Last year alone, Dutch nationals donated as much as $2.3 million for the conservation of Russian wildlife and the protection of Russian forests, which account for nearly a quarter of the Earth's lungs. This amount makes up almost a half of the Russian WWF's budget.
Russian business tycoons, many of whom are listed by the Forbes magazine among the world's wealthiest persons, contributed only $300,000 to WWF programs last year-one-eight the Dutch's contribution, one-third the Germans', and half the Swedes'.
"This is paradoxical, of course, that well-to-do Russians should invest so little in the protection of their own environment. Here, in the Netherlands, we have different traditions. More and more of my acquaintances now dream of travelling to Russian regions such as the Sayan mountains, Altai or Kamchatka rather than to Africa or America," Allard Stapel, Director of the WWF International Programs in the Netherlands, told RIA in an interview.
According to Mr Stapel, it is Dutch nationals who have bankrolled a project for the conservation of Russia's bison-one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the WWF in recent years.
"The bison is my favorite animal. It's so nice to watch those pristine giants making their way through the woods in a calm and dignified manner," Mr Stapel said. According to him, the Russian bison population has individuals brought in from the Netherlands.
Today marks the 10th anniversary since the World Wildlife Fund began its operations in Russia.
