Strategy for sustainable forest management in valuable Korean pine-broadleaved forests of Russian Far East

Evgeny Lepeshkin

WWF Amur Branch

Moscow, December 06, 2011

The korean pine (=korean pine-broadlieved) forests

reflected in 200 Global Ecoregions

• the most rich in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere of the Earth (up to 1700 species in flora)

• about 20 tree species can form stand variability in one site

• the main habitat for Amur tiger (add. Asian black, brown bear, wild boar, red deer, sable family etc.)

•Rapid decrease of KPF area for last 50 years: Primorsky province - 1,9 times less; Khabarovsky province - 3,2 times less

•Rapid decrease of timber volume: 3,5-4 times less

•Extinction of old-growth KPF (7,6 % from all KPF; 5,4 % - from KPF in Primorsky province). – it’s 6 times less than in most untouched etalon-like KPF.

•2.85 mln. ha of KPF are remained

“Modern forestry” basis towards Korean pine forests

• Short permits for non-commercial selective logging:

- sanitary logging;

- intermediate logging (non-commercial thinning)

• Illegal logging

• Commercial logging of Korean pine in non-Korean pine stands;

Before thinning

After thinning

• The best quality of Korean pine timber comes to China

Up to 190 000 m3 exported from Primorsky province in 2009. According to WWF specialists there are about 700 000 m3 totally were logged out.

Extinction of most productive for nature stands results:

• Decrease of feeding productivity for mammals;

• Loss of biodiversity, main habitats of mammals (incl. tiger);

• Change of hydrological regime and climate features;

• Decrease of NTFP values• Increase of social problems

and conflicts

2007 «Korean pine strikes»

The WWF concept towards Korean pine forest management

• Goal: Protect valuable forest habitat, incl. their inhabitants (tigers, etc.) from logging, poaching, fire, etc.

• To do so: Create an economic mechanism which makes protection of Korean pine forests more valuable than logging.

Approach

Object determinationNHZ –Nut Harvesting Zones

Determined optionsDetermined hotspots

Создание орехово-промысловых зон

• Постановление СМ РСФСР №219 от 05.03.1954 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №975-р от 27.03.1956 г. • Постановления СМ РСФСР N 103 от 29.01.1959• Постановление СМ РСФСР №60 от 14.01.1965 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №61 от 05.02.1968 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №268 от 29.04.1969 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №1253-р от 10.07.1969 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №265 от 30.04.1970 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №535 от 27.09.1971 г. • Постановление СМ РСФСР №581 от 25.10.1971 г.• Постановление СМ РСФСР №11-р от 03.01.1985 г.

• 1,0 mln ha

• 45 massifs

• From 1.300 ha to 500.000 ha

• Formed up to 85% of Korean pine forests

Approach

Object determinationNHZ –Nut Harvesting Zones

Long-term concession

Determination of rights’ types

Determined optionsDetermined hotspots

Concession right up to 49 years

Approach

Object determinationNHZ –Nut Harvesting Zones

Long-term concession

Determination of rights’ types

Determined options

Determination of management

Conservation forest management

Determined hotspots

Conservation forest management

• Decrease/totally remove logging operation on the area, especially on HCVF terriories

• Exclude most of area from road development;

• Protect against illegal activities (logging, poaching, fire, unsustainable nut harvesting).

• Implement fire fighting service

Approach

Object determinationNHZ –Nut Harvesting Zones

Long-term concession

Determination of rights’ types

Determined options

Determination of management

Conservation forest management

Determination of WWF partners Requirements for partners

Determined hotspots

Requirements for partners

• Not involved to illegal logging operations;

• Experienced/Interested in NTFP business;

• Allocated on the ground (preferably);

Korean Pine Nut Harvesting Zones in the Russian Far East Province of Primorsky

Pozharskaya NHZ41,159 haNOT LEASEDPotential: 525,000kg/year

Olginskaya NHZ 40,997 haNOT LEASED

Koksharovskaya NHZ 27,755 haLeased by WWF partner PZB JSC.Potential:648,000 kg/year

Vostochnaya NHZ 95,811 haLeased by WWF partner Primorskiy GOK Potential:800,000 kg/year

Bikinskaya NHZ and water protection zone

461,154 haLeased by WWF partner Udege Tribal Commune Tiger.

Potential: 580,000 kg/year

Melnichnaya NHZ 22,117 haLeased by WWF partner Krasnoarmeyskiy RZOP, daughter of “Primorskiy GOK”.

Potential:82,000 kg/year

The WWF concept towards Korean pine forest management

• Goal: Protect valuable forest habitat, incl. their inhabitants (tigers, etc.) from logging, poaching, fire, etc.

• To do so: Create an economic mechanism which makes protection of Korean pine forests more valuable than logging.

• To do so: Give local people economic incentives and therefore an alternative from illegal logging and poaching

• To do so: Give concession holders economic incentives to protect forest from illegal activities.

• To do so: Work with concession holders to create controlled economic / ecological zones and pay fair prices to local collectors.

• To do so: Work with international NTFP buyers to generate steady, attractive income.

Saving the last virgin forests in RFE Bikin River valley

The “Bikin climate project” on Bikin Nut Harvesting Zone (NHZ)

Donors

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Berlin

KfW Entwicklungsbank

Partners – implementers

WWF GermanyWWF RFE

Tribal Commune Tiger

• biodiversity and tiger habitat protection

• natural carbon stock securing by saving standing phytomass

tools:

• Concession rights for 49 years

• traditional nature use of Udege and Nanai tribes on preserved area: Create Federal TTNU (territory of traditional nature use)

Mitigate impacts of climate change through the protection of large scale

virgin forests in the Bikin Area (Russian Far East)

Bikinskaya NHZ and water protection zone 461,154 ha

113 million tons of CO2

143 000 tons of CO2

Existing carbon stocks, in tCO2

Annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, in tCO2

Preliminary results:

Assessment of the Carbon Sequestration and

Finance Potential for Carbon credits

Main project activities

Preservative and controling:• develop inventory and management plan for the NHZ.• protection by anti-poaching brigades• protection by fires service (aircraft and land groups)

Socio-economic:• carbon project development for generating additional

income• Develop sustainable complex use: NTFP, eco-tourism,

sustainable fishing and hunting management• develop business relationships with potential buyers of

nuts / NTFP.

Vostochnaya NHZ

Melnichnaya NHZ

Market links

COSTCONuts/ kernels

Russian Far EastInternational

Market

Harvester & Concession owner

+ Primary processing

(various scenarios of how processing

is managed)

NHZ lease owner company/ies

Most likely longer supply chain Buyer

MoU

Local Peo

ple / Collectors

Contract

WWF RFE

Market price

Conservation fee

MoU

Sustainable forest management on FSC certified areas

Target:

• 1 Mio ha of new FSC areas with ban of logging for both high conservation reasons (HCVF) and climate reasons (CO2 emission reduction)

• 1 PDD (Project Design Document) created for evaluating climate benefits of FSC concessions and creating financial benefits for sustainable management and HCVF delineation

Additional effects:

• As a climate project owners companies can be more competitive on a global markets

• Importance of HCVF (esp. korean-pine massifs) for local societies highlighted

Thank you for the attention

• Какие экономические мотивации д.б. задействованы?-дикоросы-климатические инвестиции-экологические функции леса

• Какие категории лесов могут быть предложены в таком подходе?-ОПЗ-водоохранные зоны-эксплуатационные леса---• Как использовать внутри других инструментов?-FSC (ПРИНЦИП 5. ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ЛЕСА Лесохозяйственные

мероприятия должны способствовать эффективному многоцелевому использованию продуктов и функций леса…..)

-лесное законодательство (многоцелевое устойчивое лесопользование)

-ЛВПЦ как категория лесов с недревесным приоритетом лесопользования

• Кто сторонники?

- Местное население- -Охотпользователи- Представители бизнеса по дикоросам, турбизнеса