Natural history field studies in wartime Ukraine: changes of priorities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/visn2024.04.058Keywords:
field studies, wartime, Russian aggression, changes in biota, science in UkraineAbstract
The article analyses the crisis phenomena in the coordinate system that determines the relevance and value of current natural science research, including studies of the faunal communities and individual populations in their natural environment (with a focus on mammals). The fading of the paradigm of studying the uniqueness of regional biota to increasingly detailed data and attention to endangered species has gradually led to the recognition of the irreversibility of the loss of rare species and the emergence of invasive species, exacerbated by severe climate change, and therefore to the importance of analysing biota rotation and mechanisms for maintaining the original state of communities. The COVID lockdown and a new wave of Russian aggression with the occupation of 20% of Ukraine's territory, accompanied by ecosystem destructions, extremely high mortality of all living things and irreversible damage to natural complexes, have led to the irrelevance of many previous research areas and require significant changes in defining research priorities. The article considers three blocks of changes in the research development system: factors and features of the current state of research, key changes in research activity and changes in research priorities. Important features include attention to existing materials, including collections, and to remote research and databases, strengthening of applied aspects of research, and increased attention to research on changes in biota and the environment, in particular as a result of hostilities.
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