Project
Summary: Anti-poaching patrols and education awareness programmes to save
Siberia's Amur tiger - the largest of the five remaining tiger species.
During the first half of 2006 the
number of illegal felling cases in Primorye has considerably increased.
In 2005, during a corresponding period there were 130 such cases
rising to 163 in 2006. The current changes taking place within
the state forest protection department are having an extremely
negative impact. As a result of these changes only 13 state inspectors
/ rangers remain in office, with just one inspector supervising
several forestry enterprises. There is now no authorized department
responsible for forest protection. Due to the resultant lack of
control the poachers' ringleaders do not receive adequate punishment.
Instead, fines are imposed on the lowest elements of the chain
- cardboard dwellers of logging sites who work for a glass of
alcohol. In six months in 2006 there were 297 violations of the
Forest Code declared of which 28 were committed by officials.
The following is an example of the scale of the problem. According
to the Primorsky Department of Federal Nature Use Service, 66,350
spruces are allowed to be cut each year for sale to decorate apartments
on New Year's Eve (part of Russian tradition); in addition to
that, about 96,350 fir-trees are destroyed by criminal wood-cutters
annually! Thousands of cubic meters of wood, mostly of valuable
species, go regularly and without hindrance to China despite the
best efforts of forest guards.
At the First International Ecological Forum
held in Vladivostok in June, the Governor of Primorsky region,
Sergey Darkin, assured the community that the amount of timber
extracted would stay the same and not increase. However experts
have claimed that unless measures are taken immediately to change
the focus on woodland management from short-term, instant profit
to long-term sustainable use, then there will soon be no timber
to cut. In which case, there will be no taiga, no ungulates and
other species, and consequently, no tigers. Already the legal
loggers, who have the responsibility for maintaining forest settlements
and roads in tolerable condition, have lost most of their income,
reduced to felling whatever the poachers have left behind. Alternative
sources of income such as harvesting nuts and honey, fishing in
the rivers, and tourism should be developed.
It is our hard task to overcome the current
atmosphere of resignation and cynicism which is leading to the
uncontrolled devastation of forest resources or the passive refusal
to engage in forest rehabilitation and protection. The local people
do not appreciate the invaluable treasure that they possess; they
are cynical about the role of the government or industry in the
woods, have inadequate regulatory guidance, and can see no effective
sanctions for illegal acts. But Phoenix is not going to give up
in our efforts to safeguard what still remains and to do our best
to prevent forest management crimes. To that end, a team of rangers
called "Bars" ("Panther") was created within
Primorsky Department of Federal Nature Use Service in April 2005.
It conducts regular patrols of many days' duration to stop illegal
logging and therefore to preserve the Amur tigers and their prey
base. The team consists of eight members. The rangers work in
close cooperation with police officers, public inspectors and,
if necessary, with the Russian Federal Security Service. DSWF's
continued and invaluable funding is vital to the critical work
of this team. The Foundation grants help provide the rangers with
field expenses, fuel and repair parts for the vehicles they patrol
with. In January 2006 DSWF sponsored the purchase of base radio
stations and handheld portable radio stations for the Forest team,
accumulator units and antennas, field clothes and sleeping bags
for the rangers.
Since the beginning of the team's work more
than 20 large-scale illegal logging sites have been discovered
accounting for a total volume of more than 2,000 cubic metres
of showwood (oak, ash, cedar, hazel-wood). Seven poaching cases
have been dealt with; more than 43 weapons, including 26 rifles
have been confiscated as have 17 tractors and 14 cars. 18 forest
management units and 6 forestries were inspected. The rangers
initiated 14 criminal cases on violation of environmental regulations.
Claim on damage totalled 9,800,000 rubles ($362,963).
It is a sad fact that there is only a slim
chance of changing the mentality and way of life of adults. For
this reason Phoenix is pinning great hope on local children, the
future generation, and runs a number of educational projects in
order to inspire them with an interest in and care for the natural
world. Thanks to support from DSWF, the tiger education and outreach
centre for children in Novopokrovka town was created and works
very successfully. This year Phoenix has expanded its educational
activity. The "Uragus" eco-center in Terney town gets
substantial financial assistance. It has conducted regular ecological
education and outreach activities for children since 1970. With
support from the international community, mostly DSWF, the eco-center
has recently been repaired and enlarged to reach a greater number
of children. They have created a rock garden outside the eco-center
and have regular nature-oriented classes and games at the centre.
In addition, the Foundation provides financial
support to carry out ecological education in Krasnoarmeisky district,
Northern Primorye, and to work out and publish education and outreach
materials. Phoenix organizes the annual Tiger Day Festival. Started
in 2000 as a small school event, it soon became a Vladivostok
city holiday and is now celebrated in other towns across the region.
Since 2005, Tiger Day has turned into an international event with
many activities taking place around the world.
Such steadfast concern in the upbringing
and education of children has yielded remarkable results. This
year four students from Primorsky region schools won prizes at
DSWF's Global Canvas Schools' art competition and their work was
among 200 pictures exhibited at the Natural History Museum in
London. Three Russian girls and a boy were awarded prizes of boxes
of marvelous acrylic paints, certificates, and T-shirts with the
DSWF logo. All four entrants chose to depict the tiger, master
of the Ussuri taiga, in their paintings which only goes to show
that our efforts to bring the community's attention to this majestic
feline were not wasted. The winners looked rather bewildered by
such turn of events, as they never suspected that any international
organization would care for their creative works. But as they
say, a reward will always find the hero.
We are determined to continue our conservation
efforts and the awarding of the prestigious Whitley Conservation
Award in 2006 to Phoenix's Director Sergey Bereznuk for our campaign
to save the Amur tiger from extinction, shows that our efforts
are appreciated on an international level.
