REPORT on the Belarus MAB National Committee activity for 2013-2014

The main directions of activity of the Belarus MAB National Committee in 2013-2014 are the coordination activity of the national biosphere reserves and cross-border cooperation in the frame of the MAB Programme and UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), development of educational network on natural sciences on basis of national biosphere reserves. Three objects of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves are located in Belarus: Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve (1978), Belovezhskaya Pushcha Biosphere Reserve (1993) and West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, Belarus-Poland–Ukraine (2012). Pribuzhskoye Polesie BR, former national Biosphere Reserve, is functioning as a Belarusian part of the West Polesie TBR and also as national Biosphere Reserve of new generation. Web-sites of the national Biosphere Reserves are currently updated with the information and news on activity of biosphere reserves: - Berezinsky BR (http://www.berezinsky.by); - Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR (http://www.npbp.brest.by); - West Polesie TBR, Belarus – Poland - Ukraine. Pribuzhskoye Polesie BR - Belarusian part of the West Polesie TBR, (http://brpp.by), Common Web-site of the West Polesie TBR with links to national Web-sites of three Biosphere Reserves in Belarus, Poland and Ukraine is under reconstruction. http://westpolesie.org/ Activity on UNESCO MAB Programme in Belarus in 2013-2014 might be considered under the following milestones: I. Setting up the International Coordination Council of the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve for ensuring sustained Belarusian- Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in the WP TBR. The First meeting of the International Coordinating Council of the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve was held on 12-13 December 2013 in Brest region, Belarus, on the territory of the Belarusian part of the WP TBR. At the 1st meeting of the Coordination Council the principal questions of the continued functioning the WP TBR have been discussed – actual structure of the Coordination Council, joint Plan of Actions of the WP TBR for 2014, development of Management plan of the WP TBR and main steps of activity for its realization, upgrading the maps of the WP TBR. The Second meeting of the International Coordinating Council of the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve was held on 13-14 November 2014 in Shatsk Region, Ukraine, on the territory of the Ukrainian part of the WP TBR. The work done in the previous period under the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and principal questions of the activity for the next 2015 year are the main items of the meeting. In particular: - upgraded in 2014 tourist and natural maps of the WP TBR in scale 1:110000 were presented, they were published in Poland in four languages. - preliminary Draft Management plan for the WP TBR and propositions for its improvement were discussed - incorporating the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve management issues in the Strategy of Transboundary Cooperation between Lubelskie, Volyn Province and Brest Province Region for 2014 – 2020 was included into the Action Plan for the Activity WP TBR in 2015. The work started by the initiative of more than 30 years ago, has received the endorsement of UNESCO, which awarded it the status of an international territory, and then continues with new generations of enthusiasts. Further activity of the West Polesie TBR is considered at an angle of unity of the three parts of a single trilateral object of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves, activity has begun on basis of close previous three-national cooperation with strong support of the UNESCO MAB Secretariat and MAB National Committees of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine. Joint data base of scientific, educational and social research in three Biosphere Reserves was created and now the process of improvement and development of the WP TBR joint data base is going. Regular meetings of the personal of three parts of WP TBR are becoming the norm, the proposals for measures in national reserves are considered from the point of unified efforts to improve the significance of the WP TBR. Several joint proposals for funding are prepared by the team of the West Polesie TBR for development of further cooperative activity. II. Periodic Review of two national Biosphere Reserves -Berezinsky BR and Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR- that cover the period of 1998-2011 - were examined by the International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves (IACBR) in 2011. Recommendations with several comments of the IACBR were received by the Belarus MAB National Committee from the IACBR meeting of March, 28, 2011. To maintain the status of national Biosphere Reserves, and implement certain commitments of the country the measures of different level have been undertaken. a) Recommendations for the Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR included note on extension core area that was mentioned in previous Periodic review of 2008. Belarus MAB National Committee and staff of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR prepared the information on modern status of the main zones of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR. Maps of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR were prepared with proposal on extension of the three zones of the BR and sent for examination to the MAB Secretariat on December 2013. In March 2015 Belarus MAB National Committee received the letter of the MAB Secretariat with information that “…the Advisory Committee welcomed the updated map on a topographic layers of the precise location and delimitation of the three zones of the Biosphere Reserve, following the 2013 MAB ICC recommendation and considered that the zonation map meet the criteria of the Statutory Framework of the WNBR”. b) Recommendations for the Berezinsky BR concerned strong depopulation trend in BR and lack of the progress from 2008 regarding implementation of BR sustainable development function. Urbanization process, which is being observed at the present time worldwide, in Europe and Republic of Belarus, affected Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve as well, that had an impact on depopulation at its territory. To avoid negative trend of depopulation in Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, the oldest WNBR site in Belarus (1978), and change the trend to sustainable population rise as administrative as economic measures have been undertaken, such as following:  Extension of the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve’s area up to131,7 ths. hectares due to extension of transition area (co-operation area) by 13,8 ths. hectares was made, decision led to the growth of the population by 15% In the prescribed manner a procedure of legislative consolidation of decision on optimization the territory of Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been launched, which is justified with legislative instruments in 2013;  New Regulation on Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been accepted, in which opportunities of sustainable environmental management for residential population living at the territory of buffer and transition zones of the Reserve are considerably expanded.  About twenty young professionals in the sphere of forest management, agrarian and nature protection specialists – graduating students of the Belarusian universities and high-level schools were employed for permanent job in the Reserve during 2011-2012. Attraction of young professionals, in some cases along with young families, on the staff of Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve to a considerable degree is caused by improvement of work positions and provision of free service housing for them: three apartment houses with 28 flats have been built, the hostel with 20 rooms has been equipped – in order to attract young professionals from the region to work at the Reserve.  Reserve’s infrastructure has been considerably widen for expansion of ecological tourism, especially in the transition area – new guest houses at the lakes Palik, Plavno, Olshitsa have been built, recreational and tourist site Nivki has been widen and equipped. All the measures let to get more than twenty additional workplaces, to strengthen the links between the Reserve’s activities and initiatives on sustainable development of Lepel district and Vitebsk region in the sphere of ecological and rural tourism.  New building of baseline monitoring station has been built (2011-2012) at the Berezinsky Reserve’s territory with the assistance of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. Baseline monitoring station is equipped with modern equipment for implementing long- term monitoring, carrying out meteorological, hydrological observations, as well as for assessment of environmental pollution. Scientific research level increase due to new instrumental base in the Reserve is one of prerequisites for the Reserve’s taking part in international projects and programs, and might attract young talented specialists for work. For example with the participation of Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve at the territory of Lepel district implementation of the European Union Project «Water, nature and people in disappearing landscape. Development of sustainable tourism in Russia and Republic of Belarus» (2011-2013) has been set up. The Project is being performed at two model territories: in Polesye municipal area of Kaliningrad region, Russia, and in Lepel district of Vitebsk region, Republic of Belarus. The Project is designed to render assistance in sustainable development of model territories through implementation of sustainable rural tourism as the basis of local social and economic development. In this respect the territory of Berezinsky Reserve plays the key role in Lepel district for increasing recreational and investment attractiveness of the region and contributes to more active inclusion of local entrepreneurs and civil society in development of sustainable rural tourism. In the frame of the EU/UNDP project “Raising environmental awareness of the youth through establishment and development of Green Schools in Belarus” in Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve on the basis of Ecological Education Centre the Center of environmental education of youth has been created. Here interactive stands, informational posters, and game complexes for children with ecological focus were placed. At the Reserve’s territory were also equipped two training ecological paths, destined for demonstration of processes, which occur in its different ecosystems: forests, mires, fresh water ponds. Experience of functioning of ecological education centre and training paths in Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has been generalized as methodological recommendations on creating and functioning such stations in the frames of Green schools for the Republic of Belarus in whole. Only within the Project period on the basis of the Reserve more than 150 teachers from all the regions of the country underwent training. Presented above information and proposal on extension of the three zones of the Berezinsky BR as well as prepared updated Maps were sent to the MAB Secretariat for examination on December 2013. In March 2015 Belarus MAB National Committee received the letter of the MAB Secretariat with information that “…the Advisory Committee welcomed the updated map on a topographic layers of the precise location and delimitation of the three zones of the Biosphere Reserve, following the MAB ICC recommendation on 2014 and considered that the zonation map meet the criteria of the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves”. III. Several international Projects on creation of transboundary areas of international status are in the progress. Territories on the north-western border of Belarus with bordering areas of Lithuania and Poland, the other territories on the south of the country with bordering of Ukraine in Ancient Valley of the Pripyat River are considered as potential biosphere reserves. Activities on setting up transboundary biosphere reserves on basis of natural valuable objects in Belarus, Latvia and Russian Federation are also continued. In 2012-2014 in the frame of the EU “Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus Cross Border Cooperation Programme within the Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument” joint Belarusian-Lithuanian Project “Management of Alytus - Grodno Region Transboundary Protected Areas and Promotion of their Integration into Pan-European Ecological Network” is running. The primary aim of the Project is to improve joint strategic planning and management of Cepkeliai-Cotra transboundary Ramsar site as well as lay the grounds for establishment of transboundary Augustow/Augutavas biosphere reserve within the framework of the UNESCO Programme “Man and the Biosphere” by fostering cross border collaboration, connections between people, elaboration of standardized methodologies, harmonization of regulatory framework, joint research, facilitated know-how and experience sharing, and united contribution to finding most advantageous solutions. IV. More than 10 meetings and seminars with participation of local authorities, representatives of local population and partners from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Russian Federation were conducted in 2014 in Belarus (Grodno district, Vitebsk District, Miory, Brest, Brest District). About 10 meetings and conferences in Poland (Urshulin), Russian Federation (Smolensk District), Lithuania (Vilnius, Alytus, Shaulyay, Druskininkay) Latvia (Riga District) were conducted with participation of Belarusian researchers and specialists from biosphere reserves. The concept of biosphere reserves are included into national legislations, the best practices included into elaboration of national and multilateral strategy on further preparation of nomination application to UNESCO for obtaining the status of a biosphere reserve and maintain it for the years. V. In recent years, activity of the Belarus MAB National Committee aims to creation constantly acting ecological training courses –schools for improving environmental education of local people, especially for people who live in Biosphere Reserves and near them. Increasing a level of ecological education of various groups of local population by conducting lectures and workshops, dissemination of information materials on ecologically friendly behavior and promotion of UNESCO MAB concept is a purpose of the activity. Belarus MAB National Committee has close cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Science Education with Emphasis on Natural Sciences at Belarusian State University (UNESCO Chair SEENS BSU). The specific objective of the UNESCO Chair SEENS BSU is producing expertly trained professionals in research in natural sciences - chemistry, physics, biology and environmental sciences - with international experience and skills in holding scientific and methodological research. Belarusian sites of the UNESCO World Network Biosphere Reserves are used as experimental and educative laboratories for research and management. The training process of professionals in management of biosphere reserves includes teaching students at the practice-oriented master-classes, and also under special Agreements between Belarusian State University and national Biosphere Reserves: Berezinsky BR, Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR and Pribuzhskoye Polesie BR as a part of the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. Implemented interdisciplinary educational programs for training managers of the UNESCO biosphere reserves allow including integrated approach in science education. The programs based on the real experience of long term international activity in biosphere reserves of the UNESCO WNBR and other natural protected areas. It allows using in practice new approach of involving young generation into studying natural sciences and developing their knowledge and skills in real life. The list of publication of researchers, mentors and managers in the frame of the UNESCO MAB Programme includes scientific papers and popular brochures for different groups of population, scholars and decision makers, students and teachers. Popular information materials were prepared and published in print and electronic formats, information materials were used as handouts at the training seminars for raising awareness of local people about the problems of conservation and utilization of water resources, biodiversity and landscape, the relationship of natural and cultural diversity. In accordance with the provisions of the MAB program the development of cross-border scientific cooperation is included into the education program of the training courses.Experience gathered as a result of mutually beneficial cooperation the reserve uses in its practice, including for execution of joint projects and programs on sustainable development involving local institutions and local population – youth, entrepreneurs, educators, teacher and mentors, pupils and students, and other groups of local people involved into active life of local communities. Successful examples of such projects as - arrangement of ecological routes with the use of traditional architecture objects and contribution in ecological tours organization for foreign naturalists (together with French and Polish partners in Berezinsky Reserve); - organization of boat ecological routes on the Western Bug River and its tributaries in the region with a tour of the West Polesie for traditional architectural objects, and natural objects and ecosystems (together with Polish partners in the West Polesie Transboundary BR); - partnership of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha BR in the activity under Agreement on Cross-border cooperation of European protected areas together with German and Polish partners (Lower Oder Valley (Germany) - Cedynia and the Valley of Dolna Odra (Poland) - Bialowieza Park Narodowy (Poland) - National Park ‘Belovezhskaya Pushcha’ (Belarus)). Belarusian national Biosphere Reserves are widely used as learning platform for students and scholars in environment, in Olympiad moving, organizing field work in Biosphere Reserves for students and scholars. Student special forums in direction of protection and use of water resources, biodiversity and landscape diversity, climate change, and also natural resources and climate change interaction in and about biosphere reserves are included into educational programs of the national Biosphere Reserves.