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Bryansky Les
Zapovednik
Not Just a Nature
Reserve
Every Russian has heard of the famous Bryansk
Forest, a massive intact band of forest stretching more than
150 kilomteres along the left bank of the Desna River, its
southern tip reaching into Ukraine. The Bryansk Forest
provided protection to over 60,000 Partisans during World
War II, and since then its valuable natural resources have
helped people to survive and rebuild their lives after the
devastation of war. In the years following the war, two
times more wood was harvested from the forest than was
naturally produced. Unfortunately, the role of the forest in
conserving wildlife is poorly understood even to this day,
and as a result, native species like brown bear, lynx,
badger, Northern eagle owl, osprey, golden eagle and others
are disappearing right before our eyes.
In 1987, the Bryansky Les (forest) Zapovednik was created to
conserve natural ecosystems of the Bryansk Forest.
Originally, the reserve was designed to cover an area of 700
square kilometers, but the Forest Service and collective
farms refused to contribute part of their lands to the
zapovednik. As a result, the Bryansky Les Zapovednik is one
of the smallest in Russia, covering an area of only 120
square kilometers and protecting less than 1% of the forests
in Bryanskaya Oblast (region). But there is an abundance of
life on this small territory: five bears hibernated in the
zapovednik last winter; a lone lynx roams the area; each
spring more than 20 pairs of the rare black stork come to
nest in the zapovednik; and many more species of birds and
mammals make their home here.
However, due to its small size, the Bryansky Les Zapovednik
is unable to sufficiently protect all of the unique
diversity of the forest and the neighboring floodplain
ecosystems. In the first years of the reserve's existence,
the scientific staff studied habitats and ecosystems around
the zapovednik to identify important areas which required
further protection, including the rich floodplain of the
Desna River, virgin oak forests along the Nerussa River, and
sphagnum swamps. Rare and endangered species like black
stork, osprey, many orchid plants, and other species all
depend on these habitats. However, expansion of the
zapovednik, with its strict protection regime, was almost
impossible considering the region is one of the most heavily
populated in Russia.
Thus, the idea was born to create a network of multi-use
nature reserves of regional significance called "zakazniks"
and "natural monuments" to protected unique landscapes and
endangered ecosystems around the zapovednik. Landscape
zakazniks aim to protect the overall landscape features of
the territory, while allowing traditional nature use.
Zakazniks have a protection regime similar to that of the
buffer zone around the zapovednik: clearcutting, drainage of
wetlands, and use of chemical substances--forms of nature
use which have devastating impact on natural ecosystems--are
strictly prohibited, while collection of berries, mushrooms,
firewood, cutting hay, tourism, and fishing are all
permitted. Natural monuments are areas with the same
protection regime as zakazniks, but typically smaller and
created entirely for purposes of ecological education.
Since 1987, 10 landscape zakazniks and 2 natural monuments
were created, increasing the protected area of the Bryansk
Forest to almost three times more than the zapovednik
territory alone. Igor Shpilenok, Director of the Bryansky
Les Zapovednik, committed enormous amounts of time and
energy to creation of the zakazniks, each of which required
a three-level approval process, including among land users,
local administrators, and oblast level authorities. Plans
are underway for further expansion of the network in the
Desna River floodplain, an important flyway for migratory
birds. The zapovednik's ranger service carries out
protection measures jointly with local land users and game
management authorities. According to special legislation,
the zapovednik ranger service has wide-ranging rights to
conduct raids and searches of suspected poachers on all of
the territories.
Thanks to this network of reserves, nearly all of the
significant natural areas in the southern part of the
Bryansky Forest are now under protection, and many areas
targeted for exploitation were preserved. For example, the
Skripinsky Zakaznik, on the border with Ukraine, preserves
the largest sphagnum swamp and cranberry patch in Bryansk
Oblast. This wetland area, which was formed over a period of
several thousand years, is crucial for maintaining the
natural hydrological processes of the Bryansk Forest. Plans
were already underway to drain the area and open it to peat
production. Creation of the landscape zakaznik saved the
area just in time. Other important virgin oak forests,
preserved miraculously for hundreds of years due to their
inaccessibility, were threatened when a new road of was
constructed in the region. Quick action helped protect these
areas by creating the Kolodez and Nerussy-Sevny landscape
zakazniks.
The network of zakazniks in the Bryansk Forest are important
not only for saving endangered species and their habitats,
but they are also significant for local people. Had many of
these areas been drained or logged, there would no longer be
cranberry patches in the swamps or mushrooms in the forest.
Many spiritual and historical monuments are under protection
in zakazniks--the Trubchevsk Partisan Forest zakaznik
includes a concentration camp and bunkers left over from
World War II. Natural springs and religious sites are
protected in zakazniks as well.
The system of zakazniks is especially important for building
ecological awareness in the region, which will in turn allow
conservation and sustainable development of the entire
Bryank Forest over the long-term. Since the territory of the
zapovednik is too small to allow large scale visitation,
neighboring zakazniks and natural monuments with similar
habitats provide an excellent opportunity for teaching
children about nature hands on. The Terebushka natural
monument, an area covering less than two square kilometers,
surrounds the headquarters and ecological education center
of the zapovednik. The territory was specially created to
serve as a "mini-zapovednik" and includes all the different
habitats represented in the zapovednik - wetlands, stream
ecosystem, mixed coniferous forest, virgin oak, and more.
Visitors of all ages are guided along a nature trail through
the different habitats.
Although the zapovednik has taken the lead in creation and
management of the zakaznik and natural monument network, we
welcome efforts by local community groups to take
responsibility for protection of the territories. This year,
we launched an "adopt a zakaznik" program with one of the
local schools. Suzemka High School No. 1 adopted the
Nerussa-Sevny Zakaznik, which is conveniently located one
train stop away from the regional administrative center of
Suzemka. Representatives of the zapovednik guided a group of
teachers and students through the zakaznik and provided them
with maps and an information packet on the different
habitats and species found in the reserve. The students put
up signs along a nature trail, cleaned up trash left by
fishermen and tourists, and learned about the natural
features and wildlife of the area. The school biology club
visits the area and conducts research regularly. Students
write articles for the local paper about their impressions
and ask residents to cooperate in protection of the
zakaznik. Hopefully, this initiative will serve as an
example to other schools to follow suit.
The system of nature reserves of the Bryansk Forest forms
the core part of a strategy to conserve natural and cultural
treasures of the region. The network is the basis for
creation of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, documentation for
which is already underway. Plans include creation of a
transboundary national park on the border of Russia and
Ukraine, on the base of the existing Skripkinsky zakaznik.
But even an excellent system of protected areas is not
enough to protect the Bryansk Forest in the long-term, when
logging of areas not under protection is the only way to
gain income for a depressed economy. Society must learn that
conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of the
forest resources _s important not only for wildlife but for
people, too. For this reason, local activists and members of
the zapovednik staff are taking steps to reach out and gain
public support and participation in conserving the Bryansk
Forest. In December 1997, the non-profit Society for Friends
of the Bryansk Forest was created to promote conservation of
biodiversity and sustainable use of the Bryansk Forest on a
broader level than is possible within the system of
protected areas. The Society is working to unite active
people who share the belief that nature has intrinsic value
and does not exist only for the sake of mankind. A
membership base is being created to support conservation
projects, such as reintrodution of the European bison and
saving the brown bear population, and media campaigns,
including a series of films on nature of the Bryansk Forest
and the annual holiday ""Live! Bryansk Forest", held on
Earth Day. Members receive regular updates on projects to
conserve the Bryansk Forest and on the Bryansky Les
Zapovendik, invitations to participate in various activities
and expeditions, a membership card, and more. If you would
like to become a member of the Society for Friends of
Bryansk Forest or would like to receive more information,
please write to:
Society for Friends of the Bryansk Forest
Russia 241000 Bryansk
Glavpochtamp Box 150
Laura Williams
Deputy Chair of the Society for Friends of the Bryansk
Forest
Shpilenok@mail.ru
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