Problem of sustainable forest management realization in Republic of Karelia : on the way to catastrophe.

…we solemnly promise before the nations of the world and generations that inevitably will inherit our Earth, resolutely act in order to provide that our common hope for sustainable development could come true. (UNO report, Johannesburg, august 2002).

Goals: -to reveal main problems of Karelian forest management; -to find possible solutions on the way towards sustainable forest management. Tasks: - to define basic criteria of sustainable forest management; - to mark violations and find discrepancies in forest management of Karelia; - to find out the causes of trouble and suggest ways and means of solving the problem.

..using of forests and forest lands in such ways and scales that provide safety of their diversity, productivity, reproduction, viability and potential to carry out in presence and future required ecological, economical and social functions on regional, national and global levels and do not harm other ecosystems. Sustainable forest management is..

Official criteria: 1.Maintenance and preservation of forests’ productivity; 2.Maintenance of acceptable sanitary conditions and viability of forests; 3.Saving of forests’ protective functions; 4.Preservation and maintenance of forests’ diversity and their contribution to global carbon cycle; 5.Maintenance of socio-economical functions of the forests; 6.Effective forest policy for sustainable management.

Unofficial criteria : 1. Preservation and improvement of environmental-protective and social functions of forests, providing possibility of inexhaustible using of material forest recourses in future. 2. Conservation of wild taiga nature arrays; 3. Free access to information concerning ecological and social issues of forest management, authentic and fair information about using and condition of the forests. 4. Observation of rules and legislation (national as well as international).

Unofficial criteria (continuous): 5. Providing safety of specifically protected natural and cultural territories and objects, situated within forest fund; 6. System of forest taxes that realistically reflects national forest property and provides personal rights of all citizens; 7. Minimization of influence (inevitable and motivated) on natural ecosystems during stocking up of material forest production.

Karelian forestry: main facts Total square of the forest fund = hectares; Forest – covered area = hectares; Total spare of timber in Karelia = m³ About people work in timber industry.

Reasons of inefficiency of Karelian forest management: 1. Extremely law taxes for the timber trade; 2. Orientation on the export of raw materials; 3. Monopoly of “Karellesprom” holding company (controlling interest belongs to Karelian Government); 4. Corruption and mutual guarantees; 5.Problem of specifically protected territories.

Does forest management in Karelia correspond to official criteria of sustainable forestry? 1. Maintenance and preservation of forests’ productivity; - NO 2. Maintenance of acceptable sanitary conditions and viability of forests; - NO 3. Saving of forests’ protective functions; - NO 4. Preservation and maintenance of forests’ diversity and their contribution to global carbon cycle; - NO 5. Maintenance of socio-economical functions of the forests; - NO 6. Effective forest policy for sustainable management. - NO

Correspondence to unofficial criteria (№3 is taken as an example). Free access to information concerning ecological and social issues of forest management, authentic and fair information about using and condition of the forests. Attitude of Karelian “forest powers” towards public opinion and bodies: “You don’t exist and we don’t want to see you!” Public participation is considered to be unnecessary and impossible. But while raw material resources are exhaustible human are not…

Why does Karelian forest management fail to be sustainable: possible reasons. 1. Outdated methods of wood-cutting area calculating, which do not provide uniform using of forest resource; 2. Inclusion into wood-cutting area economically inaccessible forests; 3. Large scale clear-cuts without high quality artificial reforestation; 4. Permanent deterioration of forest fund because of priority chopping of best forest.

Possible solutions of the problem. 1. Extensive economy should be replaced by intensive and oriented towards human capital instead of raw material; 2. Rational and multivariable forest using; 3. Efficient interaction of government, business and public bodies; 4. International cooperation, rational introduction of foreign experience and scientific achievements; 5. Developing of eco-education and “ecologization” of public consciousness.

Conclusions 1.The ongoing forest management in Karelia does not correspond to basic official and unofficial criteria of sustainable development. 2. Current model of forest management will soon lead to exhaustion of republican forest fund and deforestation of the territory. 3. Now that forest is the main source of Karelian income, the loss of it will inevitably cause economical and social disaster. 4. To avoid this situation urgent measures should be taken.

-Multivariable using of forest territories, -Introduction of ecological technologies, -International cooperation, -Ecological enlightenment These measures should step by step lead to desired goal – sustainable forest management and sustainable development of Republic of Karelia and Russian Federation on the whole.