Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 13, Jan. 2000

Editorial note:
'Unique natural systems of Belarus which include national parks “Belovezhskaya Puscha”, “Bratislavskiye lakes”, “Pripyatskiy”, “Narochanskiy” are threatened – barbarians became managers there. They consider parks only as a way to replenish their shadow bank accounts. High-output woodworking equipment was delivered to the parks, which was swallowing up the best forest plantations. Animals, especially hoofed ones, are mercilessly extirpated by foreign hunting tourists. It became really difficult to hear or to see a deer in “Belovezhskaya Puscha”. Even a sacred animal in Belarus – a wisent – fell into a list of trophies.
Ministry of Nature protection as well as scientific organizations is afraid to stand up for natural parks (outstanding people are missing in the country)…
It is dangerous to put our names to this letter. Regime will not condone it. May the Lord help the nature of Byelorussia, turn down villains'.

These are lines from a letter which our editors received recently. The following article proceeds with the topic which arose from the letter. Authors of the article also refused to sign it because of clear reasons.

Everyone saw commercials devoted to the pride and beauty of Belarus – National parks and among them commercials of the National park “Pripyatskiy”. In fact, National park is a new from of nature protection in contrast to usual Nature reserves (strictly protected areas). National parks are associated with wildlife areas of the United States, where lions stroll freely in savanna and jump on hoods of cars.

A citizen can imagine such idyllic scenery and he will certainly thank President's Administration, which is responsible for natural parks, for nature conservation. Citizens will watch commercials and sigh being unaware that there is nothing to thank the Administration of Belarussian President for.

Background

“Pripyatskiy” landscape and hydrological nature reserve was established in 1969 and occupied 61.5 thousand ha. It was conveyed under the jurisdiction of the Administration of President Lukashenko in August 1994. Right after the assignation, lands of the “Leninskiy shlyakh” kolkhoz (collective farm) were included into the area of the nature reserve. In 1995 lands of the “Chervony kastruchnik” were also added to it. It was clear that those lands were of no nature conservation value. An agricultural complex “Khlupin” was organized on the base of those lands, which became a part of the National park. Forested lands of “Petrikovsky” and “Zhitkovichsky” forest districts, which experts characterized as “extremely urbanized landscape incomparable with nature reserve”, were added to the national park in 1995. The territory was named “Experimental forest game preserve “Lyaskovichy”. The whole area was declared as “National park “Pripyatskiy” by the decree #298rp in 1996.

Total area of the nature reserve increased up to 185.1 thousand ha. In fact it increased three times.

Oddly enough, why did President's Administration take charge of forest resources instead of still existing Ministry of Nature Protection? And what is the difference between a National park and a nature reserve?

For example, the Decree of President #298 rp on 02.10.1996 transformed the nature reserve “Pripyatskiy” into a National park “Pripyatskiy”. Besides, the President did not have the right to do it as only the Council of Ministers could change the status of a nature reserve.

The reasons for the decision were the following: the National park should have had an owner, a master, who would take care of the park. There is an owner now – Ivan Ivanovich Titenkov. However, it turned out that the purpose of the decree was not to protect nature, because the decree lowered the protection status of the nature reserve. In contrast to the nature reserve, economical activity is allowed in the National park.

What were the reasons for attachment of areas which were not connected with the nature reserve: mainly swamps, agricultural lands and roads? What were the reasons for increasing the total area of the National park by attaching territories which were of no nature protection value? What was there so important for nature conservation in usual Belarussian swamps or in Ukrainian and Gomel highways?

The important thing was so-called “environmental tax” on transport passing through the National park.

A penny from a car makes a fortune

Because of the “environmental tax”, the territory of the National park was increased with the help of swamps and roads. According to the decree of President Lukashenko #177 on 24.03.1999 each car moving through the National park “Pripyatskiy” should pay a tax, which amounts to 0.2 of minimum wage per a car and 0.5 per a lorry for the citizens of Belarus. They can buy an “annual tickets”, which cost 20 and 50 minimum wages correspondingly. There are different prices for foreign citizens: $5 per a car and $10 per a lorry for one entry. “Annual tickets” cost $500 and $1000 correspondingly. Personnel of motoring stations said that the “environmental tax collection” was up to $800 a day. However, introduction of the tax arose discontent of local population.

Residents have to pay at least once a week or on Saturdays and Sundays when everybody goes to the villages to buy food. The tax is especially unbearable for those, who live in the village but work in the town. They had to pay every day.

People were indignant with actions of the Park's “owners” and tax collection was changed: those, who lived in immediate proximity to the National park, could drive through its territory at no cost.

Local people still remember as at first Ivan Ivanovich Titenkov came to the environmental motoring stations in person and asked workers: “How much did you collect?” He demanded to raise “output” rate. After the rules of tax collection had been changed, he did not come to the stations any more. However, there is still large freight flow, which runs along those roads into Russia (St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad), from Ukraine, from Europe into Russia and back.

We would be glad if the money went for the development of the nature reserve. However, almost no money goes to nature protection and restoration. It is proposed that 40% of profit goes to the National Bank according to the decree of President about obligatory sale of currency. The rest 60% go to the dollar accounts of the President's Administration.

Nevertheless, we will speak about accounts later. There are some doubts that only 60% of profit go to the accounts of the Administration and not 100%. The fact is that such “dollar” productions are exempted from obligatory sale of currency to the National Bank of Belarus if they transfer 10% of their dollar proceeds to the state concern “Belneftechim” for purchase of fuel and other important state needs. The head of the concern “Belneftechim” is Ivan Bambiza, who is a cousin of the former director of the National park “Pripyatskiy” - Nokolay Bambiza. However, nothing had changed in the National park when the former director was designated to a new post as a new director was also a cousin of Nikolay Bambiza. What a nice family business!

What a beautiful oak grove it was!

Before it became a National park, the nature reserve “Pripytskiy” had been famous for its floodplain oaks – oaks, which grew on flooded lands. It is a rare and unique phenomenon as oaks usually do not grow on such soils. It seems that soon they will not grow on those soils any more because of economical activity of the President's Administration.

An English company received concession for development of those forest massifs in the 18th century. They rafted local oaks along the Pripyat and Dnepr rivers towards the Black sea, and from there they were transported to Great Britain. Byelorussian gentry studied at European universities then and watched such things with a great surprise. The tsar (king) was given a report where uniqueness of the territory was explained.

What did the North-western lands matter to the tsar, which were notorious only for constant rebellions and a tendency to Poland's independence? However, the tsar read the report and ordered to cancel a contract with the English company, though the company was paid penalty under the contract in gold.

Nowadays “Belarussian” authorities do not care for conservation of the unique nature reserve. They prefer a strategy of selective felling, where everything what can be used is cut down. Only forests which cannot be used in industrial production are left. After the idea of industrial production had been approved (as a matter of fact, felling operations started when a former director – Nikolay Bambiza just came to the nature reserve in 1989, but legal “permission” for felling was given by the President's Decree about “reorganization” of the nature reserve), a woodworking plant was built in the nature reserve on the territory of the National park (what would Americans say if they learned about it?)!

Such a small plant…

Reserved oaks are ready for shipment to consumers. Photo by the author

Maybe that woodworking plant is the most unique production unit in Belarus, as a credit of $2 796 400 was received for its construction – about three million dollars US! It would be easier to understand that figure if that money was foreign investments. However, the credit was given by Belarussian banks: Gomel regional division of the joint stock savings bank “Belarusbank” ($ 2 126 400) and the joint stock company “Belarussian bank of development” ($ 670 000). We do not know anything about the last bank today if it still exists or not. Perhaps it does, as $ 7 600 was transferred to the bank as credit interests on 15th of May, 1999. We do not know anything about its ex-chairman and new chairman nowadays.

Belarussian bank of development seems to be very interesting. Most likely, it was a Belarussian division of the World Bank and the credit, which had been given for the construction of the woodworking plant, was received from the World Bank for …nature protection and nature management in Belarussian nature reserves! Instead of nature protection, President's Administration purchased a plant.

Italian processing equipment was purchased and installed at the plant with almost incredible processing capacities out of the proceeds of two credits.

Monthly outcome of the plant is the following: fabricated wood block flooring – 1400 m3, flooring board – 500 m3, linings – 200 m3 and alder tree board - 600 m3. The equipment can process up to 1000 m3 a week (according to its engineering factors - 50 000 m3 annually)!!!

Buildings of modern saw-mills in the National park. Photo by the author

The plant works according to principles of western management: they fell as much timber as they can convert shortly. Sometimes the workers were surprised: there was a huge pile of age-old oaks three days ago and now it has gone. All logs were converted.

Oaks are cut down not only in the reserved zone – when there were some irregularity in delivery of logs, timber was brought from Bryansk, from Russia. Not only oak, but pine as well is converted at the plant. Pine also comes from the reserve. Resulting fabricated wood block flooring is exported at one third (not only half) of its real price!!! According to workers, a store–company “Dom parketa (House of parquet) in Minsk acts as a broker for the plant.

However, even such outcome is not enough for the Belarussian President's Administration. New Polish equipment “DOTS” with the same output was purchased recently. A derelict farm is planned to be converted into a new workshop for parquet's production. Nowadays, a parquet continuous production line is installed directly in the territory of the National park. According to the management of the National park: “Reconstruction and accomplishment works are conducted at the Ozeransky woodworking workshop”. In deed, “the workshop” was a derelict farm, where new equipment was delivered.

With such organization, there are no breaks in timber supplies. The plant works in three shifts, last workers from the plant are brought into the village of Zhitkovichy at 2.45 – 3.00 a.m.

By the way, why do the workers have to be brought to the plant? Why was not it built closer to settlements?

The background of the decision is comical according to local people. Former director of the National park and the plant quarreled with the administration of Zhitkovichy, but he did not want to move the plant closer to Petrikovo, because of his “patriotic” spirit (he is from Zhitkovichy). That was why the plant was built right in between: 25 km from Zhitkovichy and from Petrikovo. So, the workers have to be brought to the plant.

Despite of high profit, workers receive very small salaries – about 15 million Belarussian rubles (BRB), which is approximately $20. However, nobody wants to leave the plant – here al least a small wage is guaranteed. Workers commented on transfer of earned money: “We are working for the President's election campaign.”

Will people remember, when the President gives them a loaf of bread at 3 rubles during his election campaign, that such prices do not exist? Will they remember that they have paid for the bread with our national patrimony? Even Russian tsar cared for that patrimony, whereas “new managers” sell it at prices next to nothing.

The National park received 165 billion rubles from sale of timber and wooden goods in 1998. In this case, “National park” is not a nature protection area, but a form of management. Nobody is going to spend billions of rubles for nature protection there. Everything, which is connected with science and research, is financed by … the Ministry of Nature protection, which still considers the National park as a protected zone, perhaps, mechanically. Profits from the Pripyatskiy nature reserve make up hundreds of billions, whereas scientific research receive only hundreds of millions BRB from the Ministry of Nature protection. That is why, it is very sad to read in the annual reports of the nature reserve: “The theme “Ecology and state of rare and endangered plant species in the Pripyatskiy nature reserve” is interrupted.” There were 11 scientists in the personnel of the nature reserve in 1994, now there are only 7 positions according to the staff list. In fact there are only 4 scientific workers out of 1469 workers of the National park “Pripyatskiy”.

Some figures from account books

The report of the National park for the period from 1994 till the first half of 1999 reveals rates of “making money” at the expense of Belarussian reserved oaks. “The woodworking plant “Lyaskovichy” was put in operation in 1997 which led to increase of outcome comparing with production output in 1994: - 3,5 times higher in 1997, 6.9 times higher in 1998 and outcome in 1999 is planned to be 8,6 times higher than in 1994”.

There is an interesting graph in the report, which shows receipts from economical activity in the nature reserve. Receipts were 295,2 times higher in 1998 comparing with receipts in 1994, whereas balance sheet profit was 1943,1 times higher.

Actually, a normal accountant should clutch his head, as balance sheet profit is a profit after all taxes have been paid. Moreover, it increased not 1043,1 per cent, but 1043,1 times!!! Sales proceeds in the National park amounted 199 718 million rubles in 1998! Sales proceeds have already amounted 297 319 million rubles only for the first half of 1999. If sales proceeds for the second half of 1999 were the same, then it would total 594 638 million rubles.

Stumps left in unique forests are the best illustrations of the situation in the nature reserve. Photo by the author

Let us calculate this sum in dollars US at the National bank's rate – 370 000 Belarussian rubles per $1 (we assume that President's Administration would not exchange rubles at black market's rate). The resulting profit makes up $1 607 129. So, the Administration of Alexander Lukashenko will receive that sum from economical activity of the National park this year, leaving out of the account the above-mentioned “environmental tax”. Money will be transferred to the sub-accounts of the National park “Pripyatskiy” in Germany.

The agricultural complex “Khlupin” in the National park “Pripyatskiy” seems to be the most profitable kolkhoz in Belarus. Despite of continuous decrease of average annual number of workers (296 people in 1995 and only 242 in July 1999), capital assets of the agricultural complex increased twice ( from 68,5 up to 123 billion BRB). Capital investments totaled $1 120 000 for five years. The complex has purchased two grain combines “Don-1500”, eight tractors, 5 trucks “MAZ”, 26 different units of agricultural machinery, a grain-dryer “Amkador” (at a price of $50 000).

It is clear that having such investments they can further develop the production, which destroys national patrimony of Belarus.

Earn money, everything else does not matter!

There is one more aspect of clear cutting, which threatens local environmentalists and all people, who understand unique value of the nature reserve. There is the largest brown coal field in Europe near the village of Zhitkovichy. Its length is about 40 km and depth of coal-bed is up to 800 meters. It was found in 1977 and since then it has not been touched, though it could have been quite easy to develop the field by excavating.

However, it turned out that first, the coal did not correspond to stipulated standards. So it should be mixed with something inflammable to make it burn. Second, the nature reserve and the mentioned flood-plain oaks prevent development of the field.

Nowadays, everything, even field development can be written off to the accompaniment of popular tale about fuel and energy crisis (as a matter of fact we face not the fuel and energy crisis, but a crisis of payments for electricity, and that are two different things). Using field development as a cover, unique reserved forest can be cut down providing high profits. Afterwards, when only a desert is left on the area of 50 km between Petrikovo and Zhitkovichy and citizens of those towns can see each other, high-output machinery will be brought into the desert and they will start field development. This will upset environmental balance not only of the region, but also of Europe. Experts consider this region as “lungs of Europe”, so Europe will lose one lung.

Local population are mostly indignant with ordinary thriftlessness. Newly “loggers” fell trees as barbarians: they leave all waste at felling sites. As the result, huge piles of waste wood grow in the forest. Actually they throw away such wood, which no farmers would call “waste”. Farmers would be glad to collect “waste” for firewood; however, they are not allowed to do it! The wood waste is left to decay on the territory of the National park, so even collection (not felling!) of firewood is prohibited and considered as poaching. Foresters catch farmers and fine them for the collection of firewood up to 20 million BRB. The fines allow the foresters to write in the reports: “Damage caused by unauthorized felling was indemnified in full.” However, the matter is that there was no cutting-down: people collected “waste” left in the forest by the Administration of the Belarusssian President.

That is why people do not like new owners of the National park. Some of local citizens set fire to forests in order to harm to foresters. In fact, that was an old revenge of Belarussian peasants upon landlords since tsarist times. Burned area was 4,93 ha in 1998, whereas it has been 42,24 ha only for first six months of 1999! However, the management of the National park does not seem to be worried about it.

Meanwhile, when there is a lot of wood waste left in the forest to decay, businessmen from Japan buy even bark in Siberia. Some fertilizers can be made of sawdust and the first batch of 200 tons was produced; but there should be much more sawdust. The Administration has not still thought of making chipboard and fiberboard out of sawdust. At least these products were not listed among other produced goods in the reports of the National park. So, President's administration can plunder forests thriftlessly.

There was a refuse tip at the plant, where wood waste was sold to local people at 83 000 rubles per m3. The waste was composed of oak and piny boards of high quality. Ovens of those, who had purchased such “waste”, could crack with heat of oak firewood. We saw that waste – craftsmen could make nice book shelves and bookcases of it.

Hunting and fishing

There are no problems for those who want to hunt there, where only high rank officials and Party leaders had hunted before. All you have to do is to call the National park and you will be offered a price list: how much it costs to kill an elk or to fish from a motor ship.

There are three hunting lodge centers on the territory of the National park: one in Khluninskaya Buda (we will speak about that camping later), one in Cheretyanka and “Hunter's house” in Lyaskovichy. You have to gain the manager's confidence and he will send you prices for shooting in the nature reserve. They say that you have to pay even for a blank shot. As a matter of fact, rich people can afford that.

When we came to the nature reserve, a group of German tourists was hunting there, which shocked gamekeepers. They shot at wild boars, cut out only fangs as a hunting trophy and left the rest carcass in the forest. Local hunters looked at that … and could not do anything. Everything was paid in marks (DM) and according to the price list.

The price list also includes prices for rest in campings (single room costs $25 a day, double - $40 and a bed in a room for three people costs $15 a day), for fishing from a motor boat (single cabin costs $35 a day, double cabin - $50), for guide's escort ($5) and car parking ($2 per hour) and for visiting the National park (one person unlimitedly - $5)…

It is strange that all prices are given in dollars US, which conflicts with the President's decree that all payments should be done in Belarussian rubles. Businessmen have been worrying about that for several years, as they have to exchange “a standard unit” ( that was the name for one dollar US) at the “black market” rate. However, the National park and President's Administration do not have to comply with the low.

The National park “Pripyatskiy” has spent 2286 million rubles for construction of observation and hunting (game) towers for the first six months of 1999, whereas it spent only 2 million rubles in 1998. There were 24 towers in 1998, and now there are 46. It is complete absurdity to have game-towers in a nature reserve. However, this fact vividly illustrates another industry, which is being developed in the nature reserve. The game-towers are needed for hunting for wild boars.

A new camping was built in the nature reserve. The construction had started before Lukashenko became the Belarussian President. However, at that time the camping was planned for the nature reserve's staff and scientific laboratories. Nowadays, the camping center is ready but it has not been turned over to the customer. So high rank officials from the whole country come to hunt there.

To be continued…

So, Nikolay Bambiza left the nature reserve, provided his cousin with the position of the Nature reserve's director. He left for management of State fish resources, perhaps, he will manage them the same way as he managed forests in the nature reserve.

The National park “Pripyatskiy” served as an experimental ground for selling national patrimony of Belarus. The scheme was perfected so it is time to organize large-scale production of parquet from reserved oaks and pine trees.

Recently forest industry started in the holy of holies of Belarus – in the nature reserve “Byelovezhskaya Puscha”. A nice small farm was brought and one more foreign parquet producing equipment was installed in the nature reserve. The general effect is that nobody seems to be going to live there after the present generation.

In any case, such policy is a policy of scorched earth towards Belarus and Europe as whole. It is easy to destroy ecological balance, but it is impossible to restore it later. I wonder if it is possible to introduce an article into the Criminal Code, which provides responsibility for extremely grave environmental crimes. In any case, The executive office of Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko has already deserved it.