Amur Tigers and Pollution in Russia

Environmental Tour: The Russian Domain and the Balkans

Overview

The Russian Domain is enormous, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, and the Balkans extend that territory to the Mediterranean Sea. It is thus a region that is truly Eurasian, and as a result it consists of very different climates in different parts of the region—but overall Russia has a harsh climate. Russia itself spans 11 time zones, making it the largest state, geographically speaking, in the world. The Balkans are mainly covered in mountains from the Balkan Mountains on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to the Dinaric Alps in Bosnia to the Korab-Sar Mountains of Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia. On the Mediterranean coast, the Balkans have a humid and subtropical climate; northward, the climate is colder. The humid climate persists inland in Bosnia. This climate contrasts sharply with the frigid climate of much of Russia, particularly in the Siberian peninsula in the East.

Plate Tectonics

Russia is on the Eurasian Plate, which is the third largest plate behind the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Numerous plate tectonic models have been proposed for Russia and the Balkans, but there is no agreement among scholars with regard to plate tectonic theory: “In the 1980s, Russian mobilists started concentrating their efforts on as yet unsolved problems of plate tectonics. One of these was the question of 'plate tectonics manifestations' in the Precambrian, especially in the Early Precambrian. As is well known, opinions on this issue are still divided” (Khain & Ryabukhin, 2002, p. 190). Therefore, general consensus is that Russia and the Balkans sit upon the Eurasian Plate, but whether this is one plate or several pates in motion remains debated.

Topography

The topography of the region consists of Eastern and Western Siberian Plains. Then there is the North Siberian lowland, and the Kolyma lowland. There is also the Central Siberian Plateau and the Lena Plateau. The Ural Mountains divide Asia from Europe and run through the middle of Russia. Mountains in the south and through the Balkans further delineate the boundaries of this region. The topography is thus a wide range of features, from flat lands to mountains, with plateaus, deep lakes, long rivers, valleys, meadows, low lands, and forests. Russia has a little bit of everything except for wide deserts like the Saharan.

River Systems

The Volga River is the main river in Western Russia and serves as the important waterway for the country. However, there are many river systems throughout the domain, with rivers in the Siberian plains connecting to seas and converging even with the Volga. In the Balkans, the Danube River links the Balkan states. These rivers are important for the regions as they connect to important seas; the Volga flows to the Caspian Sea; the Danube flows to the Black Sea. Both have important geostrategic significance. The Siberian rivers flow into the Arctic.

Climate

The climate of the Balkans is milder near the sea than the climate of Russia. Russia can get very cold in the winter, no matter where one is. It can also get very hot for example in St. Petersberg and Moscow in the summer months. The weather fluctuates a great deal due to the jet stream. However, in the northern parts, the climate tends to be cold and frozen. The Balkan area is much different especially the coastal regions, which enjoy a Mediterranean climate, while further north, the climate is colder. Moldova for instance has a mild and sunny climate (Russian Domain, n.d.). Russia is further north still and is extremely cold in the Siberian peninsula.

Biomes

In Russia, various biomes are found, from tundra to taiga to deciduous forest to steppe and desert. It is a very diverse region because it is so big. The Balkans are less diverse with mainly forested and mountainous parts. Greece has a rocky terrain. The Caucasus in Russia’s south have good soil and the farmlands there are good. The region is very rich in natural resources, which is why Russia is a leading exporter of timber, oil, gas, and other commodities.

Tour

Five stops that convey the diversity of physical landscapes in the Russian Domain and the Balkans include: Lake Baikal, in southern Russia; the Russian taiga forest in northern Russia; Sikhote-Alin, in southeastern Russia; the Siberian peninsula in northeastern Russia; and Greece in the Balkans. Each of these stops reveals part of Russia’s uniqueness or the Balkans’ attractiveness. One could explore many different regions in the Russian Domain and find that no two are really alike, but these five stops help to show what especially makes Russia such an interesting place.

Map of Russia: Note Lake Baikal north of Mongolia

First off is Lake Baikal, which is the oldest and cleanest lake in the world and is incredibly deep. It is also home to two-thirds of animal life found nowhere else on the planet (OneWorld365, n.d.). So it is a very unique place for those reasons alone—but it is also unique because it is so separated from human society: it is like a place where one can retreat without being bothered by tourism or any of the modern trappings of life. It is also such a pristine place that it is like stepping back in time. This feature of going back in time is one of the greatest of the Russian Domain; it is such an old and well-preserved region in many ways that Lake Baikal really represents one of the region’s finest attributes. One place to top at Lake Baikal is Chersky Mountain, which provides a great view of the lake. One can see from here how immense the lake is and have a grand appreciation for the beauty of the scene. Another place to see is Shamanka Rock, on Olkhon Island, and it is a large white marble rock that juts out of the water and was believed to have mystical properties in the past.

Shamanka Rock at Lake Baikal

Another place to see is the hot thermal springs in Khakasy. Because Lake Baikal is so large, there is much to do and see that will give on a good idea of this region. This stop exemplifies the region because it reveals the pristine quality of this out-of-the-way spot in nature, where man has not corrupted the environment.

The Russian taiga forest in the northeastern part of Russia is a good place to see the forests of Russia. One can stop at St. Petersburg to see the coastal region of northern Russia or travel to Nizhny Novgorod to see the Volga and Oka rivers converge. The forests are large and stretch wide and far so one can venture and explore in between as well. There is all sorts of wildlife to see, too, including moose; there are many trees like pines and spruce. Everything is generally covered in frosty snow the higher one goes into the forests. But everything has a natural look to it. This stop exemplifies the region because northern Russia is mostly taiga and is home to many folklore tales that grow out of the enchanting surroundings. One can get a sense of an older Russia tradition that might still be alive in the rural villages and communities. When one is in a major Russian city it is harder to have a sense of such environments, so traveling to the taiga in the north can be a good opportunity to understand Russia outside the modernize cities of Western Russia.

Sikhote-Alin is another story; it is an interesting region because it is home to Amur tigers, which are the biggest cats in the world. However, one can find reindeer as well as leopards, which are not common to taiga. Yet there they are in this Russian preserve. Amur Tiger Country should definitely be a stop on the list found at the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve.

Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve

One should also see Tordoki Yani, which is the highest mountain in Sikhote-Alin. It exemplifies the region because it reveals some of the stunning attributes of the Russian Domain—how things that typically would not go together, such as reindeer and leopards, do in Russia, for Russia straddles the East and the West.

The Siberian peninsula is home to the Altai mountains. Here there are very green meadows, rich valleys, and picturesque mountains. It is amazing to look at and see the beauties and glories of nature.

Beautiful valleys of the Altai Mountains

But one should also stop and see the Putoranu Plateau because it is stunningly known as being in the land of 10,000 lakes and 1,000 waterfalls.

Putoranu Plateau

It brings home the idea of Mother Russia being so naturally stunning. Then there is Stolby Nature Reserve, which has many rocks of great beauty. Some of them are nearly 100 meters high. There are many that resemble pillars. It is another region that exemplifies Russia’s great natural beauty and rich diversity.

Delphi

Finally, in the Balkans, one must stop in Greece, on the Mediterranean and see the ancient sites—Athens, the Greek Islands, and Delphi. Each of these represents the great beauty of the Mediterranean landscape and reveals parts of the region’s ancient history. Greece is a rocky terrain and yet each spring it is reborn, which is one reason the myths of the gods looking out over Greece were so common in ancient times. This region is very touristy, because it is well-known in the West as being the place where Western philosophy comes from. The environment of Greece gives a good sense of why this is true: there is much in the landscape and how it is all so close to the sea that gives one much food for thought and introspection.

Regional Issue/Disaster

One of the biggest issues in the Russian Domain is pollution. Deforestation, pollution, and animal conservation are all problems in Russia, but perhaps the biggest is the issue of pollution. There are many chemical factories and industrialized parts of Russia that have polluted the environment for years or that have suffered accidents that have polluted the environment (Toth-Czifra, 2020). Making matters even worse is that many of these incidents go unreported and therefore unaddressed. For instance, it is believed that in Russia “less than one percent of 17,000 accidents involving oil spills were reported in 2019” (Toth-Czifra, 2020). Moreover, pollution in Russia can lead to social unrest: “A 2019 protest in Irkutsk Region against a Chinese-backed bottling plant on Lake Baikal had thinly veiled Sinophobic undertones. But an issue does not need foreign interlopers to escalate. The Shiyes landfill project led to outrage not only due to concerns about pollution, but because the decision was taken surreptitiously and was seen as an infraction of Pomorye territory (as Russia’s northwest is known among locals) by the waste of ‘entitled Muscovites’” (Toth-Czifra, 2020). Obviously humans are impacted by pollution, which can harm where they live and affect their lives through poisoning. But little is done about it because the Russian state is not as developed in terms of regulating industries and Russia itself is not very populated in terms of how much land it has.

Pollution is a major problem particularly because it is so unreported and unregulated, but even the recorded pollution spills and accidents are bad enough: as Toth-Czifra (2020) explains, “at least ten significant industrial accidents that worsened air pollution” were recorded in 2020; “of the incidents contaminating water sources, the fuel spill near the northern city of Norilsk—already infamous for its contaminated air—received the most attention.” Thus, it is not really uncommon for Russians to have to deal with pollution where they live, since factories and work cannot be commenced without laborers and laborers have to live somewhere. So it follows that pollution does typically affect human beings as much as it does the environment. But the fact is that “Russia has one of the worst cases of air pollution in the world. Millions of tons of pollutants are released into the air from industrial centers and millions of vehicles. Respiratory and endocrine diseases are attributed to 10% of adults and 17% of children in Russia” (Apropedia, 2020).