H eavy m etal accum ulation iıı tlıe com ponents of te rre s tria l ecosystem s is conditioned by tlıe deposition intensity, soil clıaracteristics, m ineral com position, and vegetation type. Tlıe exclıangeable ionic reactions bet\veen tlıe adsorptive com plex and tlıe soil solution are im p o rta n t sources of ııu tricn ts and also a significant m echanisnı for heavy m etal re ta rd a tio n in tlıe soil. Tlıe aim of tlıis study is to determ in e tlıe effect of cation exclıange capacity on lıeavy m etal accum ulation in tlıe soils u n d er different vegetation (forest and p astu re ). T he differeııces in tlıe belıaviour of individual elem ents dependiııg on C E C in forest and p a stu re soils resu lt p rim a rily l'ronı d ifferen t ratios of base and acid cations in tlıe soil adsorptive com plex and th e ir reactions w itlı heavy m etals.