Promoting Sustainable Forest Management in Eastern Europe & Russia

Abstract

The Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) II European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) East Countries Programme (ENPI FLEG Program) supports participating countries’ forest governance. At the regional level, the Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the World Bank, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and World Wide Fund for Nature, aims to implement the 2005 St. Petersburg FLEG Ministerial Declaration and support countries to commit to a time-bound action plan. At the national level the Programme reviews or revises forest sector policies and legal and administrative structures. It also aims to improve knowledge of and support for sustainable forest management and good forest governance in participating countries. At the sub-national (local) level, the Programme tests and demonstrates best practices for sustainable forest management and the feasibility of improved forest governance practices at the field-level on a pilot basis. The ENPI FLEG Program is an innovative approach that was developed in response to illegal forest activities in Eastern Europe and Russia. With respect to the participating countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, the ENPI FLEG program seeks to establish sustainable forest governance practices and improve rural forest-dependent community livelihoods by working with governments and civil society. This report focuses on the IUCN activities in the ENPI FLEG Program (IUCN-FLEG). Through interviews with IUCN-FLEG program staff and country coordinators, nine notable activities were documented and analyzed in order to identify key factors facilitating activity effectiveness, common challenges encountered, and major lessons to be learned. Key facilitating factors included IUCN-FLEG’s professional reputation and network, the program’s adaptability to the local context, and the program’s structure and culture that encouraged learning and adaptation. Some common challenges were community distrust of outsiders, uncertainty due to government reforms, changes in institutional culture, and financial and human capacity limitations of governments in the region. Several lessons were drawn from the analysis of IUCN-FLEG activities. For instance, the IUCN-FLEG was effective at implementing its activities by adopting a facilitative role within existing institutional processes and adapting to the institutional and socio-political context in which they were operating. Similarly, sustainable forest governance in the program’s participating countries was fostered by connecting with likeminded and committed professionals on the ground. Finally, the IUCN-FLEG program’s ability to create synergies with governments, NGOs and citizens involved in forestry sectors in Eastern Europe and Russia allowed them to have a consequential impact in the region despite the program’s modest size.