Knowledge Base

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

What is the 'Green Page' and why is it needed?How many bears are there in Russia overall?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?How can an ordinary person help wildlife?What do we need to do to have a global impact on environmental issues?Why do bears approach humans, and is it related to pine nuts?Is it true that forests in Russia are only increasing?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?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?How should we protect nature to achieve real change?They want to allow bears to be killed all winter during hibernationWhat threat has emerged for the reserves?What do we propose to solve the problem?Interactive map of the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET)How is the area of Russia's intact forest landscapes changing?Why bears and how is the register organized?Why do we need our online Earth observation station?The increase in quotas for bear hunting coincided with the expansion of the sports hunting industry

What do we propose to solve the problem?

We propose conducting a large federal review of the bear situation in Russia, especially in regions where quotas for hunting are increasing, bears are more frequently approaching humans, and forests are simultaneously being destroyed. It is necessary to determine what is happening with the animals' food base, how fires, logging, road construction, industrial harvesting of pine nuts, and the development of the wilderness are affecting them. Each instance of a bear approaching humans should be recorded on a common map. We need to check what has happened to the surrounding forests in recent years, whether there have been fires, logging, and if there are nearby dumps and other food sources. This will help us understand why animals are leaving their usual habitats. Separately, we demand an independent scientific census of bears across Russia. This should use camera traps, genetic studies, field observations, and other modern methods. All results must be open to the public. Until the animal population is reliably verified, we propose prohibiting further increases in hunting quotas in problematic regions. It is also necessary to verify how justified the regions are in increasing the permitted bear harvest and what role commercial hunting enterprises play in this. Each quota increase must be supported by scientific data that can be independently verified. We advocate for a complete ban on hunting bears during winter hibernation and the destruction of dens. We demand the protection of pine forests and oak groves, the preservation of remaining large natural areas, and the restoration of the animals' food base. In the most valuable forest areas, industrial development and sport hunting should be completely banned. To protect people, special services should be created to professionally respond to the appearance of bears near settlements. It is necessary to remove dumps, control food waste, and eliminate causes that attract animals to humans. Dangerous cases should be addressed separately. We believe that the state must first understand why bears are approaching humans and what is happening to their natural habitat. If animals are losing forests, food territories, and safe places to live, further increases in hunting will not solve the problem. Our goal is to achieve the protection of bears and the preservation of the large ancient ecosystems of the Ancient Forests.
Search Materials