Translated material
Forest cutting down in the Primorsky Territory
Lyubov Chizhova: According to the employees of the Russian branch of wwf, large-scale deforestation unfolded in the Fire Ore Chopping Zone and the "Middle Ussuriy" regional reserve in the Pozharsky district of the Primorsky Territory. Environmentalists say that the company Leskport has leased forest for industrial wood under the pretext of implementing a priority investment project for the construction of a parquet production plant in the city of Dalnorechensk. The forests where the cutting are conducted are officially recognized as protective, as they play a key role in preserving the Amur tiger. About why the company "Leskport" managed to rent them, says Evgeny Schwartz, director of the WWF environmental policy in Russia ....
Evgeny Schwartz: This turned out largely because of those holes in the Forest Code and in the documents, in the Regulation approved by the Government, in the implementation of investment project priorities. In addition, this is connected, in our opinion, with activities that do not correspond to state policy, state interests with signs of corruption properties related to the approval and implementation of investment projects of the company "Forest Export". It turned out, roughly speaking, the illegal use of a hole in the legislation.
The former head of the Forestry Department of the Primorsky Territory Korchagin, before leaving this position, approved the project, looked for the state’s consent to allocate the necessary forested base for it, which was really not and no. For several years of implementation of the project, the company said that it was worth it, that we have a relatively small forest -haired base, we will buy in the open market. Probably, it was also about the buying of illegally prepared forest. First, the company after the meeting with Zubkov, when it was given a clear order to replace the obtained nutty zone of Pozharskaya and the territory reserved for creating a reserve, was proposed to replace these territories and give others that are not included in the priorities to preserve the tiger, like a corridor to China to support the Chinese population and which are not related to those areas that are leased as use as use as use as use as use as use Walnutry zone. First, the company "Forest Export", led by Mr. Puzyankin, said that they did not want to take what they were offered, because formally, if I remember correctly, 3-4% of the forests of the Primorsky Territory are not distributed. And those territories that they were offered in return, they, in principle, are closer to the forest processing base, to Dalnerechensk. It turned out further that they, using what the state promised, did not provide, they began to sue and, roughly speaking, by court, we strongly doubt the justice and real followed by the law, they receive forest protection territories, including what they first refused, that is, what was not distributed, as their rental base. At the same time, special checks of the Rosleskhoz show that this is a violation. The fact that when approving the project did not receive the consent of the Rosleskhoz. But moreover, at the last meeting of the Council, which was June 24, I had the opportunity to speak with the deputy director of the relevant department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who also said that there was complete lawlessness.
We have a situation where there is no really forest -raised base in the Primorsky Territory, it is either rented or illegally cut down, which we have been talking about for 15 years soon. Therefore, timber industry is trying to get protective forests for cutting down. And since there are certain holes in what can be done in protective forests, which is not possible, they achieve by hooks or by crook to rent certain categories of protective forests.
Lyubov Chizhova: This was the opinion of the director of the environmental policy of WWF in Russia Evgeny Schwartz. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company CJSC "Lesesport" Georgy Kumazinkin in an interview with RS commented on the accusations of ecologists of the illegality of felling in the north of Primorye ...
Georgy Puzykin: Those opinions that are now actively in the press - this is an extra job. We, as production workers, are engaged in production, and they are more engaged in lobbying their interests through the media. Everything that they say, in fact, is not true. Everywhere they write that they began to cut it out industrial, that is, it seems that the company has come in and cuts it all to zero. In fact, this is not at all the case. Firstly, we are legally backed up by all documents, on the basis of Russian legislation, we have a lease agreement, a draft site development and examination. Logging is usually selected. The main wood is not taken for cutting down.
Then they say that we went into the habitat of tigers. I want to note that the plots taken by the company are almost the remaining free areas, from all sides are surrounded by areas already located among tenants and other logging. Suppose that if the dispute is specifically about the nut -commissar zone, today is 40 thousand hectares. And there is such a document strategy for preserving the Amur tiger in the Russian Federation, it is also posted on their website, it exists in the government where it is written in black and white that the size of the male tiger is 1380 squares of squares, a female 400 kilometers of square. If this case is disassembled directly, then no more than two or three tigers live on this site. Again, I want to notice, from the same concept, there is a map where monitoring was held, where the abstract of the Amur tigers is directly - this is primarily 70% of the entire Primorsky Territory, tigers live in the entire Primorsky Territory, excluding agricultural fields, and part of the north of the Khabarovsk Territory. It turns out that these accusations have no foundation.
Lyubov Chizhova: Does your company have some kind of environmental policy and what do you think of the fate of the Amur Tiger?
Georgy Kumzykin: Yes, of course, our program exists with this. I want to say that forestry is being carried out by promoting planting forest crops in areas of about 240 hectares annually. Then, walking towards the requirements of the same "green" to strengthen the environmental frame within the boundaries of these disputed territories of the site, a calculated forest -section was reduced from 156 to 92 thousand cubic meters. That is, the project specifically provides for a continuous array of forest, which is completely displayed from industrial circulation to the environmental frame to move the tiger between Russia and China. The fact is that we are ready to refuse and confirmed at a meeting with Zubkov, we do not hold on to these sites. But the whole problem is that today it must be said that protective forests make up about 20% in Russia, and in the Primorsky Territory this figure exceeds 50, it reached 60%. If there are plans for the further expansion of protective territories, why we have this dispute, then 80%will stand out from the turnover in the region. Such conditions simply do not allow to develop deep processing. You can put a cross and say: let the tigers live here, and you leave the Far East, there are no investors, let the tigers go here.
Lyubov Chizhova: said the chairman of the board of directors of the company "Leskport" Georgy Puzinkin. The coordinator of the program to preserve the biodiversity of the Amur branch of the WWF Sergey Aramilev explained about what the habitats are dangerous in the habitat of the Amur Tiger.
Sergei Armylev: In addition to a direct connection, that ungulates live in the forests, which are feeding and breeding at the expense of the forest, and tigers hunt for ungulates. The cutting of the forest itself may not be caused by huge damage if it is done according to the rules. Another question is where to chop, how to chop. It is clear that the tiger range is quite extensive and many forests fall into it, in which it is probably advisable to conduct planned cutting. But there are key places where the tiger lives, which are important for him, and there the cuts will lead to a violation of environmental relations. Speaking of the north of the region, then the Strelnikovsky ridge is essentially the only place that remains, connecting our population of the Amur tiger with the remnants of the population in China. Because from time immemorial it has so happened that along the Vladivostok -Khabarovsk -Moscow highway, there were economic development, many settlements where people cut down the forests, made agriculturalpol. To date, this has led to the fact that the forests have survived, through which the tiger can go to China, only in this place. Therefore, for a given area, forest cutting is destructive precisely for the prospect of the future and in the understanding that Russia has undertaken by the obligations of the international to preserve the tiger and, first of all, with the help of China, the restoration of the population on their territory.
Lyubov Chizhova: Sergey, see: the cabins begin in the forests, what happens to the tiger? Does he go somewhere in other places?
Sergey Armylev: The cutting itself is accompanied by the fact that the same people lead the same people, for the most part, the local population who take the gun with them. In addition, the sound of falling trees drives away the ungulates from this place, they often lead an illegal hunt for ungulates, the number of animals in these places is sharply reduced, accordingly, the tiger goes after its victims, because if it has nothing to eat, then it switches to ungulates that live in other places. In those cases when the tiger remains for some reason without food, he attacks dogs in booths, or near temporary houses of procurers. Thus, a conflict arises, which sometimes leads to the fact that they either shoot at the tiger, he goes into the forest, or kills, or vice versa, the tiger cripples people, which in any case is not good for this beast.
Lyubov Chizhova: In what condition is the population of the Amur tiger now?
Sergey Armylev: The population is extensive, accounting is made only once every 10 years. According to the latest data from 2005, the population balances between the numbers 428 - 502 individuals. I must say that the population of research on selective areas is stable, but there is a certain tendency to a decrease that is associated with the development of a number of threats against the tiger. And one of them is a reduction in habitat, most importantly, the deterioration of their quality. Because the forest where the oak and cedar are cut down is unproductive, in this forest there is a very low number of ungulates, because they have nothing to eat.
Lyubov Chizhova: The coordinator of the program to preserve the biodiversity of the Amur branch of WWF in Russia Sergey Aramilev said. Defenders of nature urge the Russian government to amend the forest legislation, which would definitely prohibit the transfer of walnut and fitting zones and protective forests for the purposes of wood harvesting.