Scientific publications

In the northwest of Karelia, a large massif of unfragmented pine taiga has been preserved adjacent to the Kostomuksha Nature Reserve from the southeast. The Territorial Planning Scheme of the Republic of Karelia (2007) envisaged the establishment of the landscape reserve “Maksimjarvi” (“Spokoinyi”) with an area of 71,6 thousand hectares. A moratorium on logging was agreed upon with forestry companies on most of this territory, which was facilitated by the FSC voluntary forest certification process that had started in the Russian Federation. After that, inventory works were carried out here and the exceptional conservation significance of the territory was demonstrated. There are 72 species of plants, fungi and animals listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Karelia. In terms of the number of documented habitats of protected species, this area is unrivaled. A total of 1255 such habitats have been identified, including 648 habitats of federally protected species. With the termination of voluntary forest certification processes in 2022, forestry companies unilaterally dissolved the moratorium agreement and resumed clear-cutting. The prospects for establishing a protected area became unclear.