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Transcript of High Conservation Values Forests of the European North of Russia Approaches to conservation and...
High Conservation Values Forests of the European
North of RussiaApproaches to conservation and sustainable use
WorkshopSyktyvkar, 1st April 2009
[email protected] www.hcvnetwork.org
Dr Christopher Stewart – HCV Network Manager
HCV Network aims for this meeting
• Sustainable forest management - status in N. Russia
• Broad discussion of HCVF in N. Russia – evolving definitions, identification, management
• Sharing experience of HCV identification and management in rest of world
• Understanding what HCV concept can, and cannot achieve within FSC certification context in N. Russia
• Seek consensus on HCV definitions and management in Russia
• Seek consistency with rest of world
• Seek ways for HCV Network to support Russian stakeholders to progress conservation and sustainable use goals
High Conservation Values
A powerful tool for promoting conservation within productive landscapes
Syktyvkar, 1st April 2009
[email protected] www.hcvnetwork.org
Dr Christopher Stewart – HCV Network Manager
History
• Devised by Forest Stewardship Council in 1999– Solution to debates over ‘primary forest’, ‘old-growth
forest’, ‘well-developed forest’…– Focuses on exceptional values and how to maintain
them– Implications: all forests have a value but some are more
important than others– If HCVs are present, specific precautions are necessary
• Toolkit developed by ProForest in 2003• HCV concept very widely adopted in other (non-
FSC) schemes• Now entering a critical phase of testing in non-
forest and conversion contexts
What is the HCV framework?
• A set of explicit criteria (the six HCVs)
• An assessment process for conservation priorities
• A management decision tool
• A key component of major sustainability standards
Definitions•High Conservation Value (HCV) – a biological, ecological, social or cultural value of outstanding significance or critical importance at the national, regional or global scale.
•HCV Forest or Area - An area which possesses one or more HCV attributes (1+ of the 6 values)and•HCV Management Area- The area that needs to be appropriately managed to maintain or enhance HCVs
Ecosystems
HCV3 - Rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems.
The six High Conservation Values (I)
BiodiversityHCV1 - Significant concentrations of biodiversity values (RTE species, endemics, migratory etc).
LandscapesHCV2 – Landscape-level areas (e.g. forests) where species exist in natural patterns of distribution and abundance.
Ecosystem servicesHCV4 - Basic ecosystem services in critical situations.
LivelihoodsHCV 5 - Basic needs of local communities.
Cultural identityHCV6 - Local communities’ traditional cultural
identity
The six High Conservation Values (II)
HCV management
• HCVs are identified and located in space
• HCV management defined within specific areas (from punctual sites up to whole concessions)
• Management should be specific for each HCV, but some measures may maintain several HCVs
• Minimum requirement: must not damage HCVs
• Appropriate forest management operations are permitted (range of measures from conservation areas, restoration, to sustainable use of forest resources)
• Should be designed in consultation with forest stakeholders
• Should be monitored for continuous improvement
HCV process at different scales• At the project or site scale:
– Requires that critical values are identified and managed
– Ensures they are not harmed or destroyed by management operations
– Industry-level responsibility
• At the landscape scale:
– Systematic framework for identifying multiple conservation benefits
– Provides context for site-level HCV assessments
– Responsibility shared by many stakeholders
Major processes using HCV
• Active commodity certification schemes
– FSC, MTCC, RSPO (Palm Oil)
• Natural resource sustainability standards
– Basel Criteria + RTRS (soy), RTFO, RSB, Cramer Principles (Biofuels)
– Climate Carbon and Biodiversity Alliance (Carbon)
• Purchasing and investment policies
– Many banks, manufacturers, retailers
• National /regional land use planning
– National/regional guidelines (Bulgaria, Romania… Russia*, China*, Indonesia*)
– NGO national conservation priority mapping
HCVs and conversion
• The HCV approach can be used with any type of land cover (grassland, wetland, forest…)
• No conversion where this would adversely impact a HCV
• Landscape context critical to decision making
• Need to deliver maps and guidance ahead of the expansion frontier
• Challenges include:
– Shared and appropriate methodologies
– Consistency of application
– Capacity building