Assessment of the state of ecosystem components

• Aquatic ecosystems

  Waters

  Bottom sediments

  Fauna

  Terrestrial ecosystems

  Water - Land Border Zone

  Surrounding territories

  Birds

  Mammals

Integrated assessment of the ecological state of biotopes and communities of the Ladoga region is based on the approaches developed under HELCOM aegis (Red List..., 1998). Explanations of abbreviations standing for different human impacts, and the estimation scale for the state of biotopes and communities are given in the Tables 8.2.1 and 8.2.2. (the state of ecosystem components was ranked according to the extent of spatial shrinking they have undergone, or to the loss of initial ecological properties). The evaluation of the modern ecological state of individual elements of the ecosystem in various zones of Lake Ladoga is shown in Table 8.2.3.

Table 8.2.1. Human impacts on the ecosystems and their designations
(Red List..., 1998; with abbreviations)

Human impact Designation Agriculture A Dredging, dumping B Coastal defense D Eutrophication E Fishing and hunting F Building activities for recreation purposes H Traffic and tourism G Mineral extraction M Pollution (non-eutrophication) P Forestry T Reclamation W Military activities Y

Table 8.2.2. Scale for assessment of the ecological state of the nature complex components (Red List..., 1998; with amendments)

Ecological state of the system Rating Completely destroyed 1 Heavily threatened 2 Heavily endangered 3 Potentially endangered 4 Not endangered at present 5

Table 8.2.3 Major human impacts and ecological status of habitats and biological communities in the Lake Ladoga region

Object Major Human Impacts Ecological Status Remarks Lake Ladoga Proper Waters µ, À, G 3-5   Bottom sediments µ, À 3-5   Plankton µ, À 4-5   Benthos µ, À 4-5   Fish A, B, E, F, G, P, T 2-3   Birds E, F,G, P 3-5   Seals       Water-Land Border Zone Biotopes A, B, G, M, P, H, Y, W 3-4   Aquatic vegetation A, B, D, E, F, G, P 3-5   Birds and Mammals A, E, F, G, P, W 2-4   Terrestrial ecosystems Biotopes       Vegetation A, F, H, G, T, W, Y 3-5 Northern shore - 4-5 Eastern shore - 4 Southern shore - 3-4 Western shore - 4-5 Amphibians and Reptiles P, T, W, G 4-5   Birds A, F, H, T, W 3-5   Mammals A,F,T,W 2-5

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