Proactive and strategic conservation

planning under regional and

global change

Global Change and the World's Mountains

28th September 2010 Perth, Scotland

Mountain Biosphere Reserves as learning sites for research, adaptation and mitigation in the context of global change

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine:

Juliane Geyer,

Lars Schmidt,

Lena Strixner,

Pierre L. Ibisch

Fedir Hamor,

Vasyl Pokynchereda,

Yaroslav Dovhanych

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development

http://www.carpathianproject.eu/portal/map/index.php

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

2

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

3

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

4

Symphytum cordatum Bielzia coerulans

http://p-quadrat.co.at/images/wolf.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/

commons/6/68/Lynx_lynx_poing.jpg

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

5

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

6

? Challenges -

global and regional change

• Unstable political situation

• Low state budget

• Decline in governmental control

• Uncontrolled land privatisation

• Transformation, globalisation

• Economic recovery & growth

• Resource demand via global markets

• Infrastructure development – tourism

• Overexploitation of natural resources

(forest)

• Illegal logging & poaching

+

=

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

7

Regional socio-economic and demographic

changes

• decline in industrial and agricultural output

unemployment, low wages and work migration

Challenges -

global and regional change

subsistance farming abandonment of

traditional land use

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

8

• Climate change

– extreme events – heavy rains, droughts

– calamities and diseases, esp. in spruce monocultures

– warmer winters, less snow

– forest succession of alpine grasslands

Precipitation

Challenges -

global and regional change

Annual temperature

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

9

Open

Standards

for the

Practice of

Conservation

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

10

Forest

Ecosystems

Strategy

Illegal logging

Logging High

(increasing)

wood demand

Large

mammals and

birds of prey

Water

and riperian

ecosystems

Alpine

grasslands

Cave

ecosystems

Climate change

Tourism

activities

Hunting

Poaching

Habitat

fragmentation

Conservation

targets Direct threats Driving factors

Insufficient

land-use planning

Economic and

political situation

of Ukraine

Governance

weaknesses

Lacking legal basis

for protection

Weaknesses of

forestry organisation

and practice

Uncontrolled

infrastructure

development

Subsistence of

local population

Strategy

Strategy

Strategy

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

11

All our knowledge is about and/or based on the past... but all our

decisions are about the future!

• Changes!

• Future analysis of driving factors

• Look back

• Adapt scope, targets & strategies

• Monitoring & early warning system

Future

Past Future

But…

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (UA):

Proactive and strategic conservation planning under regional and global change

12

Voluntary

carbon credit

scheme

Old-growth forest conservation

Unsustainable

logging

Economic

autonomy

of SFEs

62%

unprotected

(24000ha)

38%

protected

by CBR

(14500ha)

No legal basis

for protection

High

(increasing)

wood demand Fo

rest ca

rbo

n s

tocks

Time

CO2 ‘savings‘

Thank you!

juliane.geyer@hnee.de ♦ cbr-rakhiv@ukr.net

http://cbr.nature.org.ua/