l 3oL, E N V I R O N M E N T D E P A R T M E N T -_ * A P PAPERNO. 54 Public Disclosure Authorized TOWARD ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION SERIES Biodiversity Public Disclosure Authorized Conservation in the Russian Federation Anthony Brunello Public Disclosure Authorized Justin R. J. H. Mundy Andrew H. Bond Suzanne Conrad Gnaegy: Colin P. Rees May 1997 Public Disclosure Authorized EnvironmentallySustainable Development TheWorld Bank --ESD Land, Water, and Natural Habitats Division Biodiversity Conservation in the Russian Federation Anthony Brunello Justin R. J. H. Mundy Andrew H. Bond Suzanne Conrad Gnaegy Colin P. Rees May 1997 Papers in this series are not formal publications of the World Bank. They are circulated to encourage thought and discus- sion. The use and citation of this paper should take this into account. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank. Copies are available from the Land, Water and Natural Habitats Division, Environment Department, The World Bank, Room S-5-143. CurrencyEquivalents (Figures are as of September 1996) Currency Unit = Ruble (Rb) Rubles per US Dollar December 1991 169 December 1992 415 December 1993 1,247 December 1994 3,550 December 1995 4,640 Weights and Measures Conversions Metric System US System 1 meter (m) = 3.2808feet 1 kilometer (km) = 0,6214mile 1 square meter (m2) = 1.196 square yards 1 metric ton (ton) = 1.102 short tons 1 hectare = 2.47 acres Contents FOREWORD iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS v EXECUTIVESUMMARY vii CHAPTER 1: COUNTRY AND SECTOR BACKGROUND 1 Biological Diversity in the Russian Federation 2 Nature Reserves in Russia 3 CHAPTER 2: THE STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 4 National Overview of Biodiversity 4 Regional Overview 9 Biodiversity within Nationally Protected Areas 14 Deficiencies in Biodiversity Protection 15 CHAPTER 3: NATIONALLY PROTECTED AREAS-A NEW APPROACH 18 Forms of Nationally Protected Areas in the Russian Federation 19 Legislative Overview 23 Financing for Nature Reserves 24 Problems in Natural Resource Management 25 CHAPTER 4: SOCIO-ECONOMIC POLICY ON ECOSYSTEMS AND NATURAL HABITATS 31 Economics of Biodiversity 31 Socio-Economic History of Russia 33 Effecting Socio-Economic Policies on Biodiversity 37 CHAPTER 5: A RESPONSE-THE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT FOR THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 39 The Biodiversity Conservation Project 40 Biodiversityand ConservationSeries BiodiversityConservation in the RussianFederation BOXES 2.1 Model Project Area Focus: Lake Baikal Region 12 2.2 Ecological Types Not Adequately Represented in the Protected Areas System 16 4.1 Biodiversity Policy Risk Matrix 32 4.2 Non-Timber Values in the Moscow Region 34 5.1 The Global Environment Facility (GEF) 39 TABLES 3.1 Financing of Nature Reserves from 1988 to 1994 25 5.1 Lake Baikal Regional Component 43 A2.1 Existing Zapovedniks of the Russian Federation 48 A2.2 Existing National Parks of the Russian Federation 51 A2.3 Government-Proposed Zapovedniks of the Russian Federation 52 A3.1 Total Russian and Foreign Funding for Biodiversity Conservation 56 ANNEXES 1 Reports Presented in the Project Preparation Advance (PPA) 46 2 Existing and Government-Proposed Protected Areas 48 3 Domestic and International Financing for Environmental Conservation in the Russian Federation 54 4 Endangered Species in the USSR (USSR Red Book of 1985) 57 5 Russian Maps Available for GIS Applications 60 6 References 66 MAPS 1 Russian Federation: Vegetation Types and Protected Areas (IBRD 27085) 2 Russian Federation: Representation of Protected Areas (IBRD 27267) 3 Russian Federation: Forest Types and Protected Areas (IBRD 27086R) 4 Lake Baikal Regional Component: Major Ecosystems and Protected Areas (IBRD 27290) 5 Lake Baikal Regional Component: Land Use and Model Watersheds (IBRD 27268) 6 Lake Baikal Regional Component: Industrial Impact and Population (IBRD 27289) ii EnvironrnentDepartment Papers Foreword In 1992, the United Nations Conference on (PPA) (see Annex 1). In Chapter 1, a brief Environment and Development (UNCED) description is given of current practice on adopted Agenda 21, an unprecedented biodiversity conservation in Russia. Chapter 2 environmental agenda for the next century. gives a review of findings from the project's The Conference produced, among other biodiversity gap analysis study. Detailed important multilateral agreements, the descriptions of ecosystems, faunal and floral Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified regions and subregions, and an overview of by over 165 countries (as of February 19, national biodiversity are provided. Also 1997), including the Government of the included is an analysis of biodiversity Russian Federation. By their ratification of within the country's protected area system the Convention, Russia acknowledged the and the identification of ecosystems currently importance of maintaining biodiversity, under-represented by the system. Chapter 3 especially in view of the substantial threats to gives a descriptive overview of Nationally the country's ecosystems and natural habitats Protected Territories in the Russian Federa- posed during the difficult period of transi- tion along with an analysis of legislative, tion. This report provides an overview of the management and other current issues rel- current status of biodiversity in Russia and evant to protected areas planning and man- its conservation, and outlines some of the agement. Chapter 4 summarizes the impacts measures needed to sustain its biodiversity of past and present socioeconomic policy on over the longer term. These measures in- ecosystems and natural habitats. Finally, clude strengthening protected areas. Chapter 5 proposes working solutions that have been prepared by the Russian partici- The report is, in essence, a summary of the pants in the project. reports developed during the preparatory phase of the Global Environment Facility's Implementation of these working solutions (GEF) Russian Biodiversity Project, con- will start shortly under the GEF-funded ducted between November 1994 and March project. Much of the information developed 1995. Based on the results of this work the in the project has also been used by the GEF Council approved a grant of US$20.1 Russian government working with other million. Much of the information is derived donors and nongovernmental organizations from the reports prepared by Russian col- to address priority biodiversity conservation leagues for the Project Preparation Advance issues. JonathanBrown, Chief ColinRees, Chief Infrastructure,Energy and EnvironmentDivision Land, Water,and NaturalHabitats Division Europeand CentralAsia Region EnvironmentDepartment Biodiversityand ConservationSeries iii Acknowledgments The preparation of this report was under- Rees. The original material was prepared taken by Anthony Brunello, Justin Mundy, by many authors and is acknowledged in Andrew Bond, Suzanne Gnaegy, and Colin Annex 1. iv EnvironmentDepartment Papers Acronyms and Abbreviations BCC Biodiversity Conservation Center BIS Biomonitoring Information System CPPI Center for Project Preparation and Implementation EA environmental assessment EIA environmental impact assessment EFP Environmental Framework Program EMP Environmental Management Project ERR economic rate of return FFS Federal Forest Service FSU Former Soviet Union GEF Global Environment Facility GNP Gross National Product GDP Gross Domestic Product GOR Government of Russia IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature MEPNR* Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources NGO nongovernmental organization NPV net present value NRM natural resource management NTFB Non-timber Forest Benefit PPA Project Preparation Advance SEU Socio-Ecological Union TEV Total Economic Value UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development USFS United States Forestry Service USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USSR Union of Socialist Soviet Republics WWF World Wildlife Federation * This Ministry was replacedin September1996 by the State Committeeof Environmentwhich tookover all thefiunctionsassociated with biodiversityconservationformerly undertaken by the Ministry. Biodiversityand ConservationSeries v Executive Summary This paper is a synthesis of reports resulting genera and 142 families of vascular flora are from a Project Preparation Advance, initiated represented. These unique assemblages of by the Global Environment Facility for the species surpass the diversity and level of preparation of the Russian Biodiversity endemism found among temperate forests Conservation Project. The reports, under- anywhere else in the world. taken by both Russian and international specialists, offered an overview of the current For the purposes of this paper, the fifty-four status of biodiversity and its conservation in ecological zones have been subdivided into Russia and identified measures to maintain six subcategories distinguished by their protected areas and establish a viable pro- physiographic zoning: arctic deserts and tected area system. At the same time, they tundra zone, the taiga zone of non-European identified major biodiversity conservation Russia, the forest zone of European Russia, issues and solutions which were not confined to protected areas alone. peanthe forest-steppe Russia, and steppe zones of Euro- * ~~~~~~peanRussia, the forest-steppe and steppe The reports concluded that the