Red-listed barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) from Kurgalsky Nature Reserve, Russia

The “Kurgalsky” nature reserve is protected by two international conventions: “On wetlands” (Ramsar Convention) and “On the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area”.
Representatives of Greenpeace and Green World (a local NGO) have discovered operating drilling rigs inside the Narva Bay protected area and in the forest.
The rigs are operating for the “Nord Stream 2” project, a twin gas pipeline system running from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea.
The conduction of such works is strictly prohibited by the Russian legislation and by International agreements that were signed by Russia.
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 through the Kurgalsky reserve will lead to the destruction of natural habitat of many rare animal and plant species. A nest of the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), a raptor red listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was found in the area.
Greenpeace experts state that the nest was located no more than 50 meters from the marked route of the pipeline. The gas pipeline construction is a huge violation of the Russian and international legislation.