Virgin Forests: How to Integrate the Interests of Ecologists and Timbermen?
This was the topic of the discussion at the round table “The development of the national requirements for conservation of virgin forest landscapes for the FSC National Forest Management Standard”, which was held on March 13 in Arkhangelsk and attracted representatives of environmental NGOs along with timber producers and officials.
The round table organizers – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) National Office – initiated it in connection with Decision No.65 of the FSC General Assembly held last September in Spain. According to this document, the national requirements for conservation of virgin forest landscapes should be developed, agreed with all stakeholders, and included in the FSC National Standard until the end of 2016. If this fails to happen, the requirements of Decision No.65 of the FSC General Assembly for conservation of the forest area comprising 80% of the virgin forest landscapes (VFL) will have to be followed. Many certified logging companies could face this option infrequently seen as an acceptable one. To avoid conflict situations in the future, the parties should define the part of virgin forest landscapes, which they agree not to touch, and decide how the process will be organized.
Silver Taiga Director and round table moderator Yuri Pautov introduced the participants to a presentation on the regional practice of VFL conservation in the European part of Russia through an example of the Komi Republic. According to the experts of the environmental organizations, in the Russian part of the Barents region it is advisable to preserve VFL “core areas” comprising from 20 to 50% of the total VFL area, as it is done in Komi. From the point of view of environmentalists, it is the minimum necessary for the valuable forest massifs conservation, which is at the same time acceptable from an economic perspective.
The round table was attended by the representatives from all regions of the European North still having virgin forest landscapes – Karelia, Komi, and Arkhangelsk regions. Each of these regions has both positive and negative examples of interaction between environmental NGOs and timber producers in terms of VFL conservation. Most certified Arkhangelsk forest companies participating in the meeting turned out to be not ready for the discussion. Only ILIM group representatives provided justification of their vision for Decision No.65 implementation on their certified lease area. Though the environmentalists were not fully satisfied with it, yet it opened the way for a search of compromise solutions.
The problem is that the new FSC National Standard should be developed in a very short time – until the end of 2016. Although normally representatives of Social and Environmental Chambers of FSC Russia have no apparent contradictions in terms of VFL conservation, timbermen – Economic Chamber representatives – seek to maximum softening of the FSC National Standard requirements for VFL. For this reason, the position of the timber companies with VFL in their lease becomes so important today.
Similar meetings to discuss Decision № 65 involving all stakeholders will also be organized in other forest regions of Russia, especially in Siberia and Far East. The first proposals for the national standard should already be developed by the end of this April.
