Mammoth Steppe Ecosystem Restoration To Prevent Permafrost Carbon Emissions. by Team Wooly Mammoth

Sergio, While the cooperation of governments is not the most immediate chalange it will likely be the largest. Demonstrating an effective proof-of-concept (Pleistocene Park) will be the first step to winning them over. The Republic of Yakutia in the Russian Federation contains the largest concentration of permafrost carbon. Russia is a major producer of fossil fuels and derives the lions share of it's revenue from fossil fuel extraction. Russia is also a quite significant producer of GHGs. Currently Russia doesn't acknowledge anthropogenic climate change much less show any interest in combating it. And even if it turns out to be real, most Russians would consider a few degrees warming an improvement to their lives. In the short term the project can move ahead as an experiment. In terms of engaging the Russian state, Sergey Zimov is very adamant that restoring the Mammoth Steppe Ecosystem is a worthwhile project even without the climatic implications. Not only would it provide concrete benefits for local people (meat, tourism). It would enhance food security for a nation that, due to retaliatory sanctions against the US and EU, can no longer import fresh food from those countries. On a different level the Russian establishment could support this proposal simply because the idea of vast herds of free ranging animals once again roaming the arctic is really, really cool. Russian president Vladimir Putin has a well documented reputation of being fond of animals and has very publicly supported conservation of large, powerful, wildlife species such as whales, tigers and bears. Restoring a "Russian Serengeti" in the arctic could be an impressive achievement. Regardless of the motivation of various actors involved it would benefit us all. I suspect that in coming years Russian leaders will began to take seriously the negative impacts of climate change on the world as well as Russia. In the mean time there are lots of other reason why this idea may be interesting to them. Strangely, this exact same logic applies to Alaska, another significant repository of permafrost carbon. Like Russia, Alaska's economics politics are largely based on fossil fuel extraction. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game just released (April of this year) a herd of Canadian wood bison in the Yukon delta. Wood bison went extinct in Alaska a little over 100 years ago. They where re-introduced not because of the impact they may have on melting permafrost but rather for the sake of ecological restoration and because of the dietary and economic benefits they will bring to remote alaskan communities -- but they may end up having a much bigger impact. - Luke