WWF: illegal logging threatens valuable forests in Primorsky territory
MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax) - The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is worried about the scale of illegal logging in the Primorsky territory. The environmentalists say exports of illegally harvested timber to China twice exceed the norm.
"We have arrived at the sad conclusion - more than 900,000 cubic meters of Mongolian oak (one of the most valuable tree species in the Primorsky territory) are logged annually, while logging of only 450,000 cubic meters is permitted," WWF Russia Director Igor Chestin told reporters.
In his words, illegal logging endangers the population of the Ussuri tiger and other rare taiga animals and irreparably damage the unique eco-system.
A WWF report on the condition of forests in the Russian Far East published this year shows that the areas of legal commercial logging have shrunk, Chestin said.
Timber illegally harvested in the Primorsky territory is exported to China, which makes furniture and parquet and sells these products to the United States and the EU which prosecute the use of illegally harvested timber, he said.
Chestin believes that the Russian and Chinese governments should continue the timber industry dialogue to ensure transparency of supplies and keep out illegal products.
In the words of Alexander Mariyev, head of the Federal Forestry Agency forest use and reproduction department, some 49,000 cubic meters of timber were illegally harvested in 2011 and 23,000 cubic meters in 2012.
"Criminal charges were brought against 65 people in the Far Eastern Federal District in the first nine months of 2012 but less than 1% was collected in compensation for damages," he said.
