The natural environment of the Novoladozhsky uyezd of St.Petersburg province on the information of the Cameral economic notes to the General land surveying of the Russian empire

The purpose of this study is to assess the anthropogenic impact of humans on the natural environment of the Novoladozhsky uyezd in the St. Petersburg province at the end of the 18th century. The Cameral economic notes to the General land surveying of the City of Novaya Ladoga and the uyezd containing the description of 1,059 dachas (summer houses) became the sources of the study. Unlike the Brief economic notes, the Cameral economic notes contain, among other things, a description of the natural environment of delimited dachas. On the basis of these data, an electronic database which included information on the composition of the forest on the territory of 870 dachas, on the species of mammals and birds on the territory of 819 dachas in the uyezd was compiled. When creating the database, the method of continuous sampling was used, so all records of trees and shrubs, animals and birds were added to the database as they were found in the source. Analysis of the database made it possible to obtain new data on the natural environment of the uyezd at the end of the 18th century. It turned out that forestry part of the uyezd was 76%. The main part of the forest was related to wood, the amount of timber was insignificant. The forest in its composition was mixed with the prevalence of birch, spruce, pine and alder. In the fifth part of the dachas, the forest was called delirious. It is a forest characterized by different types of trees, including willow, salley, vine, growing on the banks of rivers or near the water. In the uyezd's forests the Cameral economic notes recorded seven species of mammals, including bears, wolves, foxes, hares and squirrels, whose abundance was very high. Among the fur-bearing animals there were martens in 92 cottages and ermines were found in 21 dachas. The rest of the animals were collectively called “beasts of different breeds”. 19 species of birds are found in forests, fields and at the waters of the county. Black grouses, hazel grouses and partridges were the most common species in every eighth and ninth dacha. In every third dacha there were quails, on every fifth one wild ducks lived. Wild pigeons and wild geese were found in the uyezd as well. Among the forest birds, the most common were the siskins, thrushes, and goldfinches, found at half part of the dachas. In the forests of the uyezd, nightingales, woodpeckers, cuckoos, tits were also born. Among the field birds, larks and waders were often mentioned. There are also separate records about cranes, gulls, hawks. The remaining species are recorded in the source as “birds of different species”. The study showed that the presented species of plants, animals and birds did not reflect all the biodiversity of flora and fauna of the uyezd. Records on specific species in the Cameral economic notes were made on the basis of their greatest prevalence and significance for the population. At the same time, their presence and prevalence in the territory can serve as a kind of indicator of the processes taking place in the natural environment. By the end of the 18th century the natural environment of the Novoladozhsky Uyezd had already reflected the results of the anthropogenic load, expressed in the transformation of its natural landscapes. It presented itself in the absence of a sufficient amount of timber and its poor quality, and in a small number of fur-bearing animals, a rare mention of birds of prey as well. However, the presence of a large number of references to large mammals, as well as hunting species of animals and birds, suggests that there were still significant natural resources in the county.

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