In the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka, the forest “population” will be counted in the footsteps of
Winter route surveys of animals are taking place in key areas of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, an environmental protection agency told Kamchatka.Today.
The total length of the routes is about 400 kilometers. Some of them have already been completed, and in some areas the lack of snow prevents the surveys. About 20 people are involved in field work.
The number of the “population” is calculated from the footprints in the snow. The main task of the accountants is to count the tracks of different individuals of the so–called background species of animals (typical for a certain area).
This will allow us to determine the current population size and possible changes in the distribution of animals across the territory. In the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, these are fox, white hare, sable, moose, wolverine, lynx, wolf and others. Monitoring has been carried out since 1967.
Photo: Kronotsky Nature Reserve.