For gold mining in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, they want to deprive tigers of their last remaining habitat.

As I said earlier, no sooner had they adopted the bill to destroy the country’s protected areas than the regions already began actively carving up reserve lands. And this is крайне important for understanding what exactly is happening right now! The scale of the madness with which they are tearing Russia’s protected-area system to pieces.

In January 2026, off the shores of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve near Primorsk, the “Gluhoe” project was discussed — a gold-mining cluster in immediate proximity to the reserve’s boundary, including within its buffer zone. And again, the allies, right? “Gold, gold, gold” — as if the lobbyists are stuck on “gold.” They couldn’t care less about nature, or about us—ordinary people—when there are “unmined riches” underground that must be urgently extracted and sold off at the cost of the last refuges of wild nature.

I want to quote in full the reserve’s director, Svetlana Sutyrina:

“Exploration work at the deposit, which is currently being carried out by ZRK ‘Gluhoe,’ has to date been conducted within the framework of the existing legislation. At the same time, the project for its further development causes us serious concern.

In particular, one of the priority steps in implementing the project is considered to be changing the boundaries of the reserve’s buffer zone and amending the Regulation on the buffer zone, which will allow types of activity previously prohibited by the special protection regime.

The implementation of a large-scale mining project in the buffer zone creates risks for the preservation of the reserve’s natural complexes and ecosystems.

First of all, our concern is related to the possible impact on water bodies, including the headwaters of tributaries of the Kolumbe River — one of the key water arteries of the reserve on the western slope of Sikhote-Alin. Any large-scale work in this zone may lead to changes in the hydrological regime and the condition of aquatic ecosystems.

In addition, if the project is implemented, the connection between the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve and the “Udege Legend” National Park will be disrupted. This corridor is of fundamental importance for the conservation of the Amur tiger and other large mammals. The importance of such corridors is also emphasized in the Strategy for the Conservation of the Amur Tiger in the Russian Federation.

Another important point: the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is a key part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Central Sikhote-Alin” — the only UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in Primorsky Krai. In this regard, any proposals concerning changes to the protection regime require analysis of possible impacts on the integrity of the World Heritage property and on the fulfillment of the Russian Federation’s international obligations.

We consider it fundamentally important that discussion of such initiatives be accompanied by comprehensive, independent, and scientifically grounded expert assessment.”

Svetlana is great! She said everything correctly. These are exactly the kinds of people we need not only in reserve administrations, but also in federal agencies.

The company that is extracting and exploring gold deposits at “Gluhoe” plans to “shift” the boundaries of the buffer zone. Moreover, they have already started brazenly carrying out work there; it is known that environmental organizations have already appealed to the prosecutor’s office.

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve itself is the largest protected territory within the range of the Amur tiger. In essence, it is a key refuge for the endangered tiger, whose total population across all of Russia is only about 750 individuals — it is listed in the Red Book. And it is precisely the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve that is one of the main centers for studying and protecting the species. The reserve (401,600 hectares of forests and water bodies) was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001 as a key protected area not only in the Russian Far East, but in the world. At the same time, the reserve’s protected zone (a buffer around the boundary) functions as an ecological corridor: it connects Sikhote-Alin with the neighboring “Udege Legend” National Park.

In general, these ecosystems need to be designated, expanded, and united into global Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET) — that is, precisely those very tracts of wild nature that we have been talking about, calling on the state to implement the TFET Concept. Otherwise, it will be impossible either to preserve species diversity or to stop the ongoing degradation of terrestrial ecosystems.

All the more so because we are talking about conserving the tiger. In recent years, the unfortunate striped ones have been lacking even a basic prey base; there is no food, people are destroying forests and exterminating wild animals! All free territories are handed over into private hands for organizing “sport” entertainment killings. They cut down key forest areas, wiped out wild boar (which the tiger feeds on), and continue to exploit wild nature.

Tigers are coming out to people in search of food. Right now in the Far East this is a very acute problem! In 2023 alone, for example, 170 conflict situations between tigers and people were recorded in Primorsky Krai — 76 attacks on dogs, 27 on livestock, and 65 approaches to humans. That is, the tiger is becoming SYNANTHROPIC, forced to live near населенных settlements, to look for food near humans. In neighboring Khabarovsk Krai, over the same period, 264 conflicts were registered — 181 involving dogs, 9 involving livestock, and 71 approaches to people.

Several dead tigers on roads, several killed by gunshots (even though they are listed in the Red Book), small tiger cubs squeezing in under local residents’ houses. Specialists found and recorded the bodies of tiger cubs that died in the cold; they died of hunger.

This is how critical the situation is! At this moment, we need to protect the tigers’ habitat, expand their territories, and help restore the prey base. We need experts and a special Committee created with the participation of authorities, scientists, and civil society. But instead we see a brazen proposal to strike the tigers’ habitat even harder. For what? To provoke mass attacks by starving predators on people? So that later it can be used to justify the “need to legalize tiger hunting”? Is that where we are headed?

And now we see how lobbying groups, in the interests of business, are trying to adopt a bill to destroy the country’s protected areas. A de facto takeover of the protected-area system! With complete disregard for the ecological problems that have already accumulated, and for collective appeals from scientists and society. Moreover, leading Russian experts say THIS BILL MUST NOT BE ADOPTED, but it seems no one cares.

And really, they’re just scientists, right? Let me remind you that more than 80 leading scientists sent an open letter to the State Duma, warning of a colossal blow to Russia’s wild nature if the bill is adopted.

What’s more, here is the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, the habitat of the endangered tiger, and local gold miners are not only openly stating plans to change the boundaries, but have already begun brazenly pushing into protected territories! Just to добыть as much gold as possible.

And it is they, these very gold miners, who in recent years have dealt a colossal blow to the country’s river ecosystems. Do you know that there has been a sharp rise in cases of river pollution? Since about 2020 this has become a catastrophe — the major water arteries of Siberia and the Far East are being flat-out destroyed for TENS OF THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS.

For context: in 2020, about 276 cases of pollution were identified on 123 rivers, with a total length of 9,300 km affected. And by 2024, river pollution was identified across roughly 13.5 thousand kilometers — and that was in just one month (June 2024).

This is what they are proposing! Therefore, under no circumstances should this bill be allowed to pass. Look at what they are doing — right now they are already openly dividing up Russia’s protected “rent.” And if the bill is adopted, the consequences will be catastrophic.

© PAVEL PASHKOV