The article presents innovative environmental methods as a basis for biotechnological approaches of sunflower cultivation to be used for supplementary feeding of roe deer in their natural habitat in the winter, in order to preserve the animal population and to maintain the biological balance of the ecosystem at the Kirzinsky Federal State Natural Reserve in the Novosibirsk region. The article provides the basic pathoanatomical and morphological criteria of the metabolic processes in the organism of Siberian roe deer in case of using sunflower in their diet. A high level of anabolic (cumulative) processes in the roe deer organism is identified, which is manifested in the formation of large fat depots, thus reflecting the high degree of stability of the biological system to the occurrence of natural extraordinary factors in the natural habitat of the roe deer. The examination has shown that the rumen is satisfactorily filled with homogeneous contents of moderate humidity. Forage mainly consists of sunflower represented by the sunflower groats with grains (seeds) of various degree of mechanical and biological crushing. The use of sunflower as supplementary feed in extensive fodder fields allows Siberian roe deer to accumulate energy reserve in the winter with significantly high snow cover, for ensuring the forming and metabolic processes, especially in the extreme conditions of living in the wild.

The article presents the analysis of the limiting environmental factors that determine the dynamics of the roe deer population in Western Siberia. The regularities of the extreme effect of winter anomalies, in particular, high snow, on the organisms of Siberian roe deer have been determined. The structure of winter nutrition and behavioral reactions of roe deer has been studied in terms of adaptation and maintaining the homeostasis in the conditions of fodder shortage and overcoming the resistance of the snow cover. The reasons for the mass mortality of roe deer in the winter have been found. To solve this problem, post-mortem examinations were made of the roe deer that died from starvation in the wild. Studies have shown that roe deer feeding on raw growing browse in the wintering period results in injuries of the digestive system. This browse has low nutritional value and is unable to ensure the energy balance in the organism of roe deer. It has been found that this process is accompanied by degeneration of the tissues and organs with disruption of their functions, resulting in nutritional depletion, which causes mass mortality of roe deer in the wild.

In the article, the authors presented practical recommendations on the involvement of fallow lands in the agrarian and biotechnical turnover on the example of the state nature reserve of federally significant (SNRFS) “Kirzinsky”. The authors determined the geographic locations of fallow lands as well as the coordinates of the placement of fodder fields for winter feeding of roe deer in the areas of existing winter habitats by using the method of biotechnical zoning of the territory of the reserve. Fallow lands are the basis for the formation of a perennial feeding platform to support wild ungulates during abnormal periods of the winter cycle. The results of biotechnical experiments made it possible to develop and implement an integrated system of biotechnical measures for the conservation of the Siberian roe deer in the winter. The use of fallow lands contributed to an increase in the number of Siberian roe deer by almost three times with the use of biotechnical measures on the territory of the Kirzinsky State Nature Reserve. The developed methodological provisions formed the basis of the biotechnical manual “Scientifically based biotechnical system for the conservation and increase in the number of Siberian roe deer in the state natural reserves of Western Siberia”, recommended for practical use in the biotechnical development of protected natural areas.

Despite the technical diversity of techniques for winter feeding of wild ungulates, technologies for opening up forage fields during abnormal periods of the wintering cycle have serious biological potential. In winter, when high snow cover blocks access of ungulates to natural forage in form of fallen leaves and grass rags under snow, clearing biotechnical fields before vegetation becomes exposed is an efficient method of feeding the wintering fauna, especially for Siberian roe deer. By clearing snow from “winter pastures”, where biotech crops and grasses such as sunflowers, oats, peas, and alfalfa were sown, large roe deer groups can be provided with a good and balanced forage ration. Taken together, these biotechnical measures compensate for the lowering of the level of forage resources during winter anomalies and encourage the dynamics of roe deer population growth and the process of reproduction in this species.