Project update - November 2005

Primorsky taiga suffers from uncontrolled destruction - November 2005

Report from Russia by Irina Radchenko & Irina Milenina, Phoenix Fund

It was only a couple of years ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a high-priority fundamental administrative reform aimed at reducing the number of agencies and streamlining state structures. However, any practical steps taken to implement this reform have come to nothing and led to administrative paralysis, complete confusion and management crisis.

This reform also affected environmental law enforcement agencies as, at the end of 2004, it changed the structure of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources. In the process of the reform, the Federal Forest Service (Rosleskhos) lost its power to protect the forest resources. Nowadays, a new Federal Nature Use Service (Rosprirodnadzor) is responsible for enforcing laws concerning logging and checking the logging companies and agencies issuing licenses. But a forest managers' staff was not formed within the new Service. It resulted in a catastrophic, uncontrolled situation in the private-owned forests where "leskhozes" (state forest management units) could not provide proper protection of forest resources.

Official law enforcers have shown their inability to combat illegal timber export. "The Russian Far East region has become a convenient place for illegal timber exports, while theft in this industry greatly damages the country's ecological and economical interests," said Konstantin Pulikovsky, Representative of the President in the Russian Far East.

In this connection, in the beginning of 2005, with support from DSWF channelled through local Vladivostok based NGO Phoenix, a mobile forest managers' team, called "Bars" ("Panther") was created within Primorsky Department of the Federal Nature Use Service. The main tasks of the team are to reveal and eliminate illegal logging and other violations of the Forest Code, to preserve precious wildlife habitat, prey species and, in turn, save rare and endangered wildlife, including the last surviving Amur tigers, which number +/-450. (431-529 tigers according to winter 2005 tiger census).

The team is responsible for protecting the forests, through anti-poaching activities and working in cooperation with the state and public law enforcement teams to stop poaching, bring law violators to justice, and foster public environmental awareness. Nowadays the team works mainly in the north of Primorye, where there is a large tract of untouched virgin forest remaining, and which is still home to a few tigers, but which is a natural target for many logging companies.

This year, DSWF funds have been supporting the habitat protection activities of the Forest team of the Federal Nature Use Service. Thanks to this support, the team was supplied with fuel, field clothes and equipment to conduct patrols in taiga, and very soon DSWF money will buy portable radios to increase the effectiveness of team.

According to official data, 560 criminal cases related to illegal timber production and sales were uncovered in 2003, 633 cases in 2004, and 246 in the first four months of 2005 which proves the problems are still widespread. So far this year the DSWF supported "Bars" team has been operating in Krasnoarmeisky, Dalnerechinsky and Pozharsky districts in the north of Primorye. So far this has stopped over 50 cases of illegal logging. The team has initiated ten criminal proceedings, seven administrative proceedings, five violations of hunting regulations, two violations of ecological law, two violations of fire regulations and confiscated tractors, trucks, a crane, chain-saws, weapons and ammunition. Working with local communities, the team has successfully encouraged locals to inform on poachers with an appeal even published in the local press. The team's analysis of these forest violations reveal that most of the culprits have at some point received official permission to carry out illegal logging, and have also exceeded the volume granted! The "Bars" team faces an uphill struggle in trying to keep track and control the increased illegal logging with the small number of rangers and lack of interdepartmental cooperation.

With regard to the uncontrolled destruction of wild habitat, only armed and well-trained teams can reduce the loss of Russia's forest cover, potential habitat for Amur tigers and other endangered species. With the continued support from DSWF for Phoenix's habitat protection activities, we can fight illegal logging, increase conservation awareness, and ensure the long-term survival of the Amur tigers.

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