On 13 March, representatives of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of Voronezh State University presented their book “Red Book of Soils of the Voronezh Region” in the white hall of Voronezh State University. The book was published with the support of the Government of the Voronezh Region. The presentation was moderated by Natalia Veter, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Voronezh Region.
VSU Rector, Dmitry Endovitsky, opened the meeting:
“Although this event is pretty intimate, we hold it here, in a very important place.”
The rector briefly told the audience about the history of the place where the main building of Voronezh State University is now located. He emphasised some of the most interesting facts from its history.
Natalia Veter spoke about how the structure and concept of the book had been developed. She noted that the materials for the book had been collected in 27 districts of the region, including special protected areas.
Vladimir Shevchenko, Head of the Department of Selection and Seed Production of Voronezh State Agricultural University and former rector of Voronezh State Agricultural University, focused on how rich and invaluable black soil is and called for its conservation.
Nikolay Shcheglov, Head of the Paninsky District, gave Dmitry Endovitsky souvenirs, the Dokuchaev medal, which was established in the Paninsky District, a sample of black soil, some paintings, and an icon of the rare Krasnokholmsky Virgin Mother associated with the village of the Krasnye Kholmy in the Paninsky District.
Tatiana Popova, Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, and Tatiana Devyatova, Head of the Department of Ecology and Land Resources, told the audience how the materials for the book had been collected.
Vladimir Negrobov, Associate Professor at the Department of Botany and Mycology at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of Voronezh State University, noted that only 10 out of 85 regions of Russia have Red Books. The presented edition was the tenth. Andrey Voronin, Director of the Botanical Garden of Voronezh State University, and Lilia Alaeva, a lecturer at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, added more information on the topic.
The data in the “Red Book of Soils” supplemented the materials of the Red Book of the Voronezh Region, plant inventories, VSU Professor Kozo-Polyansky’s herbarium, and other resources.
