Non-Governmental Organizations Came Forward with a Unified Position on Low-Disturbed Forests
Six Russian environmental organizations – WWF Russia, Greenpeace Russia, Non-Profit Partnership “Transparent World”, Komi Regional Non-Profit Foundation “Silver Taiga”, Interregional Public Organization “Northern Environmental Coalition” (SPOK), and Kola Biodiversity Conservation Center – have developed and signed the document containing their unified position on low-disturbed forests.
It is referred to the large forest massifs (above 500 sq. km. and more than 10 km in width) representing the wildlife areas in the forest zone. The specialists call them low-disturbed forest areas (LDF) and highly appreciate their role in the conservation of the biodiversity, climate control, and environmental quality assurance in general. However, as a result of the commercial exploitation these last indigenous forests in Russia are disappearing at a catastrophic speed.
In the document signed by the NGOs representatives the necessity to stop the destruction of these valuable natural areas of prime importance is declared and specific recommendations on conservation of such territories are suggested.
According to the Silver Taiga Foundation Director Yury Pautov, who has taken part in the harmonization and editing of the document, an important point is that the declared Position combines different NGOs working both at the federal and regional levels. It shows to all stakeholders that this very union and mutual support are making us strong.
Besides, this unified position is a signal for the investors who hold themselves out as ecologically responsible forest users. Timber companies shall understand that if they lease the forest areas located within the low-disturbed forests massifs and announce intention to certify their forest management and products according to the FSC system they will inevitably face the problems with the environmental NGOs. It is confirmed by a recent conflict situation with LLC “Lesozavod №1” in the Komi Republic concerning the logging in the Core of the Verkne-Vashka massif of low-disturbed forest areas. All the more so, as currently non-governmental organizations are regularly monitoring exploitation of low-disturbed territories by space images.
More detailed information about the Position of the non-governmental environmental organizations of Russia on low-disturbed forest areas can be found here: http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/article/12076.
Valentina Semyashkina
Translated by Irina Sokolova