CURRENT SITUATION WITH PROTECTION HCVF

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Karelian Nature-Protection NGO SPOK Russia,
Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk e-mail
spok_office_at_onego.ru, http//spok.onego.ru

• CURRENT SITUATION WITH PROTECTION HCVF
• IN REPUBLIC OF KARELIA

Alexandr Markovsky Workshop High Conservation
Value Forests (pristine forests) of the European
North of Russia Approaches to Conservation and
Sustainable Use April 1-3, 2009, Syktyvkar
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GENERAL APPROACHTo support nature values of a
certain area we should protect biodiversity on
different levels.

• Large valuable forest areas of world and
  international concernment.
• Less valuable forest areas of regional and local
  concernment.
• Key biotopes local patches of special value.

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1. Large valuable forest areas of world and
international concernment.
Map of Intact Forest Landscapes (undisturbed
forest territories with square more 50.000 ha)
was published by group of Russian NGOs.
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Also last large areas of native forest were
reflected in works of Karelian Research Centre
(left picture) and in more detailed map
Old-Growth Forest of High Conservation
Value-2007 by NGOs (right picture).
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Example of OGF conservation with voluntary
moratorium in the leasing area of Pyaozerskiy
LPH
2. Less valuable forest areas of regional and
local concernment (smaller than 50.000 ha) .
So investigation of 2nd level areas should be
continued.
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• 3. Key biotopes.
• Identification and protection of key biotopes can
  be done in forestry.

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Forest use can be combined with biodiversity
conservation.How we can organize it?

• To exclude most valuable objects from
  exploitation

• To adopt forestry practice to pay more attention
  to forest dynamic and biodiversity conservation

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To exclude most valuable objects from
exploitation
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Protected area in Karelia. 216 nature reserves -
1007,6 th. ha (5,6 from total area of
Karelia).133 of them have regulations which
allow any cuttings (1,9 from total area of
Karelia)
Karelian Master-Plan consist 60 planning nature
reserves.Total area (without water surface) is
about 1600 th. ha (9 from forestry area of
Karelia). Almost all OGF are included in planned
nature reserves.
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To adopt forestry practice to pay more attention
to forest dynamic and biodiversity conservation
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• Example of protection Key biotops in forestry in
  North-West Russia.

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The inside instruction for enterprises define how
protection biodiversity in forestry should be
managed.
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The Field manual book includes 13 key habitats
which potentially consist highest level of
forests biodiversity
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• A key biotopes are funded in identifying of
  logging plots areas.

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The Field manual book includes descriptions of
key habitats, their photos and recommendation of
protection.
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STEP 1. There are needs to go via all planning
logging plot and identify key habitats, bases on
Field manual book. (Type 1. Coniferous forests
in wet depression)

• Bryoria fremontii lichen from Russian Red data
  book

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STEP 2. Mark in nature certain key habitats
borders
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The results protected biodiversity in forestry!
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The experience of Karelian field manual book are
spread in other forest regions of NW-Russia
2008
2007
http//www.wwf.ru/data/pub/regions/biotops.pdf
(Arkhangelsk WWF)
http//spok.onego.ru/Opredelitel_mail.pdf (SPOK)
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Different reason for protection biodiversity in
forestry in NW-Russia

• Federal law about nature reserves predict
  biodiversity and wildness area protection
• New Forest code says that forest law should
  provide sustainable forestry and biodiversity
  conservation
• New Logging rules predict to protect biodiversity
  during logging operations
• FSC requests are corresponded with Russian
  federal law and ratified international
  conventions (for example Convention on Biological
  Diversity).

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• Example of protection HCVF in forestry in
  North-West Russia.

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Overlapping between planned nature reserves and
HCVF
New Master plan include 250 th. ha (1,4
from total area of Karelia) are protected on a
voluntary basis by forest companies 660 th. ha
(3.7 from total area of Karelia) are not
protected
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Almost all big forest industry enterprises of
Karelia voluntarily protect OGF in their leasing
area. They are

• Ledmozersky LZH
• Karellesprom holding company
• Segezha PPM (Investlesprom)
• Swedwood Karelia (IKEA)
• Ladenso (Stora Enso)
• Pyaozersky LPH
• Muezersky LPH (Investlesprom)
• etc.

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So in Karelia by summer 2008 forest companies
agreed to protect voluntarily all intact forest
landscapes with area more 50.000 ha
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The Karelia authorities nowadays recognize the
value of OGF and the need of their protection

• "Karelian Forest Committee (Goskomles) considers
  that social, ecological and spiritual value of
  old-growth forests is much more valuable than
  price of wood and industrial products than can be
  gained from these forests." (Karelian Forest
  Committee, 18.09.07)
• "The unclearities with old-growth forests effects
  the process of forest certification... and the
  work of forest industry enterprises. Old-growth
  forest territories need to be pointed out and
  determined in related documents and in the
  regulations guiding forest management... Reasoned
  recommendations... for old-growth forests
  protection can be taken into account in Forest
  Management Plan and in forest management
  regulations as Especially Protected Forest Plots
  (osobo zashitie uchastki) " (Ministry of Industry
  of the Republic of Karelia), 24.09.07)

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Biodiversity conservation experience in LadEnso
(StoraEnso) leases area (South Russian Karelia)
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Biodiversity conservation experience in Swedwood
(IKEA) leases area (North Russian Karelia)
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• Science investigations which deal with protection
  biodiversity in forestry

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Groups of investigators which deal with
protection biodiversity in forestry

• Global forest watsh (Russia)
• WWF (Russian Far East)
• WWF (Arkhangelsk)
• Found Silver Tajga
• SPOK
• Pskov Model Forest
• Kirovs Forest Certifications Centre
• Metsaliitto (Leningrad region)
• Project Biological value forests(Leif
  AnderssonNadja Alekseeva)

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Current problems with protection biodiversity in
forestry practice of FSC-certified company in
Karelia
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Maslozero case
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Agreement about protection HCVF in Maslozero
case, 2007
Planned logging plots
Voluntary protected HCVF and planned PA
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Selegskoe case
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Letter from company SLZK (Investlesprom)
about stop logging in HCVF in Selegskoe case
and moved activities in other plots
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Planned protected HCVF in leased area of
Investlesprom (variant 2009, March )
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Planned protected HCVF revealed with special
investigation in leased area of
Investlesprom 202623?? - 11 of leased area.
Selective cutting is allowed.
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Examples of non-planned protection HCVF in leased
area of Investlesprom
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HCVF with lime tree
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HCVF with fern
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HCVF with elm
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Stone HCVF (partly)
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• Thank you for your attention!