By Rowland Benjamin

Loss of biodiversity

For example, two areas in the Vanino Region - Primorsky and Khabarovsk Kray - contain the Far East's best forests. However, they are closest to Asian markets especially the large Chinese market. Foreign timber concessions continue to be important in the region. Therefore, the threat to biodiversity is ever-present unless these areas are protected.

In some regions, notably Primorsky, much of the damage has already been done. If logging activity on the scale seen in the early to mid 1980s is renewed, there could be permanent damage to the highly endangered Siberian tiger and other rare species.

Insect infestations and fires

Logging had been intensive in the Krasnoyarsk Region in East Siberia but now has declined. However, the remaining forest was rendered vulnerable to large insect infestations along the Angara River to the north and east. Those remaining areas were, in turn, more vulnerable to forest fires. The Russian government estimates that 783,000 hectares of forest was damaged in the region between 1994 and 1996 by insect infestations. To the south, extensive areas of fir forests are in decline due to devastating fungal outbreaks.

Climate change

Deforestation means there is less uptake of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide and more severe climate change. With a rise in global temperatures there will be melting of permafrost as well as the drying of the boreal micro-climates, releasing more carbon dioxide and methane, and adding to the problem. Climactic change could potentially disrupt Arctic and Sub-Arctic ecosystems, and increase fresh-water flow into the Arctic sea. This increased flow could, in turn, alter oceanic circulation and further influence global climate systems. A runaway greenhouse effect is a possibility. Climate change will affect water supplies, agriculture, coastal zones and islands, and a large number of ecosystems will degrade or disappear. Global warming, expected to be most exaggerated in the boreal zone, could be accompanied by a drier climate. If so, the enormous fires in the autumn of 1998 may seem small by comparison.

Outlook

In the 1990’s there was a reduction in harvesting activity due to the collapse of the Russian economy and recessions in Japan and Korea - typically major buyers of Russian timber. With an upturn in these economies, and the rise of the Chinese economy, timber companies are expanding. They see the forests as a major source of revenue. The Russian economy has been growing since about 2003 and there has been a greater demand for timber.

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