Forest of the Sukpai watershed ¾
to log or to conserve?
Sukpai ¾ Where is it?
Prehistory of the problem.
Events and updates of the situation:
Sukpai ¾
Where is it?
The Sukpai Watershed is the same-name river ¾
the tributaty of the Khor River ¾
and its basin on the easterm macroslope of the Sikhote-Alin Range
(the Russian Far East). It is situated in Khabarovsk Krai, being separated
from the Pacific Coast by the Samarga Basin and bordering by the Bikin
River in the south (both at the territory of Primorskiy Krai) .
Its nature represents the peculiar coniferous–deciduous (consisting
of spruce–fir, Korean stone pine, larch and birch) taiga, sometimes swamp
forests, with valuable, subtropical endemic, rare and threatened species
(see Table).
This is a relatively isolated area. The Pacific Coast can be reached either
to the west, through still untouched forests of the Samarga Basin (Primorskiy
Krai), where indigenous Udege people live, or through the north, where
there is a motorway to the port of Vanino.
Prehistory of the problem.
The Verkhnesukpaiskiy Zapovednik (strict scientific nature
reserve) was suggested by scientists from the Institute for Water
and Ecological Problems (Khabarovsk). Last time the value of the area
had been confirmed in 1994 when the Khabarovsk Environmental
Protection Committee suggested this reserve for including into the
federal list of planned zapovedniks (federal level strict scientific
nature reserves). This suggestion was negotiated by Khabarovsk
Regional Administration and justified by scientists. All materials
were prepared by Khabarovsk Wildlife Conservation Union.
These plans were fixed in the list of zapovedniks and national
parks recommended for creation at the territory of the Russian
Federation in 1994-2005 approved by the government of the Russian
Federation (April 23, 1994, No.572-r). It is also present in the
Federal program of the state support of State Nature Zapovedniks until
the Year 2000 approved by the decree of the president of the Russian
Federation of October 10, 1995, No.1032.
However, in December 1997 an international tender was held to lease
a forest plot of 305 000 ha in the upper Sukpai basin, with allowed
annual cut of 550 000 m3. The Vice-Chairman of the Russian
Federal Forest Service Mr.Kuzmichev confirmed us in his letter after
our request that this is the same area, which was supposed for
establishing of the Verkhnesukpaiskiy Zapovednik in 1994. The tender
was won by the Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau International Ltd.,
which is well-known by its barbarian logging in tropical forests.
(For more information see Forest
Bulletin, No.8–9, 1998).
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