Scientists have developed the reference book for 2.5 years. Monitoring of the key animal species that are the most significant for the territory is conducted by scientific experts of all specially protected natural reservations. For this purpose they collect data about spotting the key animals, including info from other employees of the reserve, for example, inspectors, who are not biologists. It helps to assess the condition of fauna in general in this or that territory.

      In order to make monitoring more accurate, the scheme of data collection should be uniform. This is what such a reference book is needed for. It includes the polar bear, snowy owl, musk ox, and the Pacific and Atlantic subspecies of the walrus.

      The national park of Russian Arctic is the most northern and biggest specially protected natural reservation in Russia. The Frantz Josef Land Archipelago and the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago make part of it.