Komi Model Forest: Today and Tomorrow
Many people heard about Komi Model forest, because it was a long-term project, and it has been rather successful. What is Komi Model forest like today? What are its current perspectives? We held an interview with Yury Pautov, the deputy director of Silver Taiga Foundation.
– Yury Anatolyevich, just a few words about how it all began…
– The history of Model forests began in 1993 in Canada. The main goal of the project was to arouse public interest to the issue and engage the community and related organizations in forest management, because forests and forest landscapes are extremely important for many people. The idea became popular, and in 1995 we started an International Model Forest Network, which now includes more than 50 Model forests on several continents, for example Model Forests of Canadian, South American, Asian an African Networks. In 2008, Federal Forestr Agency of Russia announced creation of Russian Model Forest Network.
– This is just the project in brief, isn’t it?
– Yes, it’s just an overview. But we must understand that every Model forest is unique, only the methods are general: involvement of a big number of forest participants in management of forest territory; search of compromise; study and approbation of world experience; transfer of new knowledge, implementation of sustainable management methods in practices on a certain territory.
But let’s get back to Komi Model forest. It began in 1997 spearheaded by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and was supported by the Forest Service, the Government of Komi and the Administration of Priluzye region. During the first ten years, Komi Model forest got financial help from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Before 2002 it was governed by the Komi Department of WWF and then by Silver Taiga Foundation. For a number of reasons, the Agency terminated its work in our country and redirected its efforts into South America and Africa. That is why their financial support of Komi Model forest stopped.
– During the past 10 years there were many good initiatives started within the framework of the project. Have they continued to be?
– I would say that different beginnings are on different implementation stages. For example, the initiative of forest administration certification according to world standards was successfully realized in Komi Model forest, and later it was adapted in other areas. Nowadays, practically all woodlands are certificated. Another beginning was an allocation of areas traditionally used by the population for mass gatherings of mushrooms and berries; it was later followed by creation of special woodland management regulations. However, today this initiative needs an adjustment due to the introduction of the new forest law. An educational program “Village ecology”, which was worked out in the Model forest, is currently being introduced in rural schools of other Komi districts with the support of a new Silver Taiga project “Forest village”.
Public Forest Council, which appeared in Komi Model forest, became regional, and I hope it will be as active as it used to be.
Demonstration objects marked in the Model forest continue to function. Excursions and courses are held there, but only by request instead of a planned schedule as it used to be done during the active part of project realization.
We continue to implement biodiversity conservation system created as part of the Model forest project. In 2010, we have planned to organize training courses on biodiversity conservation for forest services and logging companies during logging season. All this work is coordinated with Priluzye forestry, logging companies, Forest Council, Forestry Institute, Natural Resources Ministry, etc. That is to say, cooperation of people and organizations engaged in the project still exists, even if it is not as active as during its earlier stage. People in forest management keep cooperating.
– What about the perspectives of Komi Model forest? Will it be developing according to sustainable management principles or will initiatives come to naught?
– Speaking about Model forest perspectives and joint actions planning, first of all, we place great emphasis on cooperation and mutual interest of project participants. And to work most productively, that is not to do all and sundry, we hold meetings for developing careful strategic planning. For instance, at the end of last year we discussed most burning issues of forest administration; we came to an agreement with parties involved and determined the priorities for the next few months. Last week we discussed which activities in this list can be done within the framework of komi Model forest project. Having these objectives in mind, we will work out new projects and search for financing needed. Unfortunately, Federal Forestry Agency declaration about developing of Russian Model Forests Network is still only a declaration. There is no real support – financial, conceptual, or organizational. And, unfortunately, there is no way to tell if there will be any support in the future. Federal Forestry Agency keeps silence, though they continue to talk about declaration on the international level. However, in many regions people appear to be interested in creating Model forests, especially in the Arkhangelsk Region and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous district. In places where people see problems, they consider Model forest a solution.
– What is the real situation with existing Russian Model Forests?
Currently there are several active areas, including Pskov and Kostroma Model forests. There is a Model forest in Murmansk region. Gasinsk Model forest acting in Khabarovsk region is officially closed now.
Today Komi is the only Russian Model forest which is part of the international Network, and its representative Przemyslaw Majewski is a member of International Model Forest Network Committee, which deals with strategic planning of Model forest development.
It is clear that a lot now depends on funding, and Silver Taiga foundation, which is in charge of Komi Model forest, is currently looking for financial help for concrete projects centered around preparation for certification, and community forest management training based on biodiversity conservation.
– Yury Anatolyevich, you have already mentioned Federal Forestr Agency’s position. What about the attitude to Model forests in local forestry units?
– On the level of professional interest and citizenship, forestry staff supports developing of methods used in Model forests. But when we talk about them as part of job responsibilities, there is nothing that can motivate this support.
– So the realization of Model forests developing has been broken by the Russian Forest Legislation?
– Actually, the Forestry Code of the Russian Federation does not mention anything about Model forests, and that is why Federal Forestry Agency doesn’t want to support the initiative. But it seems to be just a convenient excuse: for example, legislation of countries with a developed Model Forest Network (Argentina, Japan, Latvia) does not include anything either. That is why, I think, the stumbling stone here is the fact that Model forest only develops successfully in places with strong local or regional initiative and governmental support. Here (in Russia) you can find it only on a local or regional level, but unfortunately, not everywhere. For many officials the idea that some NGOs or other forest stakeholders should be involved in forest administration seems crazy.
The situation in Komi, however, is much better, that is why we keep making plans for Komi Model Forest. Initiatives of the project are supported both on the local and regional levels, and the recommendations worked out and tested in the Model forest are approved by the government. But if we talk about the situation in general, the federal level watches regions, and regions watch federals. As a result, Model forests is “pressed” between the two.
One of the aims of Model forests is to initiate change of regional forest policy in the direction of sustainable developing, taking into account interests of all parties, first of all the population of forest territories. Such changes must happen inevitably on the national level too. The sooner the new methods are implemented in the regions, the sooner that will happen, so Komi Model Forest is making its own contribution to this process.
Interview by Valentina Semyashkina