English | French | Home

Main Issues

Main Issues Russia has vast forest resources, and much of the rich taiga is still untouched. The boreal forests of Siberia and the Russian Far East are home to a rich variety of species, and are significant for forest biodiversity. In the past decade there has been an increase in logging activities in the region, and the demand for raw logs has soared. In the same period domestic processing in Russia has decreased, and the export of logs has become the main source of income for many timber enterprises. The timber industry in the Russian Far East and Siberia is currently entirely dependent on the export of raw logs.

In addition to being at the mercy of the market for raw logs, this region has suffered a severe increase in the incidence and volume of illegal logging. Illegalities can take a number of forms. In the Russian Far East and Siberia, BROC and other NGOs have documented cases of logging without permits, felling of protected species, use of fake documents, bribes, felling of more than the allowable cut, and export without appropriate documents. Corruption is widespread, and in many cases the very individuals and institutions charged with protecting forest resources are implicated in the illegal timber trade.

The increase in the unsustainable harvesting of timber in the Russian Far East and Siberia is a threat to the rich biodiversity of the region and areas that provide important habitat for endangered species are at risk. More importantly, the vast areas of the Siberian and Russian Far Eastern forests are home to tens of thousands of indigenous people who depend on the forest for their livelihoods. One of the most pristine areas of the Sikhote-Alin forests, the Samarga river basin, is home to the Udege people. In 1991 this area in the north east of the Primorsky region was designated as a potential traditional-use reserve. Despite the long-standing intention to reserve the Samarga basin, the Primorsky based company Terneiles was recently granted a 25-year concession to log this area.

A spokesperson of the Agzu Hunting and Fishing Association explained that the taiga is not only the base for the Udege peoples' livelihood, it is also the spiritual anchor of the community. He feels that logging the Samarga basin would mean the end of his community. As the pressure to log in the Russian Far East and Siberia increases, there will be more conflicts of a similar nature.

Much of the logging in the Russian Far East and Siberia is carried out by small-scale operators. There are, however, two large companies operating in Primorsky. The Malaysian multinational Rimbunan Hijau entered the area when it was granted a large concession in 1997 for a period of 48 years. Terneiles also operates in Primorsky Krai. Both small-scale operations and logging by large companies require careful monitoring.

The awareness of the problems associated with logging in the Russian Far East and Siberia is slowly increasing. A number of NGOs and journalists are monitoring the timber flows from the Russian Far East and Siberia, and in recent years they have exposed a number of cases of illegalities in the timber trade.