Right now, vast swathes of Russia are covered in “illegal” forests. 10% of all the forest in Russia (that’s an area about twice the size of Spain) lies in areas formerly or currently designated as agricultural land.
Part of these are old forests, which remained on farm lands and were unaccounted for after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the rest are new forests which have started to grow on abandoned agricultural lands.
Bizarrely, Russian legislation demands that the owners of these lands keep them free from forests. They risk paying huge penalties and can even lose their private land to the State. Most of them are completely forgotten, and have no clear status. This means that they’re often logged without restraint or simply burned, releasing CO2 and black carbon into the atmosphere.
That’s all about to change, as a result of a campaign by Greenpeace Russia to protect and restore these forests by changing the federal Forest Code to acknowledge the existence of forests on agricultural lands. The changes made so far only cover a small (but important!) part of federal legislation.
If we can regulate these 100 million hectares of “illegal” forests in a smart way, they could be a big part of nature conservation and restoration. Just by changing this one bit of legislation, it would be a huge win for biodiversity in Russia: more trees could be planted, sequestering carbon, and aiding the fight against climate change. We could turn previously empty land into a huge carbon sink.
Over 50,000 people in Russia have already signed a petition asking President Putin to change the legislation which prevents this from happening. We presented it to him at the Presidential Council on Human Rights last year. The actual application of this particular change will depend on implementing regulations which are still to be defined, and we need to make sure that it is good enough.
Russian forests are crucial to our climate and biodiversity. Half of the Great Northern Forest, the green crown of our planet is situated in Russia. You can help us to save this amazing forest by joining us here.
Anna Kosnikovskaya is a campaigner with Greenpeace Russia
Discussion
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Yeah, many people raise awareness about deforestation Amazon basin, but no one say that in Moscow, our capital, it's normal if company want to build house or highway in or through the forest, they simply cut it down, despite the 5 May 1999 No.17 Moscow Law, which say no deforestation in Moscow without compensation in this area or twice in this county. And we have grass fields in place of park. All of that thanks to mayor Sergey S. Sobyanin who says Moscow becoming more and more green everyday at Internet site mos.ru. Russia.
History shows that Russians are not capable to care for the land that Russia has grabbed throughout ages. Its simply not in their DNR. Through history Russia thrive on land grab and exploiting natural resources to promote their depraved, tribal based mentality rules on to the world. As the joke goes: Russia will force the mankind to the happiness by their iron fist. Russia already have forced millions of innocent people and families to gulag, exile in order to settle remote and hostile territories and uninhabitable corners which has became a graveyard for millions. This corrupt state sucks natural resources and uses it to build their military up in their fear to lose their land that it has grabbed. By building military Russia threatens the World and destabilizes it. They have annexed part of Ukraine and Georgia already. Russia continue to occupy East Prussia Koniksberg to which they have given a name somebody of Kalinin. Half a century after WWII Russia has no international legal right to longer occupy this land of Europe. Green peace of Russia now focuses on forests, and they probably know that after the forest will mature it will be sold again to build and maintain Russia's military. Why don't the Green peace Russia focuses their activities on the "peace' part of their agenda rather than on "green' part? Why don't Green peace Russia promote a Russia getting out of Georgia, Ukraine, Kaliningrad. Why don't Green peace Russia watch how their regime starting to get impatient with Belarus and building up their military against the borders of this country. Why don't Green peace Russia start to promote a rule of law in to their society and act to stop Russia's military built up!
Isn't Greenpeace an environment -al organization. Start getting into politics and Greenpeace will lose it's focus and voice!