The red line has been crossed: Red-Listed animals and plants are now in serious danger

Together, we opposed dangerous legislative initiatives that pose a real threat to the Red Data Book — that is, to species of animals and plants that are on the verge of complete extinction. And, unfortunately, I still do not understand how it is possible to speak about problems and seek solutions when we are literally being forbidden to do so. I do not understand how people within the system can achieve change if even the prosecutors who defended the protected Lago-Naki Plateau are simply dismissed “due to a loss of trust.” Sometimes it seems to me that all of this is just a bad dream.

Meanwhile, business interests are openly lobbied for, and everything that is being done is being done so that those who have long sought to weaken the protected status of the nature reserve system can make even greater profits.

After serious upheavals, we are gradually returning to the issue of protecting the nature reserve system. I believe that we should bring together all current initiatives that weaken the protected status of wildlife in the interests of big business and launch a separate project to show the scale of the problem and the interconnectedness of what is happening. The fact is that there have become so many of these legislative initiatives that public attention is being scattered, and at times it is difficult to assess the true scale of the pressure being placed on wildlife refuges. This means that achieving real solutions is becoming more difficult as well.

In the meantime, I want to report that a serious blow has been dealt to the nature reserve system. Once again. Projects that do not withstand any scientific scrutiny whatsoever have now been finally adopted.

First.

Unfortunately, Resolution No. 670 has been signed and adopted, introducing rules for the collection and circulation of plants and fungi listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and regional Red Data Books. It now states that, in “exceptional cases,” they may be transplanted in order to allocate land for the construction and reconstruction of facilities of both federal and regional importance. In other words, under the law, if someone suddenly needs to build something on land where endangered species of plants and fungi grow, they can simply dig them up and “plant them somewhere else.”

It is worth mentioning, as I have said before, that the very idea of transplanting plants and fungi is completely unscientific. Many fungi CANNOT be transplanted at all, and species are included in the Red Data Book precisely because, as a rule, their habitat has been destroyed. These species can survive only because there is still a place where suitable conditions exist for them: soil, moisture, microrelief, light conditions, hydrological regime, microclimate, communities of neighbouring plants, pollinators, soil microorganisms, mycorrhizal relationships, seed banks, and the many-year history of the formation of the population.

Naturally, none of this will be taken into account. Now, if land is needed for “big business,” reports will simply be drawn up on paper claiming that fungi and plants on the verge of extinction were successfully transplanted, after which their territories will be quietly privatised.

Second.

Resolution No. 671, which threatens animals listed in the Red Data Book, has also been adopted. This was fiercely pursued, above all, by representatives of the influential hunting lobby within the authorities, who several years ago first tried to demand direct permission to kill rare species, but after being refused, began actively pushing through a gradual weakening of their protected status. The Red Data Book was diluted steadily and deliberately, and Resolution No. 671 has, in essence, become their triumph — a digital system for the online issuance of permits for the “harvesting” of rare species is now being created, powers have also been fragmented among the regions, allowing regional officials themselves to determine which animals and how many of them may be “harvested,” and so on.

In essence, there is now virtually no effective federal oversight, and influential hunters, if they wish to “harvest” a rare animal, will be able to arrange it under the category of “exceptional cases.” For example, if a tiger is declared a conflict animal, a wealthy trophy hunter will go to kill it.

Both of these resolutions also state that legal entities and entrepreneurs may obtain the right to harvest rare species of plants and fungi, as well as animals listed in the Red Data Book. This is blatant lobbying for business interests.

For those who did not understand, let me clarify that, as a rule, “legal entities and entrepreneurs” may include logging and construction companies, as well as private hunting estates, which will be granted the “right to harvest.” They, in turn, will then transfer this right to whoever is willing to pay.

In addition to Resolution No. 671, another set of amendments was immediately adopted — Resolution No. 672, which regulates the circulation of animals listed in the Red Data Book.

I am publishing the original texts of all three resolutions. Anyone who needs to expand or substantiate the information can study them.

File Resolution No. 670 (PDF) 4 MB

File Resolution No. 671 (PDF) 3.2 MB

File Resolution No. 672 (PDF) 3 MB

What should we do next?

Under immense pressure, we were forced to retreat temporarily, and it was precisely at that moment that these measures were pushed through. As a rule, once such changes have been adopted, no one will “roll them back” — the system does not work that way. And now even more dangerous initiatives are being pushed forward, involving the direct development of specially protected natural areas and clear-cutting in protective mountain forests.

I believe that fragmented resistance will no longer work — we need to bring together all the attacks on the nature reserve system and show the scale of the problem. Wildlife refuges are in serious danger! Let us prepare a project, connect all these problems into a single whole, and continue trying, as some of the last remaining people, to fight for Life.

© PAVEL PASHKOV