Established in 1991 on the basis of the Lviv Branch of NAS M. H. Kholodniy Institute of Botany.
Its main research areas are:
- integrated studies of ecosystems and geosociosystems within the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent areas; validation of the ways of regulating the structure of these systems and managing processes in ecosystems and geosociosystems in order to optimize their useful functions;
- elaborating and improving the methods of biodiversity conservation and ensuring sustainable development of the Carpathian region;
- investigating the mechanisms of plant ontogenesis, structural and functional variability of populations under exposure to external impacts.
Four research departments function within the Institue: those of Ecosystemology, Population Ecology, Conservation of Natural Ecosystems and Plant Ecomorphogenesis. Their major achievements are:
- identification and grounding of the subject-matter, structure and tasks of novel fields of knowledge, such as ecosystemology and geosociosystemology, principles of managing processes in ecosystems and geosociosystems, with a view to ensuring their sustainable development;
- studies of bio-ecological characteristics of the populations of rare, relic and endemic plant species as a basis for their conservation and restoration;
- validation of the scientific principles of system phytosozology, the concept of and criteria for sozological assessment of changes in phytosystems under protection; development of methods to estimate the impact of heavy metals and other factors (e.g. microgravity on board space ships) on plant organisms.
The Institute offers to possible partners:
geosociosystemological principles for sustainable development of mountain regions; scientific principles for preserving the ecological potential and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems; methods of bryoindication of environment’s contamination rates; high-quality consulting on ecology, nature conservation, population biology and plant morpogenesis.
The Honorary Director of the Institute is M. A. Holubets, NAS Aacad., Prof., Dr. Biol., Honoured R&D Worker of Ukraine, Winner of the State Prize in Science and Technology, People’s Deputy of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the first convocation.
The Acting Director of the Institute is M. P. Kozlovsky, Dr. Biol., senior researcher.