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Pipeline Fells Forest, Brings Parasites
Construction of the East Siberia – Pacific Ocean oil pipeline will endanger 4 million ha. of forest, reports Svyatoslav Zabelin, member of the president’s council on the development of civil institutes and human rights and expert at the International Socio-Ecological Union. There are a total of 1.1 billion ha. of forestland in Russia. The forests where the pipeline will be built are threatened by the Asiatic gypsy moth, traces of which were first discovered last autumn in the packing material of the steel pipes for the pipeline. Those pipes are being imported from China by Transneft.
Traces of the moth are now being found in the area of the pipeline construction and at increasing distances from it. Zabelin stated that he has contacted a number of state agencies (Rosselkhoznadzor, the Sakha Ministry of Nature Preservation, the Far Eastern Customs Service) about increased sanitary control at the Russian-Chinese border, but they all deny authority to do so or claim financial inability. Zabelin has suggested stopping the import of the pipes until the problems can be controlled.
The Asiatic gypsy moth is spreading through the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). It causes trees to dry out and increases the risk of forest fires. The insect can also cause an allergic reaction in humans. The incidence of allergic reaction to the moth is as high as that of hay fever. Zabelin also noted that running the pipeline along the floor of Lake Lena will increase the risk of flooding in the town of Lensk.
www.kommersant.com
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Photo: Alexander Chizhenok
