POTENTIAL ECOSYSTEM COVER – A NEW APPROACH TO THE CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

The paper suggests a new approach to solving the problems of conservation biology. The design of the approach was stimulated, on the one hand, by the absence of a system of theoretical concepts and adequate methods for nature conservation and restoration and, on the other hand, by the need for adequate estimation of nature preservation in the reserves. The paper analyzes classical ideas about potential vegetation and short comings of this approach for evaluating the state of plant cover and predicting its development. On the basis of a synthesis of modern concepts of synecology: hierarchical continuum, gap mosaic, mosaic cycle concept of ecosystem, natural disturbance, keystone species, ecosystem engineer and population-demographic concept – new notions of “potential ecosystem cover” and “potential ecosystem” are suggested. The paper demonstrates perspectives of using the system of synecological concepts for development of ideas about successions and climax and for model reconstruction of the potential ecosystem cover. General approaches and specifics of reconstructing the potential ecosystem cover of forests and steppes are described.