ENPI FLEG Regional Activities: WWF’s Progress, Achievements and Impacts

1. ENPI FLEG Regional Activities:WWF’s Progress, Achievements andImpacts Elena Kulikova Director of Forest Programme WWF Russia

2. Dissemination of EUTimber Regulation Through Facilitating High Level Discussions • WWF Russia organized a Roundtable meeting in partnership with the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the support of the World Bank, on March 26, 2010 in Moscow • The theme of the Roundtable was on efforts to improve the Russian forest legislation and the EU’s initiatives to combat trade in illegally harvested timber and its processing products • More than 80 representatives from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and the European Union participated in the Roundtable discussion.

3. A number of following events were devoted to the new EU legislation at the regional level in Russia: • Regional Forest Forum in Arkhangelsk, April, 2010; • Workshop in Forestry Department of Northwest Federal District, Saint-Petersburg, April, 2010; • Meeting of Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Council of the Federation, Kostroma, May, 2010, in partnership with the World Bank; • Parliamentary hearings on development of voluntary forest certification in Russia, Committee for Natural Resources, State Duma, Moscow, May, 2010 • “Interles” Forestry Forum, St. Petersburg, June 2010 • International Forum “Forest and Man”, October 2010, Moscow • International Forest Forum, October 2010, St. Petersburg

4. Dissemination of information about new legislation initiatives of the EU on combating illegal logging through facilitating discussions in the region Regional level, Arkhangelsk, Regional Forest Forum

5. Further work on EU Timber Regulation Ministerial Council of Europe and the European parliament: approval EU regulations on wood products on October, 20, 2010 WWF role: further informing the forest stakeholders on a matter of the European legislation and requirements for suppliers of wood products on the European market Decision on organizing the second roundtable in Russia devoted to EU timber regulations in April, 2011 TOR for methodological support of roundtable preparation Official agreement with Federal Forestry Agency reached It is also can be considered as an additional regional event of ENPI FLEG Programme

6. Work with Russian authorities and forest industry companies to implement FLEG actions • Developing and piloting the state system of harvested timber accounting in Russia • Pilot areas (North-West, Siberia, Far East) for approbation • Weak points in the state system • Existing international experience (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine) and experience of corporate business systems (including experience of voluntary forest certification) • Connection with the new legislation of the European Union demanding verification of legal origin of timber

7. State wood accounting system development and piloting • Accounting point • (logging site, road) • Accountant (measurement, marking, report on data, document) • Driver • Software program Storage (forest user) 1 copy Document 1 copy back Forest management unit Interested control bodies Database RF Regional database Limited access District forest management unit • Accounting point • (forest user storage) • Measurement and marking • Software program Logging site (without accounting point) Accountant produce a document (number of logs, destination) Document (number of logs, destination) Data on measurement - back 7

8. Work with Russian authorities and forest industry companies to implement FLEG actions • NPAC decision on September 15, 2010: proposal to hold an international seminar «Timber origin tracing systems in light of requirements of the European Union legislation» • Timeline: the seminar will be conducted in March, 2011 • Place: Arkhangelsk region which is chosen by Rosleshoz as a pilot region • Host: IlimGroup company, one of the largest Russian forest industry companies having its corporate wood tracing system and chosen by FFA for the state system testing

9. FLEG Regional Activity in the Caucasus • WWF Caucasus Programme Office: Regional Workshop on Transboundary Timber Flow: Problem Identification and Capacity Building Needs Assessment in the ENPI-FLEG Region on 17-18 November 2010 • More than 50 people from 7 countries including Turkey representing the states, private sector, NGOs and local communities

10. Participants including: • Director General of the State Non-Commercial Organization (SNCO) “Hayantar” (Armenia) • Head of the Sector for State Supervision, Cadastre and Registration, Forest Development Department (Azerbaijan) • Division Director, DG of Forestry, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Turkey) • Forest Officer, village Commmunity Forests, Nisporeni district (Moldova) • Member of Board, The Foresters' Association (Turkey)

11. The Workshop was focused to: • Assess the current situation with respect to transboundary timber trade in the ENA region • Identify existing problems / weaknesses in terms of legislation, documentation, procedures and capacities, which create favorable grounds for wood smuggling and other illegal activities • Elaborate concrete recommendations on how to resolve these problems

12. The workshop resulted in specific recommendations including: • further identifying the nature and scale of the problem • strengthening weaknesses in producer countries’ control mechanisms • training relevant state officials (e.g. customs) • introducing / strengthening public monitoring by NGOs and communities • encouraging companies and consumers voluntarily to buy only legal timber • enhancing international cooperation on the issues

13. Next steps: • Training of state officials • Promoting responsible wood purchasing policies by private companies and consumers • Promoting international cooperation at all levels