National Report: Russia

The International Community and the countries of the Tumen River watershed recognize the need for biodiversity and environmental protection in this basin and in adjacent territories. Only implementing sustainable development, that takes into consideration the interests of participating countries, can solve this problem in the region.

The interests and goals are:

• Joint cooperation in providing environmental security in the Northeast Asia, including biodiversity conservation of the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard.
• Economic development of south Primorye in a context of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation in SWP.
• Sustainable development of SWP that addresses and resolves the region's environmental issues.

Most of the terrestrial based environmental problems related to the socioeconomic development of the Russian portion of the Tumannaya river Project are concentrated in the southwestern part of Primorye. This is basis for selecting this territory as the primary target for discussion in National Report (Fig. III.1.1).

SWP is a narrow territory, 10-60 km wide, that stretches along the Russian - Chinese border for 200 km. It covers 740 000 hectares, which is 4.5% of the Primorye Region territory.

This territories' southern border is the Tumannaya river and the Razdolnaya river forms its northern border. This is primarily a low elevation, mountainous region, covered with forest, with coastal wetlands and meadows that stretch from the mouth of the Tumannaya river north to the outlet of the Razdolnaya river (Fig.III.1.2). The administrative districts in SWP include: Khasansky district, western portion of Ussuriisky district, western portion of Nadezhdensky district, southern portion of Oktyabrsky district.

The problems associated with the marine environment, as well as air pollution, because they are dynamic processes, encompass an area greater than SWP, and take in the coastal and at sea zones of Peter the Great Bay. (Fig.III.1.3).

The current socioeconomic level of SWP does not correspond to the region's natural resource potential and its unique transport and geographic location. A positive factor is the high level of biodiversity. The reason is that southwest Primorye, until 1990, was a closed border area and this factor restrained its socioeconomic development. SWP has a low population - 55,700 people, which is only 2.6% of the total population of Primorye Region.

Despite the fact that SWP belongs to the most developed portion of southern Primorye Region, it is not an area of high economic development. The average gross regional product for SWP is 8.6 times lower than for the rest of southern Primorye Region.

Ship repair and metal processing are the region's major industries. Up to 91.5% of the enterprises are privately owned, either as corporations or ltd. companies. These enterprises represent 58.6% of the gross regional product. Private companies employ 87.4% of the regional workforce. The current regional industrial structure does not create significant environmental problems for southwest Primorye.

The current level of development is 50% of late 1980 levels. The total agricultural land base in SWP is 165,069 hectares. There are a number of deer farms in southwest Primorye. Recovery of this stagnant area of the economy is extremely important from both an economic, as well as a biodiversity point of view, and specifically, in expanding the prey base for the Far Eastern leopard.

This activity is not a significant factor in either the regional economy or conservation of biodiversity of SWP.

Coastal fishing operations in SWP currently lands less than 20% of the total available take for the region. At the same time, economically valuable species are over harvested. Non fish species make up 50% of the total take: mollusks - 26%, sea urchins - 14%, holothurians - 5%, shrimps - 5%. There are 22 commercial fishing enterprises in the region that in 1998 contributed 11.4% to the gross regional product.

Poaching, although illegal, is a very significant part of natural resources usage. Marine resources are the most wide spread form of poaching and in volume it is comparable to commercial fisheries.

These forms of economic activity are being developed.

• Fires.
• Poaching, including by Chinese citizens.
• Collapse of deer farms.
• Transport infrastructure.
• Agriculture, mainly pesticides and herbicides.
• Spontaneous, unorganized recreation.

• Water contamination from the Tumannaya and Razdolnaya rivers.
• Untreated municipal waste from Zarubino, Slavyanka, Kraskino, Posyet.
• Contamination originating in areas adjacent to Peter the Great Bay.
• Solid waste left by tourists.
• Transportation as a source of air and marine pollution.

The goal of the Russian Federation is to preserve the unique biodiversity and the environment of SWP based on the sustainable socioeconomic development of the region. This goal will be achieved only through a series of eco-environmental restrictions, for example, restricting population to 300,000 - 320,000 people, the maximum carrying capacity for current water resources.

Transit traffic: marine, railroad and automobile

• Tourism, including eco-tourism.
• Mariculture, marine products processing.
• Production of non-timber and general medicinal products based on local resources.
• Specific types of agricultural activities: antler deer farming, fur farming.

1. Improve Protected Areas system. The strategic objective is to increase the effectiveness of Protected Area system and not to increase the volume of area protected.
2. Conservation of the Amur Tiger and the Far Eastern Leopard - implementation of Government strategies for the conservation of the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard; establishment of a unified protected area system; support for deer farm; anti-poaching measures.
3. Conservation and recovery of the most valuable ecosystems: wetlands, native forests and coastal ecosystems: fire prevention; regulated recreation.
4. Marine biodiversity and coastal landscape conservation.
5. Bird fauna conservation: fire prevention; limits on agricultural development.
6. Anti-poaching activities and prevention of the illegal use of plants and animal parts: anti-poaching brigades; environmental education.
7. Conservation of environmental quality: water quality conservation and solid waste discharge control.