Increasing anthropogenic pressure on the largest remaining tracts of old-growth boreal forest in Europe necessitates additional conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity in northeastern European Russia. In a regional network comprising 8 % of the Nenets Autonomous District and 13.5 % of the Komi Republic, 248 areas have varying protected statuses as state nature reserves (zapovedniks), national parks, reserves/sanctuaries (zakazniks), or natural monuments. Due to increased natural resource extraction in this relatively pristine area, designation of additional protected areas is critical for the protection of key ecological sites. The history of ecological preservation in these regions is herein described, and recent recommendations for incorporating additional ecologically representative areas into the regional network are presented. If the protected area network can be expanded, the overall environmental stability in these globally significant ecosystems may remain intact, and can help Russia meet the 2020 Aichi conservation targets, as set forth by the Convention of Biological Diversity.

River floodplains are unique nature landscapes. In contrast to zonal communities on watersheds, soil biota of river floodplains is studied in less degree. The research was conducted in the floodplain forests in the European NorthEast of Russia and showed high diversity of soil biota in alluvial forest soils. Floodplain forest soils are inhabited by 70 species of micromycetes, 53 genera of Nematoda, 60 species of Collembola, and 110 species of large invertebrates. Alluvial meadow soils with stable moisture and temperature conditions are characterised by high species diversity of micromycetes, nematodes and large invertebrates. Collembola prefer alluvial soddy soils. Soil microorganisms, meso-and macro-fauna can essentially increase taxonomic diversity and number in alluvial meadow-boggy soils at warming autumn.

The results of studies on transformations of the floristic diversity of forest ecosystems under the effect of human activity in the southern and middle taiga subzones of the Komi Republic are reviewed. It is shown that the change of dominants in the tree layer leads to the formation of specific biotopes and, as a consequence, to changes in floristic complexes and the cenotic roles of species in the lower layers of forest communities. In the study region, the α -diversity of forest communities is determined mainly by two environmental factors: soil fertility and acidity. The factor of illumination has only a slight effect on the α -diversity of taiga forests, which is especially clear in the group of deciduous forest formations.

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