Streams of the Lopshenga River basin (Summer Coast of the White Sea) are studied. Sections of the Kamennyi and Zhemchuzhnyi streams with relatively high population densities of the freshwater pearl mussel, the populations of which can be attributed to those that are aging, but with a high abundance, are detected. It is noted that the ratio of morphological forms of the freshwater pearl mussel in the streams of the Lopshenga River basin is characteristic of more southern populations of this species.

The post‐breeding movements of three northeast Atlantic populations (north Greenland, Svalbard and Franz Josef Land) of the ivory gullPagophila eburnea, a threatened high‐Arctic sea‐ice specialist, were studied between July and December 2007 using 31 satellite transmitters. After leaving their breeding grounds, all birds first dispersed eastward in August–September, to an area extending from the Fram Strait to the northwestern Laptev Sea (off Severnaya Zemlya). Most returned along the same flyway in October–November, hence describing a loop migration before moving south, off east Greenland. Wintering grounds were reached in December, in southeast Greenland and along the Labrador Sea ice‐edge, where Canadian birds also overwinter. One to two birds from each population however continued eastwards towards a third wintering area in the Bering Strait region, hence demonstrating a bi‐directional migration pattern for the populations and elucidating the origin of the birds found in the north Pacific during winter time. Overall, all birds breeding in the northeast Atlantic region used the same flyways, had similar rates of travel, and showed a peak in migratory activity in November. Though the total length of the main flyway, to the Labrador Sea, is only and at most 7500 km on a straight line, the mean total distance travelled by Greenland birds between July and December was 50 000 km when estimated from hourly rates of travel. Our study presents the first comprehensive and complete picture for the post‐breeding movements of the different ivory gull populations breeding in the northeast Atlantic.

We found high levels of contaminants, in particular organochlorines, in eggs of the ivory gull Pagophila eburnea, a high Arctic seabird species threatened by climate change and contaminants. An 80% decline in the ivory gull breeding population in the Canadian Arctic the last two decades has been documented. Because of the dependence of the ivory gull on sea ice and its high trophic position, suggested environmental threats are climate change and contaminants. The present study investigated contaminant levels (organochlorines, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated alkyl substances, and mercury) in ivory gull eggs from four colonies in the Norwegian (Svalbard) and Russian Arctic (Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya). The contaminant levels presented here are among the highest reported in Arctic seabird species, and we identify this as an important stressor in a species already at risk due to environmental change.

Brent goose colonies around snowy owl nests have been studied near Medusa Bay (73°21′ N, 80°32′ E) and in the lower reaches of the Uboinaya River (73°37′N, 82°10′E), the northwestern Taimyr Peninsula, from 1999 to 2006. All brent nests within 680 m from an owl nest have been regarded as an individual colony. The results show that the area of the colony is always larger than the protected area around the owl nest. In years of low abundance of lemmings, brent geese nest generally closer to the owl nest than in years of high abundance. When arctic foxes are abundant, however, brent geese nest significantly closer to owls than when the foxes are scarce, irrespective of lemming abundance. The mechanism of brent colony formation around owl nests is based on a number of stimuli.

Several studies have demonstrated that snowy owls Nyctea scandiaca defend an area around their nests against predators, hereby inadvertently creating safe havens for breeding dark‐bellied brent geese Branta b. bernicla . However, studies investigating brent goose breeding ecology within the predator‐exclusion zones of the snowy owls are absent. In 1999 and 2005, years of high lemming abundance Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx torquatus , brent geese were primarily breeding in association with snowy owls in the Medusa river catchment on western Taimyr, Russia. Goose nest failure, either as a result of nest abandonment by the adult birds or of nest depredation, increased with increasing distance from the owl nests. Within the brent goose colonies, clutch size as well as egg size increased with decreasing distance from the snowy owl nest, indicating an increasing adult quality closer to owl nests. However, as a result of the abandonment of eggs and goslings, the increasing clutch size did not result in a higher nest success during this study. Apparently brent geese compete for breeding sites close to owl nests, but details of this process remain unknown.

The ivory gull Pagophila eburnea has a semi-circumpolar distribution with breeding sites in the High Arctic. Data about ivory gulls in the Severnaja Zemlja Archipelago (Siberia) were collected from 1991 to 1995. The numbers of breeding ivory gulls and their egg-laying period are correlated with the sea ice situation and weather during the first part of the summer. We estimate that the total potential breeding population of Severnaja Zemlja is about 2000 pairs. which makes up approximately 20% of the Russian and 14% of the world ivory gull breeding population. The percentage of the total breeding population which actually breeds varies annually. The most important breeding area of the ivory gull in Severnaja Zemlja is the Sedov Archipelago (A. Sedova) where a large colony (from 410 to about 1100 pairs in different years) was found on flat ground on Domasnij Island. Colonies from 10 to 100 breeding pairs. mostly on steep cliff faces, occur on O. Oktjabr'skoj Revoljucii and O. Bol'Sevik. The ivory gull is included in the Red Data Book of Russia. Parts of Severnaja Zemlja, with important breeding sites, have become a nature reserve.

ABSTRACT The protected nature area system in Russia is well developed in general, although not as well in the Arctic. On 1 January 1994 the total area of all types of Arctic reserves covered about 19.7 million ha, comprising about 10.2% of the area of the Russian Arctic. There are five categories of protected nature areas: strict nature reserwes ( zapovedniki ), national nature parks ( natsional'nyye parki ), nature monuments ( pamyatniki prirody ), special purpose reserves ( zakazniki ), and nature-ethnic parks ( prirodno-etnicheskiye parki ). The system of the zapovednik is unique. The oldest strict nature reserve in the Arctic is Kandalakshskiy (1939). Other major nature reserves include Ostrov Vrangelya (created in 1976), Taymyrskiy (1979), Ust-Lenskiy (1985), and Bol'shoy Arkticheskiy (1993). The first nature-ethnic park in the Arctic, Beringiya, was established in 1993. Because of the unstable economic and political situation in Russia, the nature protection system has a difficult time. Furthermore, the legal structure that defines the purpose of and responsibility for these areas is sometimes not completely clear, and a great deal is dependent on presidential decrees that, through time, have limited validity. The cooperation of Russian, western European, and North American scientists who study birds breeding in the Russian Arctic and migration patterns to temperate regions could give major support to the nature re-serves in the Russian Arctic.