Over 100 Russian scientists and experts oppose a bill threatening the country's reserve system

Science, our scientists—these are the drivers of human evolution. We cannot live with barbaric, archaic notions of the past, nor can we remain stuck in a primitive perception of the world. Everything changes! And thanks to scientists, we can push the power of thought further.

I do not understand how our Russian scientists, academics, and experts in wildlife protection can be ignored. Just as I do not understand how the modern management system can interfere with the complex, millennia-old ecosystems of wildlife against the warnings of the academic community.

So.

Leading Russian scientists have opposed the dangerous bill No. 1096223-8, which threatens the entire reserve system of Russia. Similar versions of this bill have been desperately pushed through seven times in recent years. Like the immune system within the large and complex organism of our society, our state, academics have stood up and declared: it is unacceptable to weaken the protective status of the reserve system, as it is the last frontier of wildlife.

This is now the eighth attempt to pass bill No. 1096223-8. Previously, there were seven similar attempts by different lobbying groups from various regions of the country. These attempts to 'develop' the country's reserve system were promoted by big business, which had previously openly expressed a desire to change the boundaries of protected areas for industrial resource extraction.

I remind you that the bill has already passed its first reading and may soon be finalized. Leading scientists and experts in Russia are categorically opposed to it.

Here are the conclusions from the scientists' published letter: 

• The bill creates conditions for the economic development of specially protected natural areas that the state has preserved for over 110 years. This means they could literally be handed over for industrial resource extraction, deforestation, mass tourism, and much more.

  
  

• Territories that were previously under strict protection and within the boundaries of protected areas can be seized and transferred to businesses for the placement of economic facilities.

  
  

• Even UNESCO World Heritage sites are at risk. Scientists explicitly state that at the very least, the withdrawal of land and water objects from protected areas included in the World Heritage List should be prohibited. In this way, scientists are trying to partially defend the right of wild nature to exist.

  
  

• Nature could also be declared as having lost its value and excluded from protection. A mechanism is proposed for the withdrawal of areas allegedly irreversibly losing their conservation significance, at the discretion of officials! And this despite the fact that nature can recover on its own! How many forest fires will suddenly occur to completely remove territories from protected areas?

  
  
• Additionally, decisions on land withdrawal can be made without a separate federal law. Independent environmental assessments could be significantly restricted.

Scientists plainly state that this bill poses a threat to the functioning of the entire system of specially protected natural areas.

I believe we are witnessing an attempt to effectively appropriate Russia's conservation rent—it's being divided among wealthy groups. As soon as the bill is passed, all the 'interested parties' will rush to tear apart the reserves, launder and 'develop' billions, and extract resources. 

I wrote earlier, and we stood together against the destruction of the endangered Amur tiger's refuge in the Far East. This is the Sikhote-Alin Reserve, which is already being blatantly encroached upon by big business.

Shall I remind you what they declared? In plain terms, they want to build a mining and processing plant there for tens of billions of rubles, extract gold on an industrial scale, and introduce large-scale infrastructure. The regional government openly supported them. However, scientists and even the reserve's management opposed it. 

So, as you can see, comrades, the scientific community is not silent. 

Regarding the bill that poses a threat to all the country's protected areas, they have already prepared and sent collective appeals with their comments twice. 

Initially, back in April 2026, 120 scientists and public figures directly appealed to the President of Russia, asking him to address the issue. 

Later, on October 14, 2026, 106 figures from science and nature conservation signed an appeal to the State Duma deputies. They sent it to all 450 deputies of the ninth State Duma. Among the 106 signatories were 9 RAS academicians, 12 corresponding members of the RAS, 24 honored ecologists of the Russian Federation, and 3 honored scientists of the Russian Federation.

Among them:

• Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Rozhnov — RAS academician, Doctor of Biological Sciences, specialist in the ecology and conservation of mammals. Chairman of the RAS Scientific Council on the Ecology of Biological Systems.

  
  

• Yuri Yulianovich Dgebuadze — academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences, specialist in ichthyology, ecology, and biological invasions. Chairman of the Russian National Committee for the UNESCO program "Man and the Biosphere."

  
  

• Viktor Ivanovich Danilov-Danilyan — corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economic Sciences, scientific director of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Former Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Russia.

  
  

• Alexander Alexandrovich Chibilev — academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, specialist in landscape science and geoecology. Vice President of the Russian Geographical Society.

  
  

• Fyodor Nikolayevich Yurchikhin — pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Russian Federation, member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia.

  
  
• Mikhail Alexandrovich Tarkovsky — Russian writer, author of works about Siberian nature, editor-in-chief of the almanac "Yenisei." Grandson of poet Arseny Tarkovsky, nephew of director Andrei Tarkovsky.

And other outstanding individuals, the minds of our Motherland, true patriots of their country, ready to fight for its bright future. These people have openly stood up to defend Russia's protected area system and personally signed appeals to the President and all State Duma deputies about the inadmissibility of adopting a dangerous bill.

Below, I publish the official documents of the April and October appeals by Russian scientists and public figures. 

PDF · 1.4 MB April Statement (PDF)

PDF · 1.2 MB October Statement (PDF)

They not only criticize but also offer a real way out of this crisis! Real proposals, trying to find at least a "point of compromise" in this sea of madness.

Continue fighting for Life! And from all of us—enormous respect and sincere public support to all the activists and scientists who opposed the bill.

© PAVEL PASHKOV