One Million Trees From
One Million Clients in Russia!

One million cedar trees will be planted in the Far East
on behalf of Citi Russia’s one million retail clients

Dear Clients,

We are happy to let you know that in 2010 the number of Citibank’s clients in Russia has exceeded 1,000,000. In November 2010, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), we purchased 1,000,000 saplings of Korean Cedar Trees. In the spring of 2011, WWF volunteers will plant the saplings in Russia’s Far East and will organize for one-year special care of the young cedars. You can watch a documentary that was produced jointly with the WWF and talks in details about the initiative. You can also get more details on the project below.

We will keep you informed about the progress of this project. Please follow the updates on our website. Thank you for staying with us!

Location: The Land of Tiger and Leopard (South-West Primorye Region).

Environmental protection value: restoration of pine broad-leaved forests, the habitat for such Red Book animals as Far East Leopard and Siberian Tiger.

Wildlife for recovery: Korean Cedar Tree (Pinus koraiensis), and Manchurian Fir (Abies holophylla). Uniqueness: The targeted area is the primary habitat for the Siberian Tiger, whose population in Russia is only 500 specimens, and the Far East Leopard that is almost extinct. Due to anthropogenic impact, including numerous fires, the territory has been experiencing negative changes for many decades. The traditional animal habitats are disappearing, including the unique broad-leaved forests whose main species are the Korean Cedar Trees and Manchurian Firs — the most valuable and richest forests from the standpoint of biodiversity in Russia.

Activities: With support from ZAO Citibank, during the fall of 2010, WWF purchased 1,000,000 saplings of trees that will be pre-grown and planted in spring of 2011.

Additional information: Cedar and broad-leaved forests of Primorye Region are a part of one of the 200 global eco-regions that are most important in terms of preserving the biodiversity of the World. Thanks to the natural potential of the local ecosystems, the forests have provided habitat for such extremely rare animals as Siberian Tiger and Far East Leopard, along with the legendary plants ginseng and devil’s-plant. The value of a live tree is 10 times higher than the price of wood. However, cedar and broad-leaved forests are often the only source of income for the residents of distant villages of Primorye Region.

© Vasiliy Solkin WWF Russia	© Sergey Kischenko WWF Russia	© Vladimir Filonov WWF Russia

Between 1946 and 1993, the area covered by cedar tree forest became 2.2 times smaller. Only one-third of the territory remained untouched. At present, the area of primeval forests is 2.86 million hectares, or 1.1% of the total area of the Far East forests. This is the lowest share in the modern history. The ban on cedar trees logging was in effect from 1990, but it failed to prevent from clearance and subsequent export of 170 thousand cubic meters of cedar timber in 2005. According to expert estimates, should such large-scale clearance continue at the same pace, Korean Cedar Trees may cease to exist in the Russian Far East within 15 years.

The only adequate solution to the problem that WWF and the public had been struggling for over three and a half years became the introduction of a new version of the Russian Government’s decree that provides for a total ban on cedar trees logging. The ban came into effect on 12 November 2010. From now on, all efforts should be focused on protection of the existing cedar tree forests and recovery of those that have been damaged. In addition, WWF proposed to introduce long-term concessions of cedar tree forests for non-timber uses (i.e. collection of nuts, food, and medical grasses, hunting, and recreation), giving the population of taiga the priority right to secure concessions.

Film about project