Favourable conservation Status of boreal Forest - Experience Exchange among Baltic and Nordic Experts

                       

Project "Favourable conservation Status of boreal Forest - Experience Exchange among Baltic and Nordic Experts" financed by Phare Cross-Border Co-operation Programme in the Baltic Sea Region 2003, Nordic Council of Ministers, Estonian Environment Investment Centre.

Project applicant MTÜ Balti Keskkonnafoorum (BEF-Estonia) with partners Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia (BEF-Latvia), Baltic Environmental Forum Lithuania (BEF-Lithuania)

• The main goal of the project is contributing to the successful implementation of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with regard to protection of boreal forest habitat types.
• The more specific objectives are to find a common understanding on definitions of favourable conservation status (FCS) for different boreal forest habitat types,
• to develop indicators for assessing the conservation status, to agree on relevant management methods and related stakeholder information/involvement strategies.
  

The project will also contribute to the European discussion on the forest management strategy concerning boreal forest habitats through facilitating networking and experience exchange among Baltic and Nordic forest experts as well as dialogue between the European Commission and Baltic/Nordic countries.

The direct target group of the project is Ministries of Environment and their subordinated institutions, administrations of protected areas and boreal forest experts from the three Baltic States; boreal forest experts from nature conservation administration and/or scientific institutions from Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway) and also the Nature Unit of the European Commission. Indirectly also wider range of nature conservation and forestry stakeholders and general public in the Baltic States and Nordic countries will benefit from the project.

The main activities of the project include a kick-off meeting, two expert meetings, one larger round-up meeting and several preparatory meetings. A publication summarizing project results will be published and widely distributed among concerned stakeholders. It will offer guidance for institutions and projects dealing with management and monitoring of boreal forest as well as help for authorities responsible for implementation of Natura 2000 and reporting to the European Commission. To give the project a practical approach a study visit for 15 Baltic forest experts to Finnish boreal forest sites will be organised.

More information about the project please contact Žymantas Morkvėnas phone: +370 52138155, zymantas.morkvenas@bef.lt