History of development and vegetation cover of the Medvezhij Island in the Por’ya Guba Bay of the White Sea

The Medvezhij Island is located in the central part of the Por’ya Guba Bay and is one of the largest islands of the archipelago. In 1733, the first silver mine in Russia was founded on the Island, and for one and a half centuries the industrial development of deposits took place. The present-day vegetation is highly diverse due to the influence of physical geographical and anthropogenic factors. The island is covered with boreal coniferous forests, tundra-like crowberry communities, mires with areas of different trophic status, diverse rocky vegetation and small fragments of coastal and anthropogenic meadows. As a result of the study vegetation map of the island was compiled based on the ecological-morphological classification. Boreal forests are the predominant type of island vegetation. However, southern part of the island lacks forests, and tundra-like communities prevail there. Mire communities are characterized by extreme diversity and complex horizontal pattern.

Most of the island forests are nominally primary, because they were cut down for supplying mine works and spontaneously re-grew afterwards. Currently, forest stands of 120–160 years old prevail on the island, and there are also 60–80 year old stands. The oldest 250 years old trees are preserved in the central part of the island, around the mires. Anthropogenic plant cenoses cover minor areas; sparse communities of apophytes (local flora species) replaced waste dumps, and anthropogenic meadows were formed in the northwestern part of the island, at the site of former miners’ settlement. 12 alien species were found on the island. Probably, they were introduced during active mining operations in the 18th and 19th centuries and exist until now. Alien species inhabit the initial areas of introduction and do not tend to spread. At present the Medvezhij Island is part of the Kandalaksha State Nature Reserve, therefore new introduction of adventitious species is unlikely.

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