MRI Newsletter 6: Global change research in mountain biosphere reserves of the Russian Federation

Mountains and highlands occupy Russian Federation. In 2005, Russia had 36 Biosphere Reserves (BRs), of which 15 are Mountain Biosphere Reserves (MBRs). The MBRs represent different environmental and economic zones of Northern Eurasia; they lie far apart from one another. Laplandskiy MBR on the Kola Peninsula is an example of a reserve located in the arctic belt and affected by the mining industry, while Kavkazskiy MBR, 2,500 km further south and located on the border with Georgia, represents eastern Mediterranean ecoregional features.