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Rosneft’s Project on Conservation of the Far Eastern Population of Steller’s Sea Eagle is Honoured with a Prestigious Award
15 January 2025
The Komsomolsk Refinery (part of Rosneft’s refining complex) became a prize winner in the regional EcoLeader competition organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Khabarovsk Region. The competition committee highly appreciated the grant project of oil refiners «Under a Strong Wing». The refinery’s achievements in reducing the enterprise’s environmental impact were also noted.
The refinery’s environmental initiative to study and restore the population of the Steller’s sea eagle is being implemented for the second year by the refinery’s ecologists together with ornithologists from the Zapovednoe Priamurie Nature Reserve. In 2024, scientists analysed data obtained during expeditions through the Komsomolsky Reserve, as well as with the help of photo and video recording devices installed in the nesting sites of eagles.
The collected information confirmed the assumptions that the bird population continues to explore new territories, moving southwards along the Amur River floodplain. We managed to clarify the arrival and departure times of bird families, carry out nesting surveys and find out that the most favorable places for hatching chicks are near Udyl Lake. In total, about 80 nesting sites were found near the lakeshores.
All the data obtained will become the basis for the development of a set of measures to protect the largest birds of prey in the Far East, and will allow for more effective further bird observations.
The project participants launched environmental education activities. A series of informative lessons and discussions about eagles were organised for children and teenagers in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Preservation of the environment for future generations is an integral part of the corporate culture of Rosneft. Rosneft invests significant funds in environmental protection activities, including the implementation of a number of comprehensive programmes for the conservation and restoration of natural resources. Rosneft organises research and cares for many species of rare animals in Russia. These include Steller’s and white-tailed sea eagles, ivory gulls, rare species of geese and other representatives of birds.
During the next stage of the project, in addition to remote observations of eagles’ nests, it is planned to conduct research of river water samples, biomaterials of fish, which is the birds’ food base. The grant will also be used to purchase equipment and specialised gear for new expeditions to hard-to-reach bird habitats.
For reference:
The Steller’s sea eagle is the largest member of the eagle family. The average body length is 110 cm and the wingspan up to 250 cm. Individuals can weigh up to 9kg. It nests only in the Russian Far East along sea and river coasts. The predator population in the Khabarovsk Territory is about 1,200 individuals, the world population is about 6,000-7,000 individuals.
The species is listed as rare and endangered in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. The main reasons for the decline are spontaneous tourism, unfavourable ecological conditions and the bird’s slow breeding and nesting behaviour.
Department of Information and Advertising
Rosneft
January 15, 2025