About “Keys” to Preserve Biodiversity
The Silver Taiga has developed the method to monitor biodiversity preservation measures for multi-skilled environmental experts.
The methods for monitoring of conservation of Key Forest Biotopes and Key Elements are predetermined by the need in quality and quantity assessment of the forest landscape biodiversity preservation approach which is new for Russia, and the necessity to analyze the experience of harvesting with conservation of biodiversity that has been accumulated over the recent years by FSC certified companies in the Komi Republic.
As early as in 2009 the Silver Taiga Foundation prepared Recommendations to Preserve Biodiversity during Harvesting in the Komi Republic that were approved by the regional Forest Committee. In 2010, a brochure with the same title was published. Recommendations were mostly applied by certified companies meeting the national FSC Forest Management Standard requirements. The companies have gained a great experience in biodiversity preservation, including the one related to mapping and conservation of Key Forest Biotopes and Key Elements, imitation of natural forest dynamics during harvesting operations and consideration of landscape features in the planning and harvesting processes, over 8 years.
The Silver Taiga Foundation’s experts were active to provide information support to logging companies through trainings for their employees, field trips on the Recommendations application, and arranging forest management planning workshops. A special attention was given to explaining the requirements to biodiversity preservation, natural forest dynamics imitation and landscape approach to planning and harvesting by certified forestry companies of the region.
The field workshop
However, the key objective of the Recommendations is not to make companies leave Key Biotopes and Key Elements at logging sites, but to maintain environmental functions of the forest after cutting to preserve the biodiversity of forest ecosystems and forest landscapes in general.
That is why the Foundation initiated the development of the method to monitor the assessment of Key Forest Biotopes and Key Elements conservation and their performance of the biodiversity preservation functions on the local, ecosystems and landscape levels.
The Key Biotopes and Key Elements preserved at logging plots were monitored in 2014-2017 by various methods. The experts of the Silver Taiga Foundation and Tekhkarta LLC tested different approaches, as a result a simple and reproducible Method for Monitoring of Conservation of Key Forest Biotopes and Key Elements that can be used both by certified companies and by certification authorities and consultants preparing companies for the certification has been developed. In other words, the method is designed for multi-skilled environmental experts familiar with the FSC certification requirements and biodiversity preservation methods in forest use.
Monitoring
During the field test of the method in 2017 it was adjusted by the Silver Taiga’s experts and offered to the general public for discussion and use by all stakeholders.
