Soon the hottest place on the planet is at risk of becoming cold Arctic, where hidden more than 25% of the global reserves of oil and gas. The volume of Arctic light oil in monetary terms amount to an astronomical sum of 8.5 trillion dollars.
Not surprisingly, all of the Arctic countries are nervous about the application of our country in the UN on the extension of the continental shelf, where we pretend to underwater space area of 1.2 million sq km, stretching more than 350 nautical miles from the coast. In addition, large-scale program of the development of the Northern sea route, the shortest route between the rapidly developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, which is planned to organize transportation of cargo on hundreds of billions of dollars, and, importantly, only commercial tracks, uncontrolled by the U.S. armed forces, makes the Arctic a major geopolitical bridgehead. The plan of development for the volume and complexity comparable to the Soviet space program, and the economic effect from implementation has no analogues in world practice. There is nothing surprising in the fact that our overseas partners have organized a powerful data company, requires to give the Russian North under international supervision. The Arctic becomes the scene of a serious confrontation.
Russia is the great Northern country. Full-scale development of the Arctic may become a major component of the national idea that can greatly increase the economic strength of the country. But, without a doubt, in the fight for the treasures of the Russian North, our opponents will use all means, from the provocations of Greenpeace and cries in defense of polar bears, to outright sabotage and terrorist acts. Unfortunately, in a Grand program of Arctic exploration there is another important aspect, which dropped out of sight of all without exception of structures responsible for its implementation. And now for the conquerors of the Northern latitudes are more dangerous hungry polar bears. In the distant Soviet times, when we first started the study of the Arctic, it is extremely dangerous predator didn’t stand on ceremony. The famous polar Explorer Ivan Papanin, head of the first drifting station “North pole”, in his book “Life on the ice”, published in 1938, recalls many cases of forced ejection of polar bears.
In 1973, in Oslo the representatives of the five Arctic countries signed the Agreement on the conservation of polar bears, whose biggest threat is a significant reduction of the ice cover. International commitments, an ambitious plan of development of the Arctic, and this fact generated a wide resonance require a humane solution to the problem “predator — prey”, where the role of the predator speaks the polar bear, and in the role of victim. Have to solve two difficult tasks. The first is how to protect the territory of the newly established border posts, military units, weather stations and human settlements from intrusion of polar bears that have no innate fear of humans. The second tricky question is how to keep the population of this unique predator.
The fate of the polar bear in the Arctic and the fate of the Amur tiger in the South of the Far East have little in common, but the parallel between them to carry the can. The world community considers the problem of tiger conservation as one of the most important tasks of mankind. In 2009 in the capital of Nepal global forum dedicated to the year of the Tiger, was held under the motto “Saving tigers is our test, and if we go through it, then let’s save the planet”. Realizing how urgent the task of maintaining this beast, in 2010 in St. Petersburg gathered the heads of government
13 States on whose territories tigers. Speaking at the summit, Vladimir Putin outlined the steps of our country aimed at increasing the population of the Amur tiger. It is not surprising that this unique predator and the motto “the Fate of the Amur tiger in good hands” became a brand of the Russian President.
On the top of the ecological pyramid easily vulnerable ecosystems in the Arctic are polar bears, and their fate should be no less reliable hands. The problem of relations “predator — prey”, as a part of the problem of conservation of wild nature of Russian North, it must be resolved in the most efficient manner. Here we should pay attention to the world experience in addressing environmental issues, which will be very helpful.
It’s no secret that the situation with the protection of wild animals in the country, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired, but nevertheless, as an exception to the rule, we have a positive result for conservation of the Amur tiger. Now in Russia there are 523-540 its individuals, which is more than a decade ago. This result is quite natural, since to the preservation of rare animal actively supported by the Russian geographical society, and world wildlife Fund (WWF), and Autonomous non-commercial organization “Amur tiger Centre and the Ministry of natural resources and ecology of Russia and the State Duma to tighten penalties for hunting endangered species.
To solve much more complex and important problem — the preservation of wild nature of Russian North — the structure of participants is clearly not enough. Canadian Professor
V. geist, followed by the whole scientific community concluded that the North American model of wildlife conservation said about the triumph community. As a logical conclusion of the efforts of state and public organizations for the development of a broad social base of democracy and hunting President of the United States in 2007 signed a decree “On support of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation”. Was developed in the USA, according to scientists, the most perfect model of wildlife conservation, largely in line with the Soviet. In America, this community, we on the basis of the public hunting organizations was created by the excellent design of environmental activity, breaking that is our “sovereign men”, how short-sighted the old woman from the famous fairytale about the goldfish, were left with nothing.
Three years ago control management of the President of Russia has reviewed the effectiveness of the current system of protection, reproduction and use of fauna, the results of which were presented in “Report” dated 04.12.12. the name of Vladimir Putin. This test, identifying a number of serious drawbacks, noted that “the management system does not exist, regulation is ineffective, there is no proper funding, adequate controls are maintained, accurate records of the number of game animals is missing”. To remedy the negative situation, it was proposed to establish a state body that administers the hunting and game industry. The President of Russia imposed a resolution: “Agree.” It’s been three years, two of which abounded with petrodollars, but the state authority for regulation of the hunting industry was never created and will hardly appear in foreseeable future. It would be naive to count on adequate financing of the system of wildlife protection.
“The Executive completely ignored the resolution of Vladimir Putin, and officials from hunting continues to be deaf, blind, inactive and not friends with common sense,” he commented, doctor of biological Sciences, Professor A. A. Danilkin.
Because of the very complex economic situation of the country we North American model of wildlife conservation is not new, but this is not necessary. Based on our tradition, devotees should recover the forgotten achievements, delegating the protection of wild animals public hunting organizations, as it was in the heyday of hunting.
During the year, the Central television channels showed dozens of stories about success in the conservation of the Amur tiger population. However, in reality the situation is more dramatic victory reports. “Poverty, unemployment, decline of law, the emergence of the market for derivatives, the capitalization rate has led to targeted poaching. Not the last role was played by the effective destruction of hunting, replacing it with an amorphous, unmanaged mass of all kinds of “hunters”, among which there are people unfamiliar with the ethics of the taiga. Sharply reduced food resources for forest wildlife: cedar almost cut currently dorobat Mature oak forests. Competition between predators and humans began to escalate, and the population appeared well pronounced negative changes. So to say that the save the tiger agreed, a good reason is not” — such conclusions were made by the hunters, organizers and coordinators of the surveys and monitoring of the Amur tiger in the far East Y. M. Dunishenko, D. G. Pikunov in the article “Tiger and hunters. Friends or foes?”.
The situation in the Arctic is much more difficult. If not developed a set of effective measures for the conservation of wildlife (as in the South of the Far East, it is impossible to do without the support of the public hunting organizations), then sooner or later there will occur ecological disaster, which will serve as the basis for requirements to give the Russian North under international supervision.
Here is something to think about. However, analyzing the reasons for the lamentable state of the hunting of the country’s leading biologists admit fundamental error. The collapse of this industry was not caused by “incompetent officials from hunting”, but by the will of very powerful forces in the ruling party and the government, seeking to create in Russia, popular discontent, and on the basis of controlled chaos. Forces that know very well that rooted in the minds of the people thirst for justice, coupled with a sharp drop in living standards creates the same explosive mixture as a hundred years ago, and that revolutionary situations arise when they do not expect.
It’s time to restore order in the hunting economy, in order not to blush before the world community for the failure in solving human problems. In addition, this step will help to remove tension in the ranks of an army of Russian hunters, and that in itself is important in the period of growing crisis. As already noted, anti-people policies of breeds discontent, which can easily be transformed into a social explosion with a strong focus.
