Rare plants are being exported from Russia to China. This was announced today by the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) Svetlana Radionova. During the "Open Dialogue" with members of the Federation Council, the head of the environmental department told the senators that the problem of exporting Red Book plants from Russia by Chinese citizens is one of the most pressing environmental issues.
«Now let's put it clearly - “our big Chinese brother” simply vacuums everything that can be obtained. This question is difficult for Russia: for residents of a number of regions, the extraction of plants, including those in the Red Book, is a traditional trade, however, it cannot jeopardize biodiversity of the country», - said the head of Rosprirodnadzor.
Answering the senator's question about the Rosprirodnadzor's attitude to the idea of introducing criminal prosecution for damage to the Red Book plants, Radionova said that the department «fully and completely» supports the introduction of criminal punishment «for the seizure and illegal extraction of Red Book plants».
«I was recently in Gorny Altai ..., we talked with the local population - for them a part of this is the way of life, this is their life. And for us it is biodiversity, especially endemics. Endemics are a part of any culture, the Red Book and not only, growing only in a particular region is our great wealth,» she said.
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