed conditions of surface waters and soils whereas SibFU team observed the conditions of conifer trees. The research took place in the area of Multinskie Lakes. And now the next step is to study collected samples in the universities’ labs.

It should be noted that ecological monitoring and fundamental research are key support functions to be implemented by UNESCO biosphere reserves. However, a lack of equipment and personnel often hampers the fundamental research activities in the reserves. The newly-developed Collaborative Platform allows to arrange substantial research and monitoring of reserve mountain ecosystems by means of state-of-the-art R&D methods and tools.