Knowledge Base

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

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 industryHow do ancient forests affect the climate?What is the 'Green Page' and why is it needed?How many bears are there in Russia overall?What are ancient forests?What are Public Initiatives and how do they help protect nature?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?Why don't petitions to protect wildlife work?

How is the area of Russia's intact forest landscapes changing?

According to estimates by an international group of researchers, the area of Russia's intact forest landscapes decreased from 274,4 million hectares in 2000 to 221,2 million hectares in 2025. Over 25 years, we lost 53,2 million hectares, or almost 19,4% of all intact forest landscapes preserved at the beginning of the century! This is 532 thousand square kilometers — an area larger than Spain. Russia ranks first in the world in terms of the absolute area of lost intact forest landscapes. It is important to understand: losing the status of an intact territory does not mean that all the forest in this area has been cut down. The construction of roads, industrial development, logging, or large-scale disturbances of the natural cover are enough for a vast forest area to lose its integrity. According to the World Resources Institute, from 2001 to 2025, the loss of tree cover directly within Russia's intact forest landscapes amounted to about 25 million hectares. The main causes of destruction remain forest fires, industrial logging, and infrastructure development. Meanwhile, the total area of Russia's forests may increase due to the natural overgrowth of territories and the restoration of tree vegetation. However, young forests cannot quickly replace the complex ancient ecosystems that have formed over centuries and millennia. This is why we separately study the condition of large intact forest landscapes, not just the total forest cover area. It is especially important to preserve Russia's existing protected area system. Thanks to reserves, national parks, and other specially protected natural areas, many valuable forest areas are under state protection from industrial development.
Search Materials