GIS-based environmental monitoring of montane forest ecosystems in protected areas.

This paper includes results on a study of montane forest ecosystems in the present-day climate change environment. We have worked out the principles and criteria for ecological monitoring of montane forest ecosystems. It is established that iconditions, the object of research, the basic requirements for ecological monitoring is a catchment. To assess the influence of forest vegetation (and, hence, forestry and recreation) on the slopes of the water balance and hydrological regime of streams it is proposed to use a tiered system of ranking watersheds. In order to obtain up-to-date information on the condition of montane forest ecosystems it is proposed to use GIS-technologies actively.