Saving Home:
Siberian philosopher, scientist and forester protects Russia's priceless Tamiyr Penninsula
By Jonathan White
Consider living all alone in the Taimyr Peninsula of northeaster Siberia, more than 70 kilometers from the nearest outpost of civilization. Then imagine you can only reach that outpost via helicopter, and there is no telephone service available. On top of all that, then imagine coming to the United States and seeing the Green Mountains, riding Boston's "T", and living for two months in the small town of Middlebury, Vermont.
Such a life belongs to Vladimir Mikhailovich Protasov, who visited Middlebury College for two months last spring to study environmental practices in the U.S. and to gain insight into cross-cultural thinking.
Elana Wilson, a senior at Middlebury College, who served as Protastov's translator, describes him as "a Siberian philosopher, scientist and forester."
Protastov's visit to Middlebury drew the attention of scholars and researchers from around the world. Among those who met with him were Professor Matthew Pelkki, from the University of Kentucky, who is researching forestry in Siberia; Professor David Anderson, from Aberdeen University in Scotland, who has studied and written about the Taimyr; and Gail Osherenko, a lawyer and senior fellow at Dartmouth's Institute for Arctic Studies. Representatives from the Anglo-Siberian Society also visited, as did Ukrainian Fulbright scholar Natalya Plesha.
The Taimyr
To understand how Protasov arrived in Vermont, one must first understand his way of life in the Taimyr Peninsula. The Taimyr encompasses the northern region of Siberia, with its northern shore containing Asia's most northern point. It is a land inhabited by more reindeer than the approximate 50,000 people who call the region home.
To say the climate is brutal is an understatement. Ice sometimes does not melt from the lakes and rivers until June or July, while the first autumn snows fall by mid-August. The short summers are accompanied by swarms of mosquitoes, gnats and other ruthless insects. The sun does not set for months. In spite of all of this, it is a majestic region, characterized by tundra, snowy mountains and the thick forests of the taiga. The region was once part of a large upland plateau. As tectonic forces caused this plateau to rise, it cracked, creating broad valleys where rivers flow north to the Arctic Ocean.
A typical spring or summer day in Protasov's life includes cutting wood to store for the winter, as well as fishing and hunting for a variety of meat, including that of the brown bear. Other
hours are spent maintaining his wilderness outpost, repairing fishing nets and,
in his spare time, reading philosophy. Protasov has gone to great lengths to
establish a library of more than 130 books at the cabin he built, where he has
lived since moving to the Taimyr in 1984, when he left his career as a researcher
at the Novosibirsk Fisheries Institute.
According to Protasov, the people living in the two principal cities of the Taimyr, Norilsk and Dudinka, enjoy relatively comfortable lives, but those living in the tundra and small remote villages endure noticeably worse conditions. Those in these remote communities have poor education, inadequate medical facilities and little access to fresh food.
The Green Movement-Russian Style
Protasov is one of Russia's rare environmentalists. The attitudes of his countrymen toward the ecology of the Taimyr concern him. Protasov says that in Russia, only about three to four percent of the population recognizes the need for environmental protection and regulation. Those who depend directly on the natural abundance of Siberia, as Protastov does, are keenly aware of the need for its protection. The majority of Russians, however, are guided by consumerist attitudes. "In the past, people left the problems to the government," said Protasov. "Socialism ruined the environment."
Now, however, with the political and economic instability in post-Soviet Russia, exploitation continues without incentive for change. Protasov said that in the struggling capitalist economy, people think only of short-term personal gain.
The Taimyr itself might seem somewhat removed from environmental strain given its geography and sparse population, yet Protasov described the ecological problems there as very real. The industries surrounding Norilsk, particularly metallurgy, have spoiled the landscape and contaminated entire watersheds. Without the capital for changing modes of production, these industries continue to ravage the Siberian wilds.
Beyond the industrial wastelands created by industry, even unspoiled regions must endure exploitation by overly zealous hunters, especially sport hunters who fly into the region for game and then leave with full hands.Protasov has been proactive in addressing the ecological problems in the region and making the local government aware of key issues. He has written essays on the area's socio-economic problems; participated in interviews on regional news channels; and he serves as a representative with the Taimyr Forestry Department.
Chiefly, Protasov wants to bring the region's environmental problems into the international arena as a means of inspiring change. He insists Russia has neither the political nor economic apparatus to save the Taimyr without the help of outside organizations, individuals and nations. Politicians, he said, are usually motivated by personal gain, and a recent round of elections has left them distracted.
Protasov's highest priorities-personally, emotionally, and practically-in terms of his livelihood, are the forest, the water, and the fish in that water. He has completed a series of reports on the state of the environment in Taimyr, including one entitled Project Fish. He is working with Middlebury College Classics Professor Eve Adler on the translation of these materials.
Project Fish involves research Protasov has conducted on the importance of protecting fish spawning grounds in Siberian Rivers. His immediate concern is for the only remaining spawning ground of the last species of salmon, Salvelinus Alpinus, in the major waterway near his home. Three other species have already become extinct in this waterway. He says that poaching is primarily to blame. "Five years ago most poachers came from out of the area, largely from industrial regions. Today they continue to poach, which has led to local poaching." Protastov asked locals, "Why do you participate in this?" They answer, "It is clear: if we don't do it, they will."
Protastov says that the locals, of whom many are Evenki and Dolgan people whose economy is based on reindeer-herding, simply cannot believe it is possible to protect let alone restore native species. "Only in very recent times have local people started to get the idea they can be protected. They see me trying to protect this last spawning ground of salmon. Perhaps some of them have even started to feel shamed into taking action because they see an outsider coming in and protecting their wealth."
Protastov hopes to create an education program for the nearest settlement of Khantaisoe ozero (pop. About 550) in which the Evenki and Dolgan can learn skills of nature preservation and wildlife management.
In Project Fish, Protastov outlines how the sustainable management of fishing grounds will benefit the economy, while showing that this important food source will not be threatened (go to www.abroadviewmagazine.com to read the report). Protasov has gone so far as to establish a research center on a river near his own wilderness home that he hopes will attract the attention of researchers, scientists and interested students from abroad.
Protasov has proposed the private ownership of land as opposed to government ownership as a viable solution to the Taimyr's environmental problems. He says that placing the land in the hands of responsible individuals and organizations will encourage more sustainable development, rather than mass exploitation.
Protastov believes that bringing international attention to the Taimyr will energize the movement to save the region's ecology. He stated that the economic, social and environmental problems of the Taimyr, though differentiated from those in other northern climates by the hardships of modern Russia, are not entirely dissimilar to the problems in other parts of the far North, such as in Scandanavia and Alaska.
He would like to have circumstances for sustainable development of fishery resources among the native peoples, environmental monitoring of the Taimyr, partly sustained by visiting students and scientists, as well as eco-tourism centered at his home on Lake Khantaiskoe. One of the main reasons he came to the U.S. was to find what possible sources of funding are available for these endeavors. He is looking into basic questions such as how to get independent transportation from the major city centers to where he lives and where a proposed research center would be located.
Studying in Vermont
Protasov jumped at an invitation from Professor Adler to come to the U.S.. Adler and Protasov met in Siberia and have remained good friends. Since it is not particularly easy for Russians to travel to the U.S., an official sponsor from Middlebury College helped clear hurdles involving his visa.
Protasov viewed his trip, sponsored both in part by Middlebury College and the Virtual Foundation, as an opportunity to amplify his perspectives on environmental management. He toured National Forest lands in Vermont with representatives from the forest service in order to learn about government policy and practice in regards to American forests.
He said that he was astonished when visiting the Green Mountain Forest Service in Middlebury at the amount of financial resources available to the organization.
Protasov also seemed impressed by the attention the environment gets in the U.S. as compared to in Russia, where his people are far less concerned about their land and its future.
Cultural Observations
During his time in the U.S., Protasov traveled beyond Middlebury to Wolcott, Vermont, home of the Center for Northern Studies, as well as to Burlington and Boston. He described Americans as being very open and ready to help. "You don't have to extract answers" from them, he commented.
He liked the fact that in Middlebury, locking doors and cars is optional. He said that even in small Russian villages people would not do that.
The lack of prominent police presence also surprised him. He said that it seems as though police are not necessary because most people do not break laws. Even in the Taimyr, according to Protasov, police have a visible and necessary presence.
Beyond observing day-to-day cultural differences, Protasov also researched more abstract cultural differences. As a writer and philosopher, he has been involved in a project called "Morphology of Culture." The project, which is a synthesis of anthropologic, philosophic, scientific and cultural studies, stems out of a long-term correspondence between Protasov and a colleague. As part of the project, the two men have established a pilot Russian website with essays on the above fields of study. The site also includes documents by Russian biologist and philosopher, Alexander Lyubishchev, as well as Russian translations of American political philosopher Leo Strauss' work. The site is available at www.nvkz.kuzbass.net/december/.
Building Cultural Bridges
"Regardless of the topics involved-the environment, politics, or philosophy-coming into contact with someone different encourages reflection on your own culture," said Wilson of Protastov's visit. She added: "He is so deeply involved in the place [the Taimyr] that you must understand the place to understand him."
Following Protasov's departure back to the Taimyr, Professor Adler asserted that she would like to see dialogue grow between Protasov and American students and faculty. She is interested in hearing from anyone who would like to correspond with him and perhaps travel to the Taimyr to learn about the region. She said that students do not necessarily have to be Environmental Studies, Philosophy or Russian majors to correspond with Protasov or to visit; "They must simply have an earnest curiosity in learning more about environment and culture's interaction with the environment." Professor Adler maintains regular correspondence with Protastov. You can contact her at adler@middlebury.edu or by telephone at 802-443-5013.
Vladimir Mikhailovich Protasov received his biology degree in 1982, from Tomsk State University, Russia, with two years of army service. He went directly into a career as a researcher at the Novosibirsk Fisheries Institute, before moving to his wilderness outpost 70k from Khantaiskoe ozero, Taimyr, where we is a hunter-fisherman and forester for the Taimyr Foresty Deparmtnent. You can find more information about Protastov at www.virtualfoundation.org/proposals/rusexcha01.cgi
Jonathan White is an English major at Middlebury College. He spends his summers exploring Alaska and kayaking the waters of British Columbia and Alaska. He hopes to one day make it to Siberia and see the Taimyr, as well as Lake Baikal. He plans to study in London and travel around Europe in late 2001 and 2002. jpwhite@jaguar.middlebury.edu