Forestland set aside for preservation of the Amur tiger at a conference presided over by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last year may be opened to logging, Kommersant reported Tuesday.
Timber company Les Export regained long-term leases to exploit forests in the Far East after winning a court battle with the Primorye region forestry department in May, Kommersant reported. The land includes a conservation area and a pine nut producing area that are both critical to efforts to increase the numbers of Amur tigers, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The company was stripped of its leases in 2008 over tax arrears.
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