Russia Today:    

Small farm in Sosnovka near the Amur River, Khabarovsk (T. Stone)

Marred by civil unrest, crippled by internal and external corruption, and constantly struggling to redefine itself since the end of the cold war, Russia faces massive hurdles to overcome to support its citizens in a new world. When the basic necessities for human survival are being pushed out of arms reach by a government riddled with personal agendas aimed more towards self preservation, making people think about their environment becomes more difficult.  It is impossible to separate the need for sound resource management from the need for a government willing to promote democracy and address human welfare.  The Woods Hole Research Center acknowledges these needs when working and supporting NGO's within Russia.

Urban Krasnoyarsk (P. Schlesinger)

Present economic hardships in Russia make proper management of forests exceptionally challenging. Forest resources have become endangered through widespread economic pressure. Traditional Russian research organizations are faltering from lack of funding, and scientists suffer from lack of training in newer technologies, loss of staff, and failure to replace aging equipment. Russia has experienced an unprecedented loss of qualified researchers and intellectuals over the past decade, and continues to struggle to replace and rebuild an academic community vested in the future of the country.  

Population Density Across Russia from LANDSCAN (2002)

The need is urgent: increasing poverty and political and economic uncertainty within Russia are serious threats to all environmental activities at a time when strength in science, scholarship, and conservation are most needed.   The pressures on the environment from human population has until recently been isolated west of the Urals, however China and South East Asia will severely change this.  The vast areas of central Siberia and the Far East, known for the coldest climate on earth, contain so few people that law as written by Moscow means little and corruption is rampant.  The Woods Hole Research Center addresses these issues directly through our emphasis on global ecological study, social understanding and forest management.   We see a need for direct collaborations with individuals at all levels of Russian society as the means to invoke change, however slow this necessary process may take. Russia is too large for the global research community to ignore. It is critical to stay engaged with its highly educated people and their talented scientific community.
    

©Woods Hole Research Center, 2007