Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 10, Mar. 1999

Editorial note: The Forest bulletin has already spoken about the situation in Lasovsky district of the Khabarovsk region. Interests of local administration and foreign loggers, issues of nature conservation, traditional nature use and intensive industrial development got all mixed up in the very center of Sikhote-Alin...

Prologue

An issue turns into a problem
only when there is more than
one point of view considering it...
(Ascribed to Cyclops)

Past

Development of forested land in the middle of Sikhote-Alin has a long history. These forests had served as home for Udege and Goldy people for a long time. Indigenous people lived by hunting, fishing and collecting herbs, as we call it now by "they fulfill traditional nature use". Russians began to explore the Far East in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. After the Aigun (1859) and Beijing contracts had been signed, lands on the right bank of the Ussuri passed to Russia. At the same time industrial development of the territory started. Main reasons for that were political and strategic that was why logging and wood-processing were not carried out until the end of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth centuries. Timber demand was satisfied mainly with import from Japan and the USA. Only firewood was harvested. Aboriginal population kept its lifestyle and still lived owing to the gifts of forests. Many migrants from Russia also lived owing to fishing and hunting. Forests of the middle Sikhote-Alin abandoned in wild boars, roe deer, tigers, sables, bears, Manchurian wapitis, foxes, squirrels and Siberian weasels.

Timber demand sharply increased at the end of last century due to beginning of construction of the Ussuri and Amur rail-roads as well as a number of military objects. Size of logging started to increase. At the same time woodworking industry was developed. Khorsky timber mill was built in 1915. However, district development was not oriented only toward a source of raw materials before the revolution. The following fact proves that: most harvested wood went to the domestic market and expansion of logging was backed up by development of woodworking industry.

The situation changed greatly after 1917. Russian economy was completely destroyed due to the Civil war and intervention. Huge financial resources were required for its reconstruction. Forests was a readily available source of finances. So, 70% of harvested timber went for export until 1934. Size of logging operations constantly rose. Oborsky forest enterprise was established in 1928. It had been the biggest forest enterprise until 1945. Khorsky hydrolytic plant and Oborskaya rail-road were built in 1932. Thus, development of timber and wood-working industries required construction of new settlements.

Volume of exports had gradually declined since 1934. It was caused by rapid development of industry, which led to increase of domestic market. Timber harvesting was badly controlled at that time. So, the forests which were easy accessible, were felled first, i.e. in the first place water-protective forest belts along the rivers. There was no reforestation, the best timber was logged.

Gradual reorganization of the industry was carried out in the post-war period, environmentally sound techniques were introduced; natural peculiarities of the Far East were studied. Meanwhile, bureaucratization process of the Soviet system initiated "pursuit of the plan". "Planned" expansion of the logging site (and sometimes exaggeration 1,5 - 2 times) did not correspond with rational nature use. That led to exhaustion of forests in the plain and submountain parts. However, there were no significant changes in the district development. Timber and, to some extent, woodworking industries provided most job vacancies for local population.

Present: social being, which determines consciousness

Current situation in the district does not differ from the regional one. According to the District Administration Report on social and economic development in 1998 there is an ongoing depression in the district named after Laso. Industrial output fell down: it is 25% lower in 1998 in comparison with 1997. The main reasons behind the economic crisis are the following: non-payments, loss of own turnover means, bad labor management, loss of employees' interested motives for working results. The same situation is typical for timber industry as well. Volume of harvested timber reduces greatly, structure of the industry underwent great changes. A lot of large and small timber companies and firms appeared and disappeared. Japan and China became main consumers of the timber harvested in the region and, to a lesser degree, - Korea. As the result forest service stepped back to the pre-war level, when control over logging was also quite insufficient (see above). Woodworking industry suffered from the depression, as it became more profitable to export round timber than to process it for the internal market. Export orientation of the industry led to the situation, when world landslide of prices for raw materials as well as financial and economic crisis in the Asian countries in 1997-1998 contributed to worsening of the economic situation in the region. Moreover, fires of 1998-1999 years had their dramatic impact.

As a result of economic depression, real income of population also decreased. Bucket purchase sum increased by 75.8%, whereas wages only by 3.5%. There is a large outflow of population from the district.

Fig. 1. Distribution of answers to the question: "How did your life change from the economic point of view?"

People's opinions do not contradict figures of the official reports. More than two thirds of local citizens outlined worsening of living standards when answering the following question: "How did your life change from an economic point of view?" (Fig. 1). General financial instability adds to uncertainty in future. Only 26.3% of people believe that they will keep their jobs in the following 2-3 years. Answers to the question "What do you depend on when thinking about your family's future?" have shown that, in the first place, people depend on their salaries. At the same time, one third of interviewed people has already lost hope to receive state support Another one third depends on vegetables grown by themselves and remaining one third depends on own farm.

Social living conditions in villages and small settlements are really bad. Most population can enjoy only electricity among public utilities; only one fifth has water-supply, sewerage, central heating and gas. Less than 10% of interviewed people has hot-water supply (however, in most cases it is seasonal).

Fig 2. Problems demanding immediate response, from local citizens' point of view.

Fig. 2 shows that according to opinion of local citizens environmental protection (35.5%) occupies only the third place among problems, which demand immediate response. The main problem is provision of people with good accommodations (54.6) followed by road construction (48.7%). 82.5% of questioned people said they witnessed worsening of environmental situation recently. Local people are mostly worried about decrease in populations of food fish and game animals. People, who live in upstream and middle of the Khor river still remember times, when they fished Siberian salmon "directly from a bridge". "Traditional use of nature" is a reality for many men, especially those, who are unemployed. That was why every third person pins his hopes to hunting, fishing and collecting herbs.

The second indicator of worsening of environmental situation is "cluttering up and forests' destruction". According to data of forest districts, forested area has constantly been enlarging despite of fires and felling operations (their volume decreased greatly since 1970s). Perhaps, such difference in opinions can be explained by differences in terms. Actually, "enlarged forested area" does not mean "taiga", it is an area, where undergrowth has reached certain density. Moreover, in most cases the undergrowth consists of small-leaf trees (birch and aspen of non-commercial, i.e. non-industrial use). No wonder, that people mentioned more obvious shortage of radical forests area.

More than a half of interviewed people pointed to pollution of surface and underground waters. Citizens of Lasovsky district believed that it was connected with activity of gold-miners. Surface outflow of particles from felling sites and burnt areas is not noticed in comparison with water pollution caused by various mining enterprises.

So, we end up with an unattractive picture. There are no jobs, no animals and fish, even few remaining forests are being destroyed. One of the most painful issues is the question about the current situation in forest settlements. There is no surprise that almost half of interviewed people (47.3%) want to leave their villages; however, they (41.4%) cannot do it due to lack of finances.

Future: there is a light from an unfamiliar star

A Malaysian firm Rimbunan Hijau came to help district economy in that difficult moment. It provided working places for local people. It works in strict compliance with legislation. Best regional experts of Forest management develop plans of forest management for the company. According to them there will be minimum damage caused to forests. The company will not influence reproductive potential of forests. The firm harvests timber with the help of modern machinery and environmentally sound technologies. Rimbunan Hijau builds strategic roads, which will be necessary when the regional industry revives. The roads and other activities of the Malaysian company will initiate revival of the forest settlements. However, this is a point of view of regional authorities.

Environmental activists have a different opinion. They think, that Rimbunan Hijau, which caused many problems in tropical forests, will bring nothing into the Khabarovsk region except problems and large sums (which will go directly to private pockets, perhaps, belonging to officials). Having destroyed last untouched (due to lack of access) forests, the company will disappear leaving a desert and ruined local industry behind.

Fig. 3. Local citizens' opinions about the activity of Rimbunan Hijau in the Khabarovsk region

What do local people think about it? Only 15% of people sympathize activity of the foreign companies (Fig. 3). 34% of local citizens disapprove it. It is quite clear: in contrast to official point of view, local people do not think that foreign companies will suit them as abstract "local people". They do not think foreign companies will help themselves or their families (Fig. 4). Moreover, they (local people) think that these companies will serve only officials, here their point of view coincides with environmentalists' opinion.

About a half of interviewed people are indifferent to foreign companies and their activity in the region. It is a real pity that this attitude is typical for young people, who will live when 49 years of lease end.

Fig. 4. Who will benefit from activity of foreign logging companies?

People often excused their passiveness saying: "When the future comes nobody knows"... They believe only in themselves and do not trust in environmentalists, God or Evil. People know from their experience that outside interference in their life will lead to no changes. When speaking with strangers, they imitate their interlocutors: when speaking with environmentalists, they are environmentalists, when speaking with people from Rimbunan Hijau, they are its supporters. They are right in their way. Both environmentalists and Rimbunan Hijau will leave, when they have got what they want. Only local people will stay there.

Epilogue

There are only two problems in Sukpay today: survival of wild nature and survival of local population. In fact, it is one problem. It is important to make sure that none of them prevail. And everyone, who will be involved in this struggle for survival will be responsible for the future of the land, people and nature.

Materials of A. Ostroukhov and V. Maslichenko were used in the article.