WWF Russia grant summer 2020 Republic of Adygea
​With grant support from WWF Russia, the Institute of Regional Biological Research (Maikop) participated in the implementation of the summer stage of the grant program WWF1341/RU013610 “Public monitoring of the legality of selective sanitary felling in the forest fund of the Krasnogvardeisky forestry in the Krasnogvardeisky, Shovgenovsky and Koshekhablsky districts of the Republic of Adygea.” The work is being carried out within the framework of the WWF Russia project “PEOPLE FOR NATURE”. After analyzing the forest pathological survey (FPO) reports, 29 sites were allocated to conduct field inspections of the condition of forest areas.
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All work was carried out in floodplain broad-leaved forests of the Kuban, Laba and Belaya river basins. Identified violations include falsification of forest pathological inspection reports, cutting down healthy trees instead of sick and dry ones. The volume of such violations “draws” on criminal article 260 “Illegal logging of forest plantations. For all identified violations, statements of crimes were submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the Forestry Department of the Republic of Adygea.
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During the implementation of grant programs, new evidence was collected of the existence in the Republic of Adygea of a criminal timber harvesting scheme based on corrupt relationships between loggers and forestry authorities, primarily the Forest Management of the Republic of Adygea. Forestry authorities, in accordance with fictitious acts of forest management, also organize sanitary and health measures in forest plantations, where, under the guise of Selective Sanitary Fellings, they then harvest full-fledged commercial timber from living trees of large diameters. At the same time, all harvested wood is documented as firewood, because This means cutting down only dead trees (dead trees). Naturally, industrial wood on the market costs much more than firewood. This allows unscrupulous loggers, the so-called “black loggers,” to receive huge unaccounted profits with the knowledge and under the cover of the forestry authorities of the republic.
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Corrupt law enforcement agencies are not interested in complying with the law of the Russian Federation and compose “refusals to initiate criminal cases.”
WWF Russia grant spring 2020
​The Institute of Regional Biological Research, with the support of the Adygea Republican Branch of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation, in the spring of 2020 began implementing the next grant from WWF Russia, aimed at identifying the legality of the appointment and carrying out selective sanitary felling in the forest fund of the Republic of Adygea. Work is being carried out to survey areas of selective sanitary felling in the floodplain forests of the Giaginsky district forestry.
Numerous violations of timber harvesting rules and sanitary safety rules in forests were identified. The set of violations is standard. This includes selective sanitary felling without prior removal of dead and damaged trees, and non-compliance with the assignments specified in the forest pathological inspection reports, including non-compliance with the diameters of trees, categories of their condition, and lack of clearing of clutter (logging residues). Despite the fact that stem rot is indicated as the main disease in the LPO reports, in fact, most stumps do not show signs of this disease. And from the preserved remains of the crowns it is clear that these were well-leafed oaks and ash trees with abundant fruits with an average diameter of 50-60 cm. According to our estimates, the estimated reserves of marketable wood were actually exceeded several times.
After careful processing of the results, messages about the signs of administrative and criminal offenses identified by us will be sent to forestry authorities and law enforcement agencies.
WWF Russia Conference Republic of Adygea 2020
On January 27-28, 2020, the Caucasus office of WWF Russia held a conference at which grant recipients reported on their projects and exchanged experiences. The seminar was attended by representatives of non-profit organizations, scientists and activists.
WWF Russia training seminar Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia 2019
From September 8 to September 11, 2019 in the village. Rozhkao of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic held a training seminar on monitoring the legality of logging in the Caucasus, organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia. For two days, seminar participants from the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Republic of Adygea and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic inspected real cutting areas, identified violations during logging, and exchanged experience in monitoring the legality of afforestation felling, especially in term