The international environmental organization Greenpeace International has issued a report in English on the danger of the destruction of wild taiga forests in the interfluve of the Northern Dvina and Pinega and sent it to dozens of foreign commercial cellulose consumer companies from the Arkhangelsk region. This was reported on March 7 on the website of Greenpeace Russia.
The report of environmentalists says that foreign companies, in particular Arctic Paper, SCA, Stora Enso and Smurfit Kappa, also purchase timber from companies operating in the Dvina taiga. Ashan, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Zewa and McDonald's, in turn, buy products from them. The products of these companies come to European markets: Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, Italy. These Western companies became the addressees of the Greenpeace report.
On March 7, the largest Arkhangelsk pulp producers supported creation of a forest sanctuary between the Northern Dvina and Pinega, but at the same time they supported change of its already approved borders.
The head of the forest department of Greenpeace Russia Alexey Yaroshenko is sure that this is a multiple reduction of area of the future reserve:
'We expect Western companies to contribute to the fact that their pulp suppliers from Russia formed their attitude that would allow this reserve to be created. The process of establishing the Dvinsko-Pinezhsky reserve has been going on for 15 years, in 2008 its boundaries were agreed with forest companies. But as the forests around the reserve are very depleted, companies will not be able to survive with the old borders. With a new ambitious investment project, the sawmill will need more than 4 million cubic meters of timber beyond what is already consumed. If the forest management system is not changed to a more environmentally friendly forestry, then the nature of the Arkhangelsk region has few chances. I think that as a temporary measure the western partners of Arkhangelsk companies will be satisfied with their today's statement. But everyone understands that there have been a lot of applications lately, but the reserve has not appeared, and the system of forest management has not changed. If nothing changes by the end of the year, then, I think, such statements will no longer be believed.'
In February 2017, Greenpeace launched petition for the Governor of the Arkhangelsk region Igor Orlov to create a reserve in the interfluve of the Northern Dvina and Pinega.
Daniil Kuznetsov, «7x7»
