One of the major problems for this country's important natural complexes
is forest and forest/peat fires. A large number of the forest/peat fires in
this region are the fault of humans. One of the main sources of ignition is
grass fires, or agricultural fires. In addition, these agricultural fires
themselves are a disaster for meadowland- and field-ecosystems, since they
cause the death of insects and soil degradation. They are detrimental to ground-nesting
birds, since the fires are most intense in the spring, during the nesting
season.
The situation in the Homeland of the Crane is complicated by the fact that
a significant number of these important natural areas lie on drained peat
bogs, and agricultural fires lead in many cases to peat fires. In addition,
fires on agricultural land are harming one of the largest colonies of Eurasian
curlew. The once-effective fire-fighting system in natural areas in this country
has in recent years been in serious decline. Even in zones where forests are
actively protected, it is, as a result of cutbacks in the airborne forest
protection service the ground-based surveillance system, very rare that a
fire is detected in its early stages. The lack of personnel and equipment
in forestry centres is preventing the wardens from putting out any conflagrations
outside the State Forest Fund area, whilst the state fire service cannot even
cope with fires in inhabited places.
Thus, neither land belonging to the state reserve nor land belonging to agricultural
concerns is covered by any system of preventing, detecting and extinguishing
fires, whilst it is with these fires -the simplest to put out- that the conflagrations
in the forests and peat bogs begin. Practice shows that the cost of the putting
out a grass fire (the usual technique is beating it back) is ten times cheaper
than that of putting out even a small, stable forest or peat fire, which requires
bringing in a considerable number of people and special equipment and expensive
gear.
Unfortunately, almost no purposeful work is being done to combat agricultural
burning. An exception is the situation in the Far East, where the frequency
and intensity of agricultural and forest fires are significantly higher than
in other regions. (In particular, the Bars Nature Conservation Team, from
the city of Blagoveshchensk-on-Amur, is working successfully with state authorities
in putting out grass fires.) The problem here is exacerbated by the fact that
some of the population, including a significant number of agricultural workers,
believe burning is beneficial to agriculture, whereas in fact the thickets
of dry grass that grow thanks to the lack of resources for mowing them or
ploughing them up are a hindrance to farming.
2000 saw the first attempts to set up a system of actions to combat agricultural
burning in the Homeland of the Crane.
The work covered several areas:
Administrative measures taken by the Taldom SPNA Administration
(TSPNAA)
A decree from the head of the district, 'On the Conservation of Rare Species',
banning agricultural burning and covering the responsibility of offenders,
was published, as was the customary 'Decree on Fighting Forest/Peat Fires',
which prescribed ways in which the various services could collaborate and
specified the procedure for drafting in external forces and resources.
Before the start of the forest fire season, heads of agricultural concerns
were sent instructive letters on the unacceptability of agricultural fires
and the need to take action to extinguish them. In the course of the operational
work, charge-sheets against those starting fires were drawn up, and land users
issued orders to put an end to environment-related breaches of the law. Where
the offender could not be found, a charge-sheet was drawn up against the concern/land
user that had not acted to put the fire out quickly enough. On its basis,
the concern was given an official warning. As a result of this, land users
were in a number of cases allocated equipment and personnel to put out fires
on their land.
Unfortunately, the first attempt was not without fault. The decree did not
make clear enough land users' responsibility for conflagrations on their land,
and organisations were often not brought to book. This exacerbated the misunderstanding
of our activities in the district. In addition, since the anti-agricultural
burning campaign began not long before the forest fire season, the necessary
preventive measures - mowing the most hazardous thickets, and making land
users plough up uncut grass- were not carried out.
At the same time a radio operator at the base station in Kostenevo assured
overall co-ordination and that information from the observation groups was
transmitted swiftly. The most effective technique proved to be beating back
the fire with tarpaulins, and in some cases (for instance with nascent peat
or creeping forest fires) digging ditches and filling them in with water.
A more rational plan for the future (assuming there is to be a fire tower)
would be constant surveillance of the area + call-outs from local residents
and organisations with an interest in the matter, which would be conveyed
to a group in a rapid-response vehicle.
In two places grass-burning was nonetheless the cause of peat fires. In the
case of one, in the 'Apsarevskoye Tract' in the Homeland of the Crane sanctuary,
the combined forces of TSPNAA, land users, the fire service and the Russian
Ministry for Emergencies tried to put it out. This was not done fully, since
huge peat fires, threatening inhabited settlements had started in another
part of the district, and all resources were directed towards the fight with
them. In order to put out the smouldering fire and allow the burnt-out area
to recover, TSPNAA agreed to the possibility of filling in drainage ditches
in order to waterlog it, which was done in winter 2001. In addition, we hope
to be given the proper equipment to put out fires in their early stages, rather
than waiting several weeks for resources from the district.
Operational activities
to detect and properly extinguish fires were carried out jointly by TSPNAA
and the Nature Conservation Team of the Faculty of Biology at Moscow State
University. The work was done daily by several groups in two vehicles. In
the process, it emerged that the most rational tactical plan, given the absence
of fire towers, was constant patrol of the more important areas by several
groups on foot with radio communication equipment, plus several (in this instance
with nascent peat or creeping forest fires) digging ditches and filling them
in with water. A more rational plan for the future (assuming there is to be
a fire tower) would be constant surveillance of the area + call-outs from
local residents and organisations with an interest in the matter, which would
be conveyed to a group in a rapid-response vehicle.
In two places grass-burning was nonetheless the cause of peat fires. In the
case of one, in the 'Apsarevskoye Tract' in the Homeland of the Crane sanctuary,
the combined forces of TSPNAA, land users, the fire service and the Russian
Ministry for Emergencies tried to put it out. This was not done fully, since
huge peat fires, threatening inhabited settlements had started in another
part of the district, and all resources were directed towards the fight with
them. In order to put out the smouldering fire and allow the burnt-out area
to recover, TSPNAA agreed to the possibility of filling in drainage ditches
in order to waterlog it, which was done in winter 2001. In addition, we hope
to be given the proper equipment to put out fires in their early stages, rather
than waiting several weeks for resources from the district.
During the season there was one serious fire in the SPNA, in the 'Dubna Bog'
sector of the Homeland of the Crane sanctuary. The fire began in a worker's
shelter by the peateries and, having crossed a road, spread to the sanctuary's
bog. Resources from the a peat farm, the fire service, the forestry centre
and TSPNAA were brought in to put it out, which took a week, during which
20 hectares of forest burned. According to investigations, the fire did around
4,000,000 roubles' worth of damage. A positive side was that it drew the district's
attention to this problem and increased TSPNAA's authority as an effective
fire-fighting service.
Work on reducing the risk of fire
In important natural areas this mainly involved seeking ways of affecting
the hydrological regime. The main reclamation systems in operation were analysed.
In Semyagino (the site of the peat fire not fully put out mentioned above)
and Buchevo (the second of the peat fires, which occurred in 2000 on land
that was being inspected) agreement was given to filling in the drainage network
and artificially waterlogging the area (which consisted of former bogs that
had been drained). In addition, joint work was done with the hunting reserve
to regulate the drainage in the drainage network in the hunting areas not
part of the SPNA, since these ditches were desiccating the sanctuary. The
regulation is done with removable 'sluice gates' in the ditches at places
where the ducts intersect. A 'stop-log' system of mass drainage regulation
in the areas we are interested in has been developed and is now awaiting approval.
In addition, a system of joint action with land users that (given a little
material incentive) will make it possible to carry out preventive mowing of
thickets that form a fire-hazard is being developed. This will make it possible
to save land not only from being burned but also from undesirable (from the
viewpoint of nesting rare bird species) overgrowth. Mikhail Voytekhov has
done interesting work on self-sustained ditch blocking in the sanctuary.
Work with the local population
Leaflets on the harm done by agricultural fires that called on people either
to use their own initiative to put them out or to turn to suitable organisations
were prepared and distributed. There were two types; one for schoolchildren
and one for adults. In the last year, there was just one call-out initiated
by a local resident, but by the end of the campaign our reputation as an effective
fire service had grown significantly, and this allows us to expect that the
public will play a more active role in future.
A sociological survey of local residents and their attitudes to agricultural
fires was carried out, so as to find out their real views on whether or not
such fires were beneficial, as well as the social causes of their attitudes
and ways to combat the idea that such fires are beneficial. In our work we
made use of the experience of NGOs in the Far East -surveys to find out possible
causes of agricultural fires, as well as attitudes to them amongst the local
population. -the methodology was developed by Nikolay Sukhomlinov from the
Khingan EcoCentre. This work needs to be continued in future years; this will
make it possible to establish how quickly public opinion is changing.
We also worked with local schoolchildren. This involved taking them to the
sites of fires to clear up the aftermath and put up fire-prevention notices,
as well as excursions for the Taldom College of Arts, as a result of which
the children produced artistic fire-prevention notices. Schoolchildren from
the district gave up one of their Saturdays to clear up the aftermath of one
of the largest forest/peat fires. During the autumn half term an ecology/fire-prevention
camp was held for Moscow and Tambov schoolchildren.
As a result, the district has seen the emergence of a significant group of
schoolchildren with an advanced understanding of the problems of fires in
natural areas and are capable not only of promoting care for the environment
but also of taking part in practical activities to prevent and put out fires.
A fire-prevention campaign running until the autumn was held in district
media outlets. The concluding activity in the fire-prevention campaign was
a regional conference marking TSPNAA's anniversary, at which those who had
been involved in putting out fires in the SPNA were awarded prizes and certificates
of honour.
