Sustainable Agriculture and Nature Conservation in the Amur River Basin

The Amur River is one of the 10 largest rivers in the world. Within its basin lies the greatest concentration of species diversity in all of Russia Until a few decades ago, the Amur River basin constituted a vast wilderness. Siberian Tigers roamed its forests. Cranes and storks returned each year to its marshlands to breed and rear their young. Today, the region is undergoing a transformation. Its woodlands and wetlands are being rapidly converted into farmlands.The accelerated process of settlement and land conversion already has had an environmental impact. Wetland reclamation and deforestation have contributed to soil erosion, a decline in water quality, and the loss of important wildlife habitat.