Last April Silver Taiga GIS-specialist Alexander Borovlyov presented the intermediate results of the Assessing Long-Term Logging Impact on Water Resources project at two scientific conferences – in Saint Petersburg and in Kirov.

A lot of interest was taken by the participants of the Forests of Russia: Politics, Industry, Science, And Education conference held in St. Petersburg State University of Forestry on 13-15 April to the Foundation’s activities in general and in particular to the project on assessing logging impact on water resources. The attendees were concerned about the selection of methods for the impact assessment, hydrology data sources, estimated results, and many other issues. Alexander’s presentation and the subsequent question-and-answer session turned into a keen discussion of the problem relevant for many forestry regions, however poorly studied yet.

At the end of April the project was displayed to another audience – to participants of the all-Russia workshop Business. Science. Environment of the Homeland: Problems and Solutions held in the Vyatka State University, where Alexander reported on the methods of assessing long-term logging impact on water resources. These include, in particular, Earth remote sensing data making it possible to compare the rates of deforestation and subsequent regeneration of cutover stands in a particular catchment basin by correlating space images of different periods. Then, development of runoff parameters is traced based on the data from the Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. With regard to minor and medium streams the project participants use such field techniques as bioindication and measurement of the stream and the flood bed. Interviews of long standing inhabitants held in Udora district support the obtained data in a way…

Alexander Borovlyov’s report was of great interest at the conference in Kirov, too. The discussion revealed a lot of questions, recommendations and proposals. To sum up the overall feedback in brief, the project is relevant, and its results will be demanded.

“Unfortunately, I failed to meet anyone dealing with the same project or tackling similar issues among participants of both conferences,” Alexander says. “We seem to be the only organization to address the problem. Meanwhile, everyone admits the relevance and practical implication of the study. Nevertheless, I find our participation in the conferences fruitful – the issue invited the attention of experts, we got interesting recommendations, met new people, including potential partners.”

Main five-year project results and possible solutions to the challenges preventing further progress to the sustainable management of the Mezen river resources were discussed at a regular meeting of the Model River Mezen Working Group.

Nikolay Shilov, the project coordinator, made a presentation on the current status and project issues, and focused mainly on the problems encountered by the participants while performing certain planned activities, such as reclamation activities at fishing grounds or stocking them with fish, which are vital to achieve the target – sustainable river resource management.

A major part of the meeting was dedicated to detailed planning of 2016 activities and discussing the perspectives of the project.

Before the start of the long-term project planning the Working Group members reviewed its strengths and weaknesses, which are clearly visible now at this stage, identified issues yet unsolved and the most challenging problems, tried to discover possible solutions, and to determine in what ways the project is to be developed later on. The project achievements include well-adjusted continuous monitoring and resource monitoring systems, non-formal comprehensive problem solving approach with a variety of stakeholders involved, cooperation with the local AgroUdora Cooperative with regard to sustainable resource management, good information sharing, proactive involvement of schoolchildren into the issue of the sustainable river resource management, and support of the local population initiatives related to the project … Inefficient cooperation with federal authorities and respective committees of the State Council of the Komi Republic, and shortage of activities under the interregional Agreement between the Komi Republic and Arkhangelsk region were seen by the Working Group as the project’s weak points …

The Working Group identified key focus areas of the project for its next stage in the coming five to six years.

Another issue considered at the meeting referred to changing the composition of the Working Group – it was unanimously agreed to accept Leonid Pavlov, executive director of the AgroUdora Cooperative, as a member of the Group.

Photos by Alexander Borovlyov

At the beginning of March Silver Taiga representatives took part in the opening session of the Forest School spring term. The School opens during spring break, this time for the third year in a row, in the village of Verkhny Bereznik, Ustyan district, Arkhangelsk region. All this has served an excellent basis for positive experience exchange with children.
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