A zoning concept of polar-alpine botanical garden-institute as protected area for nature conservation and tourisme development

A zoning concept of Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute (PABGI) (Russia, Murmansk Region) as a specially protected area is presented. The activities of industrial manufactures in the region did not actually cause a significant negative impact on the ecosystems within its territory, making it possible to preserve the ecosystems typical for the Khibiny. The species richness of phototrophic organisms at the PABGI area is higher than the equal per squares sites in the region. The study presents an analysis of current and types of economic activities that entail a violation of the safety of objects of protection. A differentiated protection regime has been proposed for solution of several heterogeneous problems: the preservation of natural ecosystems, the creation and operation of plant Nurseries, scientific studies, environmental education and natural tourism. The proposed zoning allows the implementation of management for the maintenance, reconstruction, or building of new objects on the territory of the PABSI in the future. The analysis of the territory was carried out on the basis of mapping the locations of species included in the Red Data Books of the region and Russia on the basis of data from the herbaria of the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute (KPABG), the Institute of Industrial Ecology of the North (INEP) and the CRIS information system (http://www.kpabg.ru/cris), taking into account the conservation status, excursion and tourist routes, training sites for climbers. The following zones are allocated on the territory: administrative, scientific-exposition, specially protected and reserved. The most stringent protection regime is determined for the protected area, the softest—for the administrative one. The proposed zoning should contribute to both the unconditional preservation of natural complexes and protected species and the conduct of scientific research and the successful functioning of the PABGI as a scientific organization and sustainable recreational use of the territory.