ИСТИНА

Abstract. The vegetation cover in highlands is rather peculiar and complicated in its structure. The experience gained in mapping of alpine vegetation shows that the schematic small-scale maps reflect only the very common features. In boreal forest mountains of Siberia there are 4 systems of alpine vegetation including alpine-meadow, goltsy-tundra, island near the Pacific Ocean and tundra-steppe ones. Every system is represented by several geographical variants, characterized by regional phytogeographical peculiar features of this vegetation. The geographical variant includes a number of altitudinal belts (zones), each of them has its floristic peculiarities and complexes of plant formations (for instance, Altai-Sayan variant composes of subalpine-alpine-subnival-nival belts). Such geographical variants of alpine vegetation may be indicated as chorological units on a new map of Circum-Boreal Vegetation. Under discussion is the possible use of ecological-geographical approach to reflect the alpine vegetation as chorological (structural) units of the vegetation cover being exemplified by high mountains of Siberia. This map may be more informative in terms of regional peculiarities in alpine vegetation. Keywords: biodiversity, mapping, high mountain (alpine) vegetation, altitudinal zonality type