Management Plan for Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO Site; First of All, They Are Employees of Yugyd Va National Park and Pechora-Ilych State Nature Reserve Fsbis
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Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation Yugyd Va National Park Federal State Budgetary Institution Pechora-Ilych State Nature Reserve Federal State Budgetary Institution "Republican Center for Ensuring the Functioning of Specially Protected Natural Territories and Nature Management" State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Komi of the Ministry of Industry, Natural Resources, Energy and Transport of the Republic of Komi MANAGEMENT PLAN for Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site 2017 – 2031 Vuktyl-Yaksha-Syktyvkar 2017 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY 5 INTRODUCTION 8 1. General Information on the Site 10 2. Natural and Historical and Cultural Values of the Site 15 3. Social and Economic Conditions and Nature Management 30 4. Site Management 35 5. Action Plan - General Provisions 56 5.1. Targeted Action Plan Programs 63 5.1.1. Program for the conservation of natural complexes in natural state 63 5.1.2. Program for detection and suppression of violations of environment-oriented 69 legislation 5.1.3. Program for environmental education 74 5.1.4. Program for scientific research works and environmental monitoring 81 5.1.5. Program for conservation and restoration of complexes and sites 83 5.1.6. Program for landscaping works for the development of regulated tourism, 85 recreation and environmental education activities 5.1.7. Administration and financial and economic activities 89 Estimation of financial costs for implementation of the management plan 91 6. Monitoring the implementation of the management plan 92 Complex monitoring. Indicators for the implementation of the management plan. 7. Operational plan for the first year implementation 105 Financing gap for the programs of the Site APPENDICES Appendix 1. Territorial administration and boundaries description. Labor resources. Technical armament. Indicators of improvement. Constructions of stationary recreation. Protection service performance indicators. Appendix 2. Environmental value of the Site Appendix 3. Financial information for planning purposes Appendix 4. Cognitive and sports tourism on the Site. Inventory of the tourist infrastructure and assessment of the need for it Appendix 5. Prospective plan for development of the Site for the period until 2031. 2 WORKING GROUP The following persons participated in the work on the Management Plan of the Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site: Fomicheva T.S., Director of Yugyd Va National Park FSBI - Head of the working group of the National Park; Simakin L.V., acting Director of Pechora-Ilych State Nature Reserve FSBI - Head of the working group of the Reserve; Yermakov A.A., Director of "Center for Specially Protected Natural Territories" SBI of the RK - Head of the working group of the Center for Specially Protected Natural Territories; Experts: Blagovidov A.K., Melnichuk A.V., Puzanova L.V., Smirnov N.S., Shaaf N.L., Shalagina N.V., Shubnitsina Ye.I., Shutova N.I. Management Plan was developed and adjusted as a result of a series of consultations with specialists and local residents, as well as discussions and working meetings between February 2017 and November 2017. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Participants of the working group express their sincere acknowledgement to the administrations of the Vuktylsky, Pechorsky, Intinsky and Troitsko-Pechorsky districts, traditionally taking an active part in the development of Specially Protected Natural Territories and Rosprirodnadzor Directorate for the Republic of Komi for assistance in preparing the Management Plan. OPENING ADDRESS OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE SPECIALLY PROTECTED NATURAL TERRITORIES Dear colleagues! A team of highly qualified specialists worked on the development of the Management Plan for Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO Site; first of all, they are employees of Yugyd Va National Park and Pechora-Ilych State Nature Reserve FSBIs. Work on the Management Plan for the UNESCO Site was carried out for the first time. There are no analogues of such plans in Russia. The next and most difficult stage is the implementation of the Management Plan to be carried out jointly with the Republican Center for Specially Protected Natural Territories, the Administrations of the municipalities of Inta, Pechora, Vuktyl, local residents, public environment-oriented organizations, primarily the Pechora Rescue Committee, our partners: Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, "Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta" LLC, "Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk" LLC, "Kozhim RDP" JSC and others. 3 Virgin Komi Forests Site has various protection duties – from complete reservation to recreation and traditional nature management. For the whole territory of the Site, working group tried to develop a set of programs that shall not only meet the specifics of each component of the Site, but also unite these components for sustainable development. Fomicheva T.S., Director of Yugyd Va National Park FSBI 4 SUMMARY Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site is located in the Republic of Komi of the Russian Federation. Its area is 3.41 million hectares.1 The Site includes areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic significance. Territory of the Site is an outstanding example of the ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution of ecosystems, the development of plant and animal communities. Mountainous taiga of the Urals is considered one of the 200 ecological regions that support the global ecological balance on the Earth. The Site consists of 8 specially protected natural territories and is entirely under the legal protection of the state. It includes one of the oldest reserves in Russia and the largest national park in the European part of Russia, as well as adjacent Specially Protected Natural Territories, combining territories with different protection duties – from areas of absolute protection to large areas of traditional nature management. The Site is a unique polygon for biodiversity conservation, for the implementation of its research and demonstration programs, thanks to the latest Europe unfragmented massifs of boreal forests on the border of natural areas. Combined conditions led to the concentration of key habitats of many rare, endemic and relict plant and animal species protected at the local, regional and international levels on the Site. Anthropogenic impacts affecting the biological diversity and landscape of the Site have been local and limited for centuries due to the remoteness and isolation of its territory, as well as the harsh climate. To date, these impacts do not critically threaten the habitat of the species, having only a slight effect on the number of groups involved in use in small, accessible areas. On the other hand, anthropogenic impact on the Site has left evidence, important in cultural and historical terms, requiring careful handling, systematization, study and preservation. The value of the Site is also determined by its tourist potential: on its territory there are the highest peaks of the Urals, landscapes abound with rocks, caves, mountain lakes, glaciers and waterfalls, a well-developed river network. The list of geological, geological-morphological and archaeological monuments is significant. Territory of the Site was developed under the influence of different cultures of sustainable nature management preserving the Site nature unchanged. Yugyd Va National Park and Pechora-Ilych Reserve are legal entities financed from the federal budget and extrabudgetary sources; they are subordinated to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation; their activities are regulated by the Charters and Provisions. Management decisions are made by the administration of Specially Protected Natural Territories; the advisory bodies are the scientific and technical councils of Specially Protected Natural Territories. Duty of regional Specially Protected Natural Territories is governed by the Provisions on them, their territories are managed by forestries, protected by forestries and a specially created center for Specially Protected Natural Territories, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Industry, Natural Resources, Energy and Transport of the Republic of Komi and is financed by the regional budget. Co-management of the territories of regional Specially Protected Natural Territories by local communities is possible through the Public Council at the Ministry. 1 The Site is nominated on an area of 3.28 million hectares, after clarifying the boundaries of the Site area is 3.41 million hectares 5 The total number of staff members of the Site currently stands at 131 people, 128 of them are constant employees of the federal Specially Protected Natural Territories and 3 people are those of the regional Specially Protected Natural Territories. According to the standards, the number of full-time employees of the Site should be about 600 people, of whom the park staff is 329 people. For the successful implementation of the programs of Specially Protected Natural Territories it is necessary to double the number of employees, the deficit of their budget, in this case, is estimated at 25% by administrations. Protection of the Site is carried out by watches at stationary posts, in places of entry/exit to/from the territory and raids of operational groups through the territory in periods of the year threatening to populations and landscapes (spring and autumn spawning periods and high fire danger period)2. Scientific research is carried out by the staff