The Pechora River report, by Bionda Morelissen
Characteristics
- The Pechora river is one of the few undisturbed rivers which still exist in Europe. From its origin till its mouth the river has not been regulated and no dams or polders have been created.
- The Pechora river basin is very peculiar because of its unspoilt state.
- The Pechora Bay contains vast deposits of coals, petroleum and natural gas.
Length: 1800 km
Location: European Asia
Source: Northern Urals
Mouth: Pechora Bay (an inlet of the Barents Sea)
Climate: Sub-Arctic
Usage: cutting of firewood, reindeer farming, fishery, poaching and hunting and oil, gas and mining industry.
Environment
- Tundra and arctic ecosystems in the river basin.
- The Pechora river forms a vast delta at the town Nar’yan-Mar.
- The delta forms one of the most valuable breeding places for birds that winter in Western Europe.
- The river is an important breeding place for salmon species.
Problems
- Over fishing and the oil and gas industry cause considerable damage to the river basin.
- Because of the bad Russian economy, people are more interested in an economic development. Nature conservation is often forgotten.
- The oil pipelines in the area are of poor quality and often show cracks through which oil leakages can occur.
Recommendation
- Russia should spend more money on the maintenance of the oil pipelines.
- Because the Pechora river has not been regulated, it can serve as an example for other river systems.
Abstract
The Pechora river is one of the few undisturbed rivers which still exist in Europe. From its origin till its mouth the river has not been regulated and no dams or polders have been created. Because of the fact that this river has not been regulated, the nature in this region is still unspoilt and is of great value due to of the enormous biodiversity.
The Pechora river basin is very peculiar because of its unspoilt state. Species which are listed on the Russian Red Data Book occur in great numbers in this area, like the white-tailed eagle and the Bewick’s swan.
The river basin of the Pechora River (Source: www.rivernet.org)
The Pechora river is situated in the North European part of Russia. It has a length of approximately 1800 km. It is the largest river in this region flowing to the Arctic. The main tributaries of the Pechora river are the Usa and Izhma. The Pechora river has a catchment area of 327 000 km2.
The Pechora river rises in the Northern Urals. It flows generally north through the (virgin) forests and tundra of the Komi-Republic and the Nenets Autonomous District into the Pechora Bay, an inlet of the Barents Sea, forming a vast delta at the town Nar’yan-Mar. The Pechora Bay contains vast deposits of coals, petroleum and natural gas.
The delta forms one of the most valuable breeding places for water birds that winter in Western Europe. The river is also of a great importance to salmon species because these species breed in the upstream areas of the river. The delta region is an significant food area for migrating fish like salmon and smelt. In general can the highest biodiversity be found in the coastal plain.
The Pechora delta is situated in the sub-arctic climate zone. The average temperature varies from -20°C in January to 13°C in July. The region is characterized by an excess moisture regime. The average precipitation in this region is 450 ± 90 mm/year.
In the river basin arctic, tundra and intermediate ecosystems occur simultaneously. This causes an unique species composition and diversity. The landscapes in the basin are characterized by tundra with extensive marshes and local lakes. In the more northern regions glacial landforms dominate, like ice-pushed ridges, hill-and-hole pairs, kames, till hummocks, dissected by numerous small lakes.
The vegetation cover of the lower Pechora delta mainly exists of communities typical for the southern or sub-arctic tundra zone (shrub and grass tundra). Mosses and lichens often occur in the delta.
Observations show that the general condition of the delta ecosystem and the adjacent areas is of good quality. However, the area is very sensitive. Disturbance of ecosystems on this degree of latitude have long term effects which means hat extra care should be taken to avoid considerable disorders.
Most of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the Pechora river basin are in a practically natural state. Nevertheless a general decline of biodiversity and negative changes in the structure of biological communities and fish populations have been recorded. These effects are mainly due to the extraction of oil and the exhaustion of the fish supply in the Pechora river basin. The Pechora delta used to be an important area for commercial fishery.
The area has been strongly influenced by men the last decades. On the one hand by traditional trade – reindeer farming and fishery – on the other hand by recent activities: the intensive development of oil and gas fields which are located in this region.
The area is mainly used for cutting of firewood, reindeer farming, poaching and hunting and the oil, gas and mining industry. Particularly the over fishing and the oil and gas industry cause considerable damage to this area.
The northern regions of this basin play a considerable role in the Russian economy. Large deposits of oil, gas, gold and diamond are located here. Because of the bad Russian economy, people are more interested in a economic development and nature conservation is often forgotten. In Russia there is an unstable economy, an alteration of legislation, a shortage of funds for protection of nature and inexperience on market economy. The standard of living in this district is very low, and the oil and gas industry is a good source of money. However, the traditional land use cannot merge with the future industrial development in the tundra.
Multi kilometres of oil pipelines are located in the area. These pipelines are of poor quality and often show cracks through which oil leakages can occur. Russia should spend more money on the maintenance of these pipelines. This is for the benefit of the nature conservancy but definitely also for the benefit of the oil industry
Fortunately, the situation is getting better. This is also owe to the international interest, e.g. from Norway and the Netherlands. People are getting more aware of the great value of the nature in this basin. More and more areas are appointed as nature reserve. In all 7,5 million hectares have been appointed as protected area. At the moment the State Committee on Environmental Protection is in charge of the environment. This committee operates under the leadership of the ministry of Natural Resources.
Because the Pechora river has not been regulated, it can serve as an example for other river systems. The river basin is practically unspoilt and contains many rare animal species. By studying the Pechora basin, a recovery project could be drafted for “destroyed” river systems in other regions.
Some interesting links:
http://www.valdosta.edu/~bergstrm/pech.html
http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/whale/decay/pechora.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/knowledgebase/1994/941107/941107.environment.html
http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/envis/doc-russia-wh.html
http://www.riza.nl/publicaties/pechora/summary/html
http://home.planet.nl/~innusupp/petsjora.html
|
