SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM PRILUZJE TRIED THE ROLE OF FOREST STAKEHOLDERS

Silver Taiga Foundation organized a meeting in Priluzje secondary school under International FSC-Friday event on September 28, 2018. The meeting combined the representatives of Priluzje forestry unit, Silver Taiga Foundation, Priluzje Public Forest Council, Letka school forestry unit and Objachevo schoolchildren.

Participants of the meeting

Silver Taiga Deputy Director Valentina Semyashkina told about the history of FSC-Friday, its goals and achievements. Silver Taiga participates in this event for several years running on different platforms with the involvement of school forestry units from different districts of Komi.

Silver Taiga Deputy Director Valentina Semyashkina speaking about FSC-Friday

Priluzje Forestry Unit Deputy Director Yury Serditov told about the school forestry units history in Priluzje. They were very successful in the 80s of the last century and in the beginning of 90s they were on the wane. Then in 2001-2003 school forestry units returned to life in several villages of the district. But nowadays only one of them is functioning in Letka village. However, according to Yury Serditov Priluzje Forestry Unit is ready to support the schools if they want to restart the forestry units’ activity.

Yury Serditov

Children from Letka forestry unit told their age-mates from Objachevo village about their “green” activities and their head Marina Sidorova discover the difficulties that the forestry unit faces. The main problem is the lack of funding of the participation in different ecological events outside the village and district. They participate only in the actions organized by Komi Regional Forestry Community as the Community reimburses the travel and meal expenses.

School children from Letka forestry unit told about their «green» activities

Konstantin Serditov, the representative of the district newspaper Znamya Truda (the member of Priluzje Community Forest Council) told about the Forest Council supplement to the newspaper with the focus on forest use in Priluzje district and invite the children to become the young correspondent of the newspaper.

Konstantin Serditov

At the end of the meeting Silver Taiga representatives conducted the business role-playing game aiming at solving the conflict between local people and a logging company. The game based on real events held in one of the forest districts in Komi. The school children tried the roles of the stakeholders participating in the certification process. According to FSC-standards certified logging companies should agree their activity with the local people, local self-government and other interested parties. There were seven groups representing scientists, environmental NGOs, tourists, hunters and fishermen, mushrooms and berries pickers, local self-government and logging companies. The conflict occurred due to the lack of information. The children tried to enter to negotiation process and to solve the conflict. Each group presented its vision. As the result, the children became familiar with social coordination of actions included in FSC-standards while playing.

Work in groups

“Ecologists” try to protect their rights

The “logging companies” have their own opinion