Knowledge Base

Here you can find Pavel Pashkov’s answers to the most frequently asked questions.

How is the area of Russia's intact forest landscapes changing?Interactive map of the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET)Why bears and how is the register organized?The increase in quotas for bear hunting coincided with the expansion of the sports hunting industryHow do ancient forests affect the climate?Why do we need our online Earth observation station?Can the shooting of bears provoke new encounters between animals and humans?Why am I against planting forests in "rows" and critical of modern reforestation?They want to allow bears to be killed all winter during hibernationWhat threat has emerged for the reserves?How should we protect nature to achieve real change?What do we propose to solve the problem?How can an ordinary person help wildlife?Why do bears approach humans, and is it related to pine nuts?Is it true that forests in Russia are only increasing?What do we need to do to have a global impact on environmental issues?What do studies say about fires and roads?Why don't petitions to protect wildlife work?Is it necessary to write to government authorities if the responses are just formalities?How many bears are there in Russia overall?What is the 'Green Page' and why is it needed?What are Public Initiatives and how do they help protect nature?What are ancient forests?How do roads affect the integrity of the taiga?

How many bears are there in Russia overall?

The exact number of brown bears in Russia is unknown! In 2026, the Ministry of Natural Resources reported 307,9 thousand animals, claiming that since 1990, their numbers have increased by 2,37 times. However, scientific studies indicate serious issues with the reliability of such estimates. Consider the discrepancies. In 2017, the Ministry reported 245,1 thousand bears, while the Prosecutor General's Office cited a completely different figure for the same year — 143 thousand! The difference is 102 thousand animals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated the Russian population at about 100 thousand individuals. In 2021, the official figure reached 300 147 bears, whereas expert Sergey Pazhetnov in 2022 estimated the number at about 120–130 thousand. Why such discrepancies? As early as 1994, researcher Igor Chestin pointed out the lack of a unified accounting methodology. In 2012, an international group of scientists showed that bear movements due to changes in food sources could lead to population estimate errors of more than 200%. In scientific works from 2020–2023, experts again noted the unreliability of certain methods and the need to use official figures cautiously. In 2021, expert Mikhail Krechmar spoke of a possible estimation error of no less than 20–25%. With a population of 300 thousand, this is about 75 thousand animals! In 2022, researcher Sergey Puchkovsky also suggested that federal figures might be inflated. In September 2026, a representative of the Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz, A. A. Sitsko, openly admitted that no one knows the exact number of bears and that existing figures are subjective estimates. At the same time, the association proposed removing the brown bear from the list of animals whose hunting is regulated by quotas and extending the hunting season until 28 February. It turns out that official and expert estimates for different years vary from about 100 to 308 thousand bears. Comparing them directly is scientifically incorrect: accounting methods differ, and a unified comparable monitoring system is absent. This is why we consider it unacceptable to justify increased hunting solely based on the growth of official figures. A comprehensive scientific monitoring with verifiable methodologies, error assessment, and study of regional populations is necessary. Today, the growth of published estimates is confirmed, but how much the brown bear population in Russia has actually changed is not scientifically established.
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