GEF Project in Komi Republic Saves Emissions by Reducing Fires and Illegal Logging

5 April 2011: A Global Environment Facility Project is reported to be helping the Government of Komi (Russian Federation) to improve the sustainability of the national protected area system and measure carbon stocks and reduced emissions from deforestation.

To increase the institutional capacity for protected area management, the project is developing a public-private partnership and diversifying income streams. For example, business plans for two federal PAs—Yugyd va National Park and Pechoro-Ilychsky Nature Reserve—have already been elaborated. The non-commercial public-private partnership for PAs will oversee the implementation of the priority measures identified under these business plans, thus facilitating revenue generation activities.

In addition, in late 2009 the project secured new funding from Germany's International Climate Initiative for monitoring and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions associated with illicit logging and fires in boreal forests of Komi Republic. The project is in the process of testing a forest carbon accounting and reporting system, documenting carbon pools and fluxes both within and outside protected areas to provide evidence for the efficacy of protected areas as a carbon sequestration vehicle. Further, the project will strengthen the law enforcement and fire prevention capacities of local protected area units. The resulting decline in the frequency of illicit logging and fires is expected to bring a substantial reduction in carbon emissions (1.745 million tCO₂ in a ten-year perspective).

The International Climate Initiative co-financing will also study in detail the effects of climate change on the boreal forests (e.g. the shift of the tree line) and propose silvicultural measures to adapt to it. [GEF Press Release]