the Public Council under the Federal Agency appealed to the state Duma, the Federation Council and the heads of eight regions with a request to speed up the formation of fishery conservation zones in place arestovannykh bands of forests. Copies of the letters have “WP”.
a Year ago came into force a new version of the Forest code, which removed the ban on clear cutting in strips arestovannykh forests. According to the Public Council, the area of these strips is approximately 56.8 million hectares – about 5% of the total forest Fund. Width of existing lanes arestovannykh forests – 0,5-3 km. But in the new version of the code width of conservation areas – 200 metres. But this is not sufficient for normal reproduction of valuable species of aquatic bioresources, the Chairman of the Public Council Herman Zverev.
Carrying out the felling in arestovannykh bands leads to disruption of the flow regime, shallowing, turbidity of water, siltation and long-term degradation of spawning sites. With the decrease in the area arestovannykh strips of forests at risk of degradation fall spawning Pacific salmon, the Atlantic salmon (salmon), sturgeon, whitefish, and other valuable freshwater, anadromous and catadromous fish species. Total annual catch of these fish is about 500 thousand tons. By estimates of ecologists, in the worst case scenario this will lead to a reduction in their fish productivity and fish stocks up to five times. Ultimately, this threatens the country’s food security and conservation of aquatic biological resources in General.
to Save prestoungrange strip, if you translate them to the status of the fishery conservation zones, explained Zverev. The public Council requests the regions to submit to the Agency the materials on arestovannykh lanes for transfer, and while the zones are to be documented, not consent to the felling of bands.
“the Problem is really burning. With the entry into force of the new Forest code in a number of regions have already started cutting down forests in the borders of the former arestovannykh bands” – said in mid-July, the Deputy head of Rosrybolovstvo Vasily Sokolov. On request “RG” in the regions that received the letter of the Public Council, did not answer.
While prestoungrange strip in any of the regions untouched, says the coordinator of the projects on high conservation value forests world wildlife Fund (WWF) of Russia Konstantin Kobyakov. According to him, this one of the Forest code not enough to make this possible, you need to develop and adopt several documents. So far, only the Arkhangelsk region is taking steps to do so. However, the reverse process – transfer bands in the environmental protected areas – is also not simple. Since this is the first time, raises many questions. “In some regions there is no information or they are outdated. Unclear n��restits if there is fish, does it make sense to create conservation zones. You need to carry out field work, but they also will not do quickly,” – says the expert. According to him, while, only the Amur region almost prepared the necessary documents for the transfer of bands to another status. In this situation, the faster can be the ones who benefit from deforestation. Indeed, in some regions the only remaining suitable for harvesting the forest is just in arestovannykh bands.
