Notes on the history of vegetation mapping (based on the exhibition of vegetation maps at the V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, organized on the 100th anniversary of the geobotany department)

Abstract

During the conference, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Department of Geobotany, the exhibition “Development of vegetation mapping in Russia” was organized at the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS. The aim of the exhibition was to show the consistent development of theoretical approaches to the compilation of legends, mapping techniques and methods, the development of various schools of vegetation mapping in Russia. About 70 maps of different times, from 1900 to the present, were demonstrated. Brief explanatory texts were given. The exhibition included the survey maps of the vegetation of Russia (former USSR) and some individual regions; medium- and large-scale inventory, scientific reference and educational maps. This article contains the lists of presented vegetation maps, indicating authors and editors’ names. The most interesting maps got short descriptions of scientific approaches to the compilation of legends and their design. The authors note some tendencies in the recent development of vegetation maps. Nowadays more attention is paid to automatic mapping and remote data interpretation, rather than the development of theoretical approaches based on botanical geography, analysis and comparison of various nature maps. Early, vegetation maps aimed to clarify particular features and general vegetation patterns as well as interrelations between vegetation and environmental conditions. Less attention is paid to the development of map legends. Modern vegetation maps are not very informative sometimes. The exhibition of vegetation maps gave an overview of history and development of vegetation mapping in Russia (USSR); it presented the main scientific schools and teams of geobotanical cartographers. Despite the fact that only a part of the maps created over more than 100 years was presented at the exhibition, it demonstrated the enormous contribution made by Russian scientists to thematic mapping.