LENA PILLARS

The Lena Pillars Nature Park is a unique place and the most recognizable landmark of Yakutia. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Lena Pillars are a complex of vertically elongated rocks stretching for many kilometers. The pillars build peculiarly along the Lena riverbank creating a deep valley which cuts through the Prilenskoye plateau. The Lena Pillars are home to more than 35 different spieces of mammals and about 100 species of birds.

Fire in the Lena Pillars

Difficulties with extinguishing the fires arose because of the large number of impassable areas and difficult terrain, some areas could not be reached even with special equipment. Volunteer forest firefighters, Russian Green Peace, employees of specially protected areas, and Avialesokhrana were involved in extinguishing the fire. The beginning of the rains helped fight the fire.

In 2021, a series of forest fires engulfed Yakuria. The Lena Pillars Nature Park was also a victim to the fire. The fire spread over the territory of 24 thousand hectares of the park territory which total to 2% of it. The fires were localized in five areas.

Fires in the Lena Pillars haв occurred before, but in 2021 they were exacerbated by a unique combination of circumstances: abnormal heat and drought, a silkworm infestation that turned the forests into a "powder keg", and a large number of lightning fires hitting simultaneously. There is no doubt that climate change is the cause of these phenomena.

Causes of the disaster

The fires have killed rare species of birds and animals and destroyed trees and plants. The threat of recurrence of fires due to global climate change remains.

Consequences