Hardwood is already a luxury item. The Russians log illegally these presious trees and the money profits someone else than the country. The habitat of e.g. the Amur tiger is now under threat, and the same will happen anywhere where rare haardwood is still growing in its natural ecosystem.
It is not only the tigers that are endangered but also the trees, and their plantin is not a simple task, since many trees prefer their fruit eaten and digested before the seeds are ready to sprout. This is a vicious cycle, and an illegal one. I must be stopped, vbefore it is too late.
You can read more about the matter here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/16/v-fullstory/3346235/environmentalists-want-feds-to.html
The Russian Duma does not officially know about the illegal hardwood timber trade, and they probably don't have enough resources to protect the endangered areas.
The tigers and other endangered cats share in many areas the same habitats, and as the hardwood trees are logged, the shade and the pray disappear. This is a tragedy of tigers and trees, and the Duma should pay attention to the matter rather quickly.
