The bill, which will allow clearing, is being considered in the State Duma. If it is adopted, 68% of forests in the central ecological zone of Lake Baikal may suffer, Greenpeace's activists said. As of November 18, more than 43 thousand Russians signed a petition against the law.
The bill on the abolition of the ban on clearing around Lake Baikal may be already adopted in November. According to Greenpeace, the condition of forests after major forest sanitation only gets worse. The remaining trees allegedly experience severe stress from the new conditions. They weaken, fall due to the wind, and become food for pests.
According to Greenpeace, tree felling also increases the risk of flooding. The activists believe that the wild forest is able to cope with its problems by itself, without human intervention.
Greenpeace called on Russians to sign a petition against the adoption of the law. As of November 18, this was done by more than 43 thousand Russians.
One of the bill’s co-authors, deputy Alexander Yakubovsky from Irkutsk, had asked the Prosecutor General's Office to recognize Greenpeace as an undesirable organization. There has been no reaction from the agency yet.
