Year 2 Expedition

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Applying Action Competence

Tomsk Taiga—Darwin Project 14:045

Tomsk Taiga 2006 was a University of Cambridge expedition in collaboration with Tomsk State University and the International Institute for Environmental Safety (IIES), a Tomsk-based NGO. The expedition formed part of a larger project funded by the Darwin Initiative.

The 2006 expedition was the second in a three year project, aiming to undertake ecological monitoring work and to gather biodiversity data in areas of taiga forest to support an application for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The 2006 expedition took place in the Assinovskii region of the Tomsk Oblast, Central Southern Siberia in July 2006.

Ecological monitoring work studied tree species composition, volumes of fallen dead wood, numbers of standing dead trees and numbers of large living trees. Quantities of dead wood and the presence of large trees are widely recognized as indicators of potential biodiversity values in boreal and temperate forests. These data allowed identification and characterisation of different forest types and enabled an assessment of their potential biodiversity value.

The data were gathered in such a way as to allow comparisons with Kaltayskii Forest, surveyed in 2005, as well as with similar forest types in other countries. Whilst the results of the 2005 expedition showed Kaltayskii Forest to compare very favourably with other countries in terms of biodiversity value, the 2006 expedition found Assinovskii Forest to have a significantly lower biodiversity value, probably due to low numbers of snags and large trees.

The methodology used was entirely repeatable such that follow-up studies will be able to assess the impact of changes in management on the area. The data also highlighted the importance of dead wood to biodiversity, a relatively new concept to Russian foresters.

There was also a sociological element to this expedition. Interviews and questionnaires were carried out amongst various social groups connected to the area's forest management, with the purpose of learning about how the forest was used and gauging different perceptions of sustainability and the threats faced by the forest.

The overall aim was to consider how community management and FSC certification could work in the context of social structures and activities already in existence. The results indicated that local villages could certainly benefit if a more concerted effort was made to put into practice the principles and criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council. The study also highlighted the chronic situation with regards to unemployment, and the desperate need for greater participation of local people in the forest management.

Overall, the expedition was a success and paves the way for future collaborations between Russia and the UK, as well as providing data for FSC certification and contributing to knowledge about Siberian taiga forest.

The full report can be viewed by clicking here: Tomsk Taiga 2006 Report.

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Assinovskii Forest Photo by Katherine Barber

Year 2 Fieldwork Expedition