EAEU Environmental Council: The Big Three moderated a roundtable on digital ecology

The International Scientific and Public Ecological Council of the EAEU countries held a round table ‘Digital Ecology’ on December 17. The moderator was Artem Sedov, General Director of Bolshaya Troika. The discussion centered on the application of modern digital technologies for environmental monitoring, environmental risk management and development of new approaches to nature management.

Key topics of the roundtable included: the introduction of digital platforms for monitoring natural objects, the use of drones and sensor technologies to prevent environmental disasters, the creation of common databases on biodiversity in EAEU countries and the development of ESG principles based on digital solutions.

The discussion was attended by leading experts and representatives of science, business and public organizations:

• Andrey Balagurov, Development Director of NPF Raymet, presented a report ‘Transparent World in the Caspian Sea: International Cooperation and Digital Ecology’. The speaker emphasized the importance of digital technologies for controlling and preserving the unique ecosystem of the region.
• Olga Gershenzon, Deputy General Director of Lorette LLC, spoke about digital solutions for environmental monitoring, drawing attention to the implementation of practices in industry.
• Vladislav Kalenichenko from the Competence Center of the Faculty of Chemistry of Lomonosov Moscow State University presented the project of developing a digital platform for monitoring anthropogenic impact on the environment.
• Maral Sagynalieva, Chairman of the Board of the Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan, shared her experience in implementing digital practices to address environmental challenges in Central Asia.
• Adylkhan Towasarov, Director General of the Central Asian Institute of Environmental Studies from Kazakhstan, presented a report ‘Biodiversity - Challenges and Conservation Efforts’ and proposed to create a common database of bioresources of the EAEU countries.

During the discussion, the participants emphasized that digitalization is not just a trend, but a necessary tool to address environmental challenges, including environmental monitoring, optimization of nature management and reduction of anthropogenic impact.

The round table ‘Digital Ecology’ became one of the central events of the founding conference of the International Scientific and Public Environmental Council of the EAEU countries, which is taking place on December 16-17 at the Carlton Hotel in Moscow with the support of TASS.

Stepan Kalmykov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted the importance of the issues discussed for the entire Eurasian region: ‘The topics of the round tables touch upon the issues that today concern not only Russia, but all EAEU countries. These are the problems of waste management, water conservation and, of course, the development of environmental education’.

Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, emphasized the importance of education and educational programs: ‘At the moment we do not have specialized programs on ecology and climate in universities. I am sure that these accents should be placed already in school programs. Children should realize that the future of themselves and future generations depends on their attitude to nature’.

He also added that educational work and serious scientific expertise in the environmental sphere can influence the positions not only of the EAEU countries, but also of the world community as a whole: ‘Today it is extremely important to maintain a balance of interests between economic development, the growing need for energy and the need to preserve ecological balance.

The initiator of the Council was the ANO “Center for Advanced Scientific and Educational Programs of the Eurasian Space “Eurasimut”. It includes representatives of national academies of sciences, government agencies, business and expert community of the EAEU countries. The main goal of the council is to form a unified environmental agenda of the region and coordinate joint efforts for sustainable development and addressing global environmental challenges.

Photo: Sergey Bulkin / TASS.