IUCN projects to support biodiversity in forests of Central Europe Piotr Tyszko, Ph.D. Project Officer IUCN Office for Central Europe

Vision: A just world that values and conserves nature Mission: To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable The World Conservation Union IUCN

A union of over 980 members 79 State Members 112 Government Agencies Over 760 NGO members 6 scientific and expert commissions 10,000 scientists from 181 countries Who are we?

Generate and provide biodiversity information Build capacity to ensure that “information” can be employed effectively Facilitate stakeholders to identify and established the right conditions so that “capacity” can be used effectively What we do?

IUCN European Offices Brussels Warsaw Moscow PSU & SSC ELC Malaga HQ

ARICOLA-FAO In Central European countries, there are 3 million new private forest owners managing over 6 million hectares of forests; ARICOLA addresses the negative impacts of forest privatisation on biodiversity conservation in 10 CEE project countries; the project builds on previous activities of IUCN; Partnership with FAO’s project on sustainable private forestry.

Training and awareness raising of private and communal forest operators to include nature conservation objectives into forest management; Providing Forest Owner Associations and State Extension Services with support and advice on the project’s theme. Seminars, trainings, education materials. The ARICOLA project will work on: ARICOLA

AFFORESTATION „Nature Conservation Guidelines for Afforestation Programmes” Tadeusz Zając, Ph.D. and Jacek Śli zo wski Publication preview IUCN Office for Central Europe

Environmental functions Goal: healthy, stable and biologically diverse ecosystems. Priority: environmental functions of forests. Concentration on deforested regions and areas of high natural value, which could benefit from afforestation. Species composition adapted to ecological conditions and anthropogenic pressure.

Biogeography Species in their natural range. Where possible, use natural regeneration. Preserve populations of ecotypes, relict species and endemics, respect historic ranges of tree species. Restore ecosystems that have lost much of their original territory, such as riverine and broadleaved lowland forests.

Space management Connect existing forests and afforested lands into larger spatial structures. The forest ecotone should be graded from lower plants to higher growing trees and should be curvilinear. Non-forest areas of high natural and historical value may need to be preserved. Afforestation of protected areas should be regulated by conservation plans.

Space management Landscape and cultural values have to be preserved. Species composition should be diverse and compatible with habitat types. Species of high ecological value should be given priority. A mosaic of spatial and temporal diversity should be created.

Policy aspects Adequate regulatory environment: national policies on afforestation, rural development and nature conservation. Collection and integration of data on areas of high natural value and development of ecological networks. Monitoring implementation and results of afforestation programmes.

Policy aspects Public educations campaigns to raise awareness and gain public support. Working with land and forest owners, supporting forest owners associations. Payments of afforestation subsidies should depend on compliance with conservation guidelines. Subsidies for maintaining non-forest areas of high natural value should be higher than those for afforestation.