Knowledge Base

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

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

Why do bears approach humans, and is it related to pine nuts?

One reason bears approach humans is the destruction of their natural habitat and food scarcity. Forest fires, logging, road construction, and industrial development destroy the animals' food sources. The loss of cedar and oak forests is particularly dangerous, as they provide bears with high-calorie nuts and acorns before hibernation. In 2025, Russian scientists from the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences found that cedar-broadleaf forests had not recovered even 60–70 years after selective logging! Research on 127 sample plots showed that other tree species still dominate the areas of ancient cedar forests, large trees are almost absent, and the proportion of Korean pine has sharply decreased. The recovery of such ecosystems can take centuries. The problem is exacerbated by poor harvest years and industrial pine nut collection. When bears lack natural food, they are forced to expand their search for food. They may approach roads, dumps, and settlements where they find food waste. However, bears approaching humans does not necessarily indicate an increase in their population. This is why we launched a separate Public Initiative demanding a complete federal ban on logging cedars and oaks in Russia's natural ecosystems. Our goal is to preserve the remaining food forests and protect the intact natural territories essential for the sustainable existence of bears and many other wild animals.
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