Project PartnersKarpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
The Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute (PMI) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) is one of the largest research academic institutes in the Western region of Ukraine. It had been founded in Lviv in 1951. The Institute takes one of the leading places on Ukraine on the problems of development of information technologies and information-measuring systems for the solving of fundamental and applied problems of physical and technical diagnostics of material and heterogeneous mediums. Within last several years in the Institute a number of new information technologies and diagnostic systems is developed, which with success can be used in ecological researches.
PMI and Shatsk NNP jointly with the Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth (CASRE) of the NASU (Kyiv, the Project Partner PP3) and 5 other organizations, and also with the help of the National Committees MAB UNESCO and UNESCO Project "Establishment of a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and a Regional Ecological Network in Polesie" had created during 2005-2006 the Shatsk Interdepartmental Research Ecological Laboratory (IREL). The Program is directed on solving of a number of important scientific and ecologic-economic problems of the Shatsk NNP.
A characteristic feature and advantage of the Shatsk NNP is predominance of lake, water-bog and forest ecosystems, presence of plenty of small rivers and soil-reclamation canals. Large watering of this territory contributes to forming of specific, sometimes unique, types of biological and landscape diversity. But already presently specific nature of this place begins to feel the climate Change influencing. In addition, there is the serious threat to the Park ecosystem in connection with the industrial mastering of the chalky deposit "Hotyslav", which is accompanied by building on the Byelorussian territory in the distance of 27 km from the center of the Shatsk NNP of very deep open pit by depth to 65 meters. It threatens the Park territory by the considerable lowering of water-table and the proper negative transformation of Park ecosystem and its components.
In this connection PMI and Shatsk NNP conducted wide monitoring researches on the Park territory, above all things on the basis of ecological indicators, including different types of biological indicators, and data of remote sensing of the Earth (space pictures) and remote automatic measurement of soil humidity, temperature and salinity for estimation of the present state of local ecosystems, dynamics of their changes, and timely exposure negative processes and develop compensating measures.
In this sense PMI and Shatsk NNP were interested to take part in the HABIT-CHANGE Project, as the ideas of this project are very close to their own scientific and practical interests.
