The article discusses the problem of soil salinization in the Soligorsk region of Belarus and emphasizes the importance of monitoring the level of soil salinization. Methods of using Sentinel-2 satellite data to assess the spatial differentiation of soil salinization are presented. Based on soil information, the causes and risks of soil salinization are studied, geographical and environmental characteristics of the territory of Soligorsk district are briefly described. Analysis of methodological principles of Sentinel-2 satellite use for soil salinization assessment and monitoring is presented, taking into account the choice of monitoring indicators and data processing methods. Results of a spatial assessment of temporal and spatial variability of soil salinity level are presented. Measures to improve the environmental situation and recommendations on soil salinization management are proposed.

This article considers and describes the existing models of mineral resource endowment. The accepted classification of mineral reserves in the Republic of Belarus is presented. A number of major or strategically important minerals that determine the strategic composition of the fuel and energy balance are analyzed. Trends and changes in the quantitative ratio of strategic types of fossil raw materials, reasons and factors that affected the change in production and reserves in the period from 2011 to 2021 in the cross-country context are analyzed. Recommendations have been made, allowing the Republic of Belarus to move from the import model of mineral and raw materials supply to the combined one.

The conducted research allowed to identify 108 lower defined taxa (LDT) belonging to 3 types of invertebrates in the rivers of the Republican landscape reserve «Sorochansky Lakes»: Mollusca - 36, Annelida - 7 and Arthropoda - 65. A total of 88 taxonomic elements were identified before the species, 72 of which were new to the «Sorochansky Lakes» Reserve. The number of the lowest determined macrozoobenthos taxa in the channels of the studied rivers varied from 23 to 43, with average values of 31 LDT. Macrozoobenthos abundance ranged from 58 to 312 specimens, with an average value of 181 specimens. A new species for the fauna of Belarus was identified - the mayfly Ephemerella notata Eaton, 1887. The alien species Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) (Mollusca) and the poorly studied species Gomphus flavipes Charpentier, 1825 (Odonata) should also be noted. Among the collected hydrobionts in the rivers of the Republican landscape reserve «Sorochansky Lakes», 21 species are under protection and included in the Red Lists of a number of European countries. Thus, the fauna of the studied animals in the watercourses of the Republican Reserve «Sorochansky Lakes» is relatively rich and is represented by rare and protected by animal species rare and protected not only in Belarus, but also in Europe.

Black Stork counts were carried out from 2013 to 2022 at randomized sites throughout the territory of Belarus. About 11% of the country’s forests were covered by the count. This allows us to estimate the number of species in the country with high accuracy. Estimated number of Black Stork in Belarus amounted to 2050 ± 180 pairs according to extrapolation data. Official data on Black Stork numbers are 950–1300 pairs. The distribution of Black Stork in geobotanical regions is uneven (0.91–5.77 pairs/100 km²). Highest density was observed in Polesie-Dnieper geobotanical district in the south-east of the country, and the lowest density – in Orsha-Mogilev geobotanical district in the north-east of the country. Estimated number of Black Stork species obtained for every administrative district of Belarus.

The results of the assessment of the growth and productivity of six climatic ecotypes (climatypes) of European spruce growing in Belarus are presented, climatypes with low resistance to ulcerative cancer and changed weather and climatic conditions are identified. Breeding inventory of all climatypes was carried out with their distribution by breeding categories. Correlation between the indicators of growth, productivity, resistance, breeding value and weather and climatic factors of the places of origin of seeds has been established. The closest relationship revealed growth rates, resistance to ulcerative cancer and average temperature, as well as with the geographical coordinates of seed harvesting sites was established. The rank assessment of climatic ecotypes of European spruce for the conditions of Belarus in its selection for productivity and sustainability is given.

The results of a comparative study in the southern agro-climatic zone of Belarus in the contrasting hydrothermal regime seasons of 2021 and 2022 are presented. Parameters of accumulation of the main groups of bioflavonoids and tannins in the fruits of six new introduced varieties of highbush blueberry of different ripening periods – early ripening Chanticleer, Hannah’s Choice, mid-ripening Bluegold, Harrison and late-ripening Aurora, Rubel, as well as zoned varieties corresponding to these ripeness groups Weymouth, Bluecrop and Elliott. The results showed a significant dependence of interseasonal differences in the content of these compounds on the timing of fruit ripening periods. Reduced and very uneven temperature background of the second season with an acute moisture deficit in June and August of 2022 contributed to the activation of anthocyanin pigments accumulation only in early-ripening blueberry varieties, which, in the absence of an effect on the content of catechins and flavonols, caused an increase in bioflavonoid yield. Simultaneously, taxa with later fruit ripening dates showed a marked weakening of all components of the P-vitamin complex was found, which led to a decrease in their total number by 7–22 % relative to the previous season, more favorable in terms of hydrothermal regime. At the same time, early ripening blueberry varieties and previously studied blue honeysuckle plants showed a distinct similarity in the enrichment of anthocyanin complex of fruits due to the proximity of their ripening dates and associated in the first case with the activation of leucoanthocyanins biosynthesis, and in the second case – with anthocyanins proper. In the fruits of early-ripening and late-ripening blueberry varieties, an identical character of ambiguous manifestation of inter-seasonal differences in the content of tannins, due to the plant genotype, was established against the background of increased accumulation of these compounds compared to the previous season in mid-ripening varieties, the most significant in the variety Harrison. In the taxonomic series of blueberries, the med-maturing variety Bluegold was characterized by the least pronounced interseasonal differences in the content of phenolic compounds complex in fruits, indicating the greatest resistance to abiotic factors.

Based on registrations in October 2023, have been estimated parameters of susceptibility of 147 poplar (Populus L.) habitats to the larvae of the leaf miner Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Treitschke, 1833) in the green stands of Minsk. Among the surveyed habitats, 109 ones have an occurrence rate of over 75 %, 23 registered an occurrence rate from 25 to 75 %, 12 – below 25 %, and 3 of the poplar habitats remained unaffected by the colonization of the poplar leaf miner. The average number of mines (mining density) on the leaf blades of the Canadian poplar (Populus × canadensis Moench) ranged from 1.87 ± 0.25 to 17.12 ± 2.12 mines/leaf. The relative area of damaged leaf surface varied from 9.89 ± 0.94 to 25.11 ± 3.92 %, resulting in calculated losses to the plants’ total photosynthesizing surface ranging from 7.9 to 22.6 %. The density of Ph. populifoliella larvae mines on the leaf blades of Berlin poplar (Populus × berolinensis K. Koch) and Chinese poplar (Populus simonii Carriere) fluctuated between 1.18 and 21.83 mines/leaf, occupying 6 to 39.17 % of the leaf surface. The relative area of damaged leaf surface ranged from 6 ± 0.44 to 39.17 ± 5.25 %, resulting in calculated losses to the plants’ total photosynthesizing surface ranging from 1.2 to 38.8 %. For the majority of the surveyed habitats in 2023, the recorded infestation levels and relative areas of damaged leaf surface exceed those documented in the literature for 2013, underscoring the persistent threat posed by this leaf miner to poplars in the green areas of Minsk.

On the basis of field surveys on the territory of Narovlya section of the Polessky State Radiation-Ecological Reserve, 50 new habitats of 10 species of wild mammals included in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Belarus were registered in 2023, including the northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii), the lesser noctule (Nyctalus leisleri), the Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii), the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme), the European edible dormouse (Glis glis), the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), the European badger (Meles meles), the brown bear (Ursus arctos), the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the Przewalski’s horse (Equus przewalskii). The obtained data allowed us to supplement the information about the current state of rare and endangered species populations of this territory, as one of the key in the field of conservation of such species not only in Belarus, but also in Europe.

During field seasons of 2019–2023 in Narochanski national park 27 species of Aculeata (Insecta: Hymenoptera) had been registered as visitors of inflorescens of brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea L.) and 45 species of these insects as visitors of inflorescens of greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa L.). The taxonomic structure of the visitor guilds is differens, 22 species are present in the both ones, majority of species are belonging to the family Apidae and the genus Bombus L. Among the numerous species of inflorescences visitors on greater knapweed is the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.), while common species are the bumblebees Bombus humilis Ill., Bombus lapidarius (L.), Bombus lucorum (L.), Bombus pascuorum (Scop.), Bombus ruderarius (Müller), Bombus sylvarum (L.), cuckoo bumblebee Bombus (Psithyrus) bohemicus Seidl, halictid bee Halictus sexcinctus (F.) and anthophorid bee Anthophora bimaculata (Panz.). Such bumblebees as B. humilis, B. lapidarius, B. lucorum and B. terrestris are common species of visitors of brown knapweed inflorescences. There are no dominant species in the structure of the both guilds, and numerous species in the guild of visitors of brown knapweed inflorescences.

The results of the assessment of the natural tourist and recreational potential of rivers at the level of the administrative regions of Belarus are presented, which made it possible to determine the proportion of suitable river sections for various types of aquatic recreation and tourism and to establish their limiting factors in the context of the regions of the country. It was revealed that in all regions the maximum share of river sections with suitable natural potential is recorded for amateur fishing (from 63.3% in the Brest region to 95.8 % in Minsk), amateur hunting (from 69.84 % in Vitebsk to 98.6 % in Minsk) and boating (from 21.5 % in Mogilev to 63.5 % in Vitebsk) and for yachting (32.1 % in Gomel), the minimum is for yachting (3.2 % in Vitebsk), swimming (from 4.1 % in Minsk to 17.0 % in Gomel) and scuba diving (from 1.3 % in Minsk to 13.2 % in Gomel). It was found that water skiing is possible only on river sections in the Vitebsk (from 1.6 %) and Gomel (1.9 %) regions. It is determined that the structure of limiting factors is represented by general, special and individual factors, the number of which varies from 3 – for swimming, scuba diving and water skiing to 1–2 – for amateur fishing and amateur hunting.