One of the serious scientific and economic problems that EEC countries are facing at the turn of the century is to preserve the biological diversity of the environment. This problem arose originally in highly developed countries that have limited land and natural resources because the environment is polluted on a global scale and is sterilized artificially in the interests of national economy. However, this problem is important for Russia in general and Karelia in particular. The strongest effect on floral diversity in Eastern Fennoscandia is exerted by the following factors:

1. global anthropogenic processes that cause substantial disturbances in thermal and water regimes in connection with warming of climate;
2. changes in the physicochemical and buffer properties of the soil cover because of acidification of atmospheric precipitates and accumulation of technogenic metals and other organic and inorganic compounds.

The regional factors that here the strongest effect on the diversity of the species composition of Karelian flora are:

1. local sources of atmospheric air pollution;
2. changes in the biogeochemical structure of the territory discussed;
3. synergism of technogenic metals in the soil cover;
4. disturbances in the hydrological regime of the territory caused by an increase in drained land area;
5. changes in soil cover structure;
6. increase in technogenically affected land area;
7. unlimited collection of economically valuable plants.

Environmental and legislative standards should be developed to assess the effect of the above factors on plant resources on an international level. This problem cannot be resolved in one or another Fennoscandian country and should be the United Nations. It would be essential in this connection to conclude relevant agreements and to do systematic work to expand areas in which economic activities are prohibited. Another important goal is to make long-term forecasts on changes in the species composition of the soil cover caused by the increasing effect of human activities on the environment.