The Law on Baikal, which is set to take effect in the spring of… (байкал · рубка · сплошной)
The Law on Baikal, which is set to take effect in the spring of 2026, continues to be refined, including measures to prohibit continuous logging in the Baikal region, according to Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
Consensus
- Amendments to the Forest Code are being developed to prohibit clear-cutting of forests on Lake Baikal.
- The ban on clear-cutting is intended to be absolute and unequivocal.
- The changes aim to balance ecological protection with socio-economic development in local communities.
- A special commission will be established for reviewing projects related to construction, infrastructure, or tourism on the territory of Lake Baikal.
- Decisions by the commission will be based solely on scientific conclusions from the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- The new law amending 'On Protection of Lake Baikal' entered into force on March 1, 2026.
Points of divergence
- The content of the announced document is currently unknown. — kommersant
- In 2025, a group of 80 scientists appealed to the President warning that proposed changes could incentivize arson of healthy forests for timber sales. — kommersant
- The Ministry of Natural Resources stated that commercial logging was prohibited in the adopted bill and promised to consider this in future amendments. — kommersant
Coverage (3 sources)
- The State Duma is preparing a bill to tighten the ban on continuous logging in Baikal — Коммерсантъ
- The State Duma has promised to ban continuous logging in the Baikal region — Коммерсантъ
- The State Duma has assured that continuous forest logging in Baikal will be prohibited — Интерфакс