The situation of virgin and old-growth forests in Romania · long ago that the natural species compo- ... WWF / DCPO ICAS / Bucharest ... Normally in forests on high

The situation of virgin and old-growth forests in Romania – seen from an outsider´s perspective Rainer Luick / University of Rottenburg

The Treasury of European Forest Biodiversity

Picture: SCHICKHOFER

The Treasury of European Forest Biodiversity

Romania harbours about 60 to 70% of all European virgin forest areas.

Is not Germany or any other Western European country.

But where there is treasure there is also theft and plunder.

The Tangle of Terms & Definitions

virgin, primeval, primary, quasi-virgin, old-growth, mature, natural, pristine, ancient, undisturbed, intact

FORESTS

virgin = primeval = primary: A forest undisturbed by man, i.e. where there has been no known significant human intervention, or where the last significant human intervention was so long ago that the natural species compo-sition and processes have re-established themselves.

VEEN & BIRIS 2005, WIRTH et al. 2009, CAMMERMOND et al. 2013

The Tangle of Terms & Definitions

old-growth = quasi-virgin: Forests previously managed but which have been left to develop naturally. They thus also show characteristics of old-growth forests, e.g., mixed tree ages, development phases with senescent and dead trees, and deadwood in all decay stages.

virgin, primeval, primary, quasi-virgin, old-growth, mature, natural, pristine, ancient, undisturbed, intact

FORESTS

VEEN & BIRIS 2005, WIRTH et al. 2009, CAMMERMOND et al. 2013

Biodiversity Why are virgin forests so important?

In its lifecycle, a virgin forest goes through various stages, characterized in terms of low vs. high biodi-versity, homogeneity vs. heterogeneity, growth vs. decay, stability vs. disturbance. All are inherent to natural forest ecosystems.

Development Optimal Differentiation Decay

SCHERZINGER 1996

600 years

Development Optimal Decay

What we experience

20 - 30%

SCHERZINGER 1996

120 years


Differentiation


70 - 80%

What we do not experience

SCHERZINGER 1996

480 years


Differentiation


BIODIVERSITY

20 - 30%

70 -80% What we

see What we do not

get to see

70 - 80%

SCHERZINGER 1996


Differentiation


BIODIVERSITY

2 2 6 11 14 15

Birds characteristic of large-scale virgin beech forests

SCHERZINGER 1996

Differentiation

DEADWOOD: Key to Biodiversity

FLADE et al. 2007

FUNGI - Depending on decay

Comparison of deadwood in various old-growth and virgin

beech-forests in Europe m3 / ha

CHRISTESEN et al. 2005

Germany “old-growth“

“Virgin“ Forests

Vilm 149

Serrahn 155

Eisgraben 177

Fauler Ort 235

Heilige Hallen

244

Suserop Skov (Denmark)

168

Gorce NP (Polen) 179

Kyjov (Slowak. Rep.) 194

Salaika (Czech. Rep.) 224

Rozok (Slowak. Rep.) 232

Pecka (Slowenia) 283

Badin (Slowenia) 288

Sinca (Romania) 550

Deadwood in virgin beech forests in Slovakia in various lifecycle stages

SANIGA & SCHÜTZ 2001

Development Optimum Decay

300m3

40m3

Deadwood in virgin beech forests in Slovakia in various lifecycle stages

SANIGA & SCHÜTZ 2001

Development Optimum Decay

300m3

40m3

For Comparison: In managed forests in Germany the average percentage of dead-wood per ha is ca. 20 m3; of this 50% is

lying deadwood, 20% is standing deadwood and 30% are stumps (BWI III, 2016)

UNESCO Heritage

Distribution of Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Distribution of Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Still natural and large-scale distri-bution

Only fragmented, small-scale distribution with mostly secondary regrowth

UNESCO Heritage European Beech-Forests Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

In July 2007, the World Heritage Committee added the “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians” (Slovakian Republic & Ukraine) as a natural heritage property on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The next step was to include a cluster of beech forests in Germany in 2011.

With the transboundary extension in 2017 the UNESCO Heritage of European Beech-Forests (now called Ancient and primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and other Regions of Europe) now stretches over 12 countries.

UNESCO Heritage European Beech-Forests Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests

of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1133

Country Area (ha) Year

Albania (2 areas) 3.391 2017

Belgium (1 area) 269 2017

Bulgaria (9 areas) 10.989 2017

Germany (5 areas) 4.391 2011

Italy (7 areas) 2.217 2011

Croatia (2 areas) 3.321 2017

Austria (2 areas) 3.734 2017

ROMANIA (8 areas) 23.982 2017

Slovakia (5 areas) 5.766 2007 / 2011

Slovenia (2 areas) 795 2017

Spain (3 areas) 885 2017

Ukraine (11 areas) 24.652 2007 / 2017

UNESCO Heritage European Beech-Forests Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

Country Area (ha)

Romania (8 areas)

- National Park Cheile-Nerei-Beusnita

- Codrul Secular Șinca

- Codrul Secular Slătioara

- Parts of National Park Cozia

- Parts of National Park Domogled- Valea Cernei

- Izvorul Șurii and Preclui (Grosii Tiblesulu)

- Izvorarele Nerei within National Park Semenic-Cheile Carasului

- Strimbu Băiut

23.982

4.292

338

609

3.389

9.732

346

4.677

598

UNESCO Heritage European Beech-Forests in Romania

The PIN-MATRA Projekt (2001-2005)

Picture: HOBAN

The Loss of Romanian Virgin Forests / Need of

Protection At the end of 19th century: 2 million ha of virgin forests 1947-1948: 0,7 million ha at the beginning of communist period 1984: 0,4 million ha 2005: 0,25 million ha Example of PUTNA Forestry District in Bucovina:

Year Virgin Forest Share (%)

1878 82

1898 70

1922 52

1944 33

1968 0

ENESCU, M. (2016): Identification of virgin forests in Romania, Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests

http://www.greenpeace.org/romania/Global/romania/paduri/2015-12-22_Virgin_forest_Romania_Summary.PDF

Inventory and Strategy for Sustainable

Management and Protection of Virgin Forests in Romania (PIN-MATRA / 2001 / 018)

This project was funded by the International Nature Management Programme (MATRA) of the Dutch Ministries of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and Foreign Affairs. The project was executed by the Royal Dutch Society for Nature Conservation (KNNV) in co-operation with Romanian Forest Research & Management Institute (ICAS), IUCN and external experts.

Jovu-Adrian BIRIS & Peter VEEN (eds.)

Results of the PIN-MATRA Study 2005


There is a clear concentration of remaining virgin forests in the Southern Carpathians; little is left in other areas.


In total 218.500 ha of virgin forests were identified as of 2004.



In total 218.500 ha of virgin forests were identified as of 2004.

It was calculated that if the category old-growth / quasi-virgin had been considered as well, another 200.000 ha could have been added.


Developments & Making use of the PIN-MATRA Study since 2005 -1

In 2008, the Forest Code stated that all virgin and quasi-virgin forests were to be protected. But the legal status remained unclear.

BUT

Unfortunately, for at least four years, a by-law explaining which areas qualify as virgin forest was missing, causing further loss of primary forests.


In 2012, this flaw was partially

addressed by Ministerial Order No. 3397. It stated that: (1) Identified primary forests (as mapped with the Veen /Biris inventory) are only allowed to be logged if the respective Territorial Inspectorate for Forest and Hunting Regime (ITRSV) attests that the defined criteria for the identification of primary forests are no longer fulfilled.


AND Additionally (2) this also includes forests where logging was already permitted in the decadal management plan.

So, these legal obligations

can and were “interpreted”


This unclear situation was almost an invitation for rapid cutting activities at sites with outstanding timber volumes. And the localities were due to the PIN- MATRA mappings even known.

Various research projects based on satellite image comparisons show massive losses of clearly identified and mapped virgin and old-growth forests.

Continued loss of old-growth forests in the Romanian Carpathians despite

protection measures

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environmental-conservation/article/continued-loss-of-temperate-oldgrowth-forests-in-the-romanian-carpathians-despite-an-increasing-protected-area-network/D25025B9929FDC670C56FBFCA6152242

KNORN et al. 2012

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environmental-conservation/article/continued-loss-of-temperate-oldgrowth-forests-in-the-romanian-carpathians-despite-an-increasing-protected-area-network/D25025B9929FDC670C56FBFCA6152242

KNORN et al. 2012

Project was conducted by:

Humboldt University Berlin PIK Institute Potsdam University of Wisconsin Czech University of LifeSciences / Prague WWF / DCPO ICAS / Bucharest

Continued loss of old-growth forests in the Romanian Carpathians despite

protection measures

Scary developments in protected areas

KNORN et al. 2012

a) Retezat National Park

b) Apuseni Natural Park

d) Maramures Natural Park

c) Ciucas Mountains

Scary developments in protected areas

a) Retezat National Park

b) Apuseni Natural Park

c) Ciucas Mountains

d) Maramures Natural Park

Example of a 1.000 km2 area (Landsat-Satellite-Image) from Northern Romania. The colours show the loss of virgin and ogf forest areas (all in protected areas) in various periods: blue 1988-89; yellow 1989-94; green 1994-02; orange 2002-06; red 2006-09.

Northern Romanian Carpathians / Maramures Natural Park

Findings:

Picture: HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY BERLIN

Picture: HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY BERLIN

Findings: 70% of all disturbances (cuttings) were located in protected areas.

Designations like NATURA 2000 sites, (SCI / SAC), National Parks, protected virgin and old-growth forests have practically little to no meaning.

Northern Romanian Carpathians / Maramures Natural Park

Semenic NP / UNESCO WHA Izvoarele Nerei 2017: Dot-like logging at the boundary within the buffer zone

How it starts!

Semenic NP / UNESCO WHA Izvoarele Nerei 2017: Dot-like logging at the boundary within the buffer zone

How it starts!

Irregular shelterwood cutting: As practised detrimental to forest ecosystems

Fagaras Mountains, Arpaselu Valley, July 2016: Clearcut in an old-growth beech forest with SCI status


Maramures, 2015: Vanishing (Destruction) of the entire forest habitat with still significant shares of old-growth forests including SCI sites

SCI Fagaras Mountains, Ucea Mare valley, October 2016: >

100 ha clearcut, much of it in virgin forests


ALBA County, May 2016:

“Conservation & Salvation Cuttings“ in forest areas

with SCI status

V


V

Definitions: In theory, legal; in practise, often corrupt and criminal


V Hygiene cuttings: removal of dead wood mostly, in small percentages, normally under 5 m3/year/hectare (T2 - T6).

Definitions: In theory, legal; in practise, often corrupt and criminal

Conservation cuttings are used for the regeneration of stands with a special protection (only in T2) in order to ensure the permanent forest and its eco-protective functions. Normally in forests on high slopes and skeletal soils under sub-series M, forests with special conservation status (performed as cuttings of 15% of the standing volume every ten years).

Accidental cuttings: removal of dead trees, wind fells and

insect attacks, could be over 5 m3/year/hectare and in much greater volumes (T2 - T6).


Fagaras Mountains, July, 2017: (Sustainable)

Forest Management

(Sustainable)

Forest Management

Forest stated in the management plan as important for anti-erosion shelter and river protection functions

Case Study APUSENI MOUNTAINS / Western Carpathians

Case Study APUSENI MOUNTAINS / Western Carpathians

Subsistance economy or destroying your own basis of life?

Small-scale, family run, primitive sawmills

BUT

Because of large numbers detrimental to the forests

Cheap construction wood for export markets

If this process continues as it is, forest resources might be depleted within 20 years from now

PIN-MATRA & Developments since 2005

The area of virgin forests declined from 220.000 ha to probably not more than 120.000 ha in 2017 if even less ???.

The surface of old-growth / quasi-virgin forests of larger areas dwindled from approximately 200.000 ha to probably less than 50.000 ha.

“This Pin Matra Inventory study is a fake thing and does not exist.

“We do not have it, ICAS does not have it, ROMSILVA does not have it.”

Istrate Stetco, State Secretary / Ministry of Waters and Forests stated in a press release in June 2017:

Weaknesses, Limits, Arguments

about PIN-MATRA -1

Recent surveys of the PIN-MATRA areas reveal that some of the data and descriptions in the report are inaccurate (perhaps due to over-reliance on management planning documents because of limited resources for field study?).

Some areas presented in PIN-MATRA as virgin forest may have been so in the past but then changed their character due to human impacts / forest interventions in recent years / decades.

The PIN-MATRA methodology does not comply with current standards regarding accuracy of data.

The findings of the PIN-MATRA survey were kept secret by the official institutions in Romania.

Today PIN-MATRA must be seen as a worthy early attempt to highlight the treasure of Romanian forest biodiversity, which disapp- eared for years in the government’s “toxic chamber.” In spite of its imperfections, it is the only a baseline we have to calculate the remains and losses of virgin forests in Romania.

So since 2005 until recently, there was little to no dissemination of the PIN-MATRA project to the forestry administration & agencies, land-owners, or the public.

Weaknesses, Limits, Arguments

about PIN-MATRA -2

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/02/23/romanias-huge-anti-corruption-protests-divide-family-friends.html

Alison Mutler / The Associated Press, Feb. 23, 2017

1 DENMARK 90 91 92 91 90

2 NEW ZEALAND 90 91 91 91 90

3 FINLAND 89 90 89 89 90

4 SWEDEN 88 89 87 89 88

5 SWITZERLAND 86 86 86 85 85

6 NORWAY 85 88 86 86 87

7 SINGAPORE 84 85 84 86 87

8 NETHERLANDS 83 84 83 83 84

9 CANADA 82 83 81 81 84

10 GERMANY 81 81 79 78 79

https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2016

Romania is ranked 57 on the global CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX in 2016. For the last 10 years

Romania is continously downranked; one main reason was: corruption in the landselling & forest sector

57 ROMANIA 48 46 43 43 44

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/4787-romania-illegal-logging-declared-a-threat-to-national-security


“Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed a law on Monday (Monday, 11 January 2016) defining illegal logging and any action ´which endangers the country’s water, forests and lands´ as a national security threat, reported Balkan Insight”.


“Over the past 20 years, Romania has lost 80 million cubic metres of wood worth an estimated € 5 billion (US$ 5.4 billion) to illegal logging, according to Balkan Insight”.

https://www.globalwoodmarketsinfo.com/2719-2/

https://www.google.ro/search?q=ikea+harvard+romsilva+fraud&client=firefox-b&dcr=0&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7iJjtvKDXAhWlIpoKHXBkC_8Q_AUICygC&biw=1920&bih=945#imgrc=qfds1AkdKKzlkM:

“Crooked businessmen,

dirty politicians and corrupt

administration

“Local firms that sold the logs to the processing plants owned by HOLZINDUSTRIE SCHWEIGHOFER are connected to former Schweighofer directors, local politicians or businessmen with criminal records. According to documents now turned in to the official investigators some of the logging companies received loans from Schweighofer in order to maintain and expand their private activities”.

https://www.riseproject.ro/investigation/schweighofer-in-the-center-of-illegal-deforestation-scandal-in-romania/

RISE FOUNDATION 08, June, 2015

https://www.riseproject.ro/investigation/schweighofer-in-the-center-of-illegal-deforestation-scandal-in-romania/

ROMSILVA & HOLZINDUSTRIE SCHWEIGHOER and their business relations seem to be pivotal in the issue of legal and illegal logging

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harvard-ikea-corruption-romania_us_56d86cbbe4b0000de4039509

HARVARD, IKEA & SCHWEIGHOFER are just the “Iceberg“ of

landgrabbing, exploitation and destruction of resources like virgin and old-growth forests in Romania

The “National Catalogue“ Project

Picture: HOBAN

In July 2016 the Romanian Government started a process to allow experts and NGOs to identify and register primary forest remains all over the country and to submit them (after evaluation) to be put under protection by the ”National Catalogue of Virgin Forests“. Comments: It is neither understandable nor acceptable that responsibility for a task so crucial to the national interest is given to NGOs & volunteers. There was no budget, information, advice, technical support provided (e.g. access to register data, mappings, forest management plans, GIS data, aerial images). In contrast, the administrative bodies that had to be included were not helpful and even opposed to this project.

Achievements so far During the initial short period of application of this Ministerial Order through 30.09.2016, 102 studies for a total area of 34.948 ha were submitted to the forest administration:

- Of these only 42 studies were analysed for an area of 13,618 ha and - Of these 42 only 11 studies were approved for an area of 7,617 ha. (=11%)

Achievements so far

Status August 2017:

5.898 ha of virgin forests and 12.397 ha of quasi-virgin forests have entered into the national catalogue. = 18.295 ha so far, That is 8.4% of what was in Pin Matra back in 2004.

Achievements so far Latest information is that the Romanian Ministry of Forestry & Waters is providing financial assistance of 500.000 € as to populate the catalogue. But this “support” comes along with immense bureaucracy and so Romanian and other NGOs have decided that they can not comply with such obligations:

And there are only 3 years left for populating the “Catalogue Project on Virgin Forests“

KOZAK, J, OSTAPOWICZ, K, BYTNEROWICZ, A. & WYZGA, B. (2013): The Carpathians: Integration Nature and Society Towards Sustainability, Springer, 717 pp.

Adding Value to Virgin Forests

Regarding compensation there is at least one official legislation for compensation for the loss of revenue from T1 and T2 category forests (HG 447/2017).

Compensation for private forest owners of virgin & quasi-virgin sites – a crucial topic

The problem is that private owners often do not know about such offers or / and do not trust the Government and are unlikely to apply for these compensations.

Compensation for private forest owners of virgin & quasi-virgin sites – a crucial topic

There would be more money available from EU (CAP Pillar 2

schemes) but Romania does not access it sufficiently so far.

E.g. Romania has not achieved within 10 years – although obliged

to do so within 6 years - to turn the provisional SCI status of N2000

sites into legal SAC status.

SCI Fagaras Mountains, Boia Mica Valley, 2017:

> 1.000 ha virgin forest: no road, no trail ... but no sufficient protection yet…

Picture: HOBAN

SCI Fagaras Mountains, Boia Mica Valley, 2017:

Discussions have been startet with local stakeholder groups owning large areas of virgin forests to apply for the compensation scheme and to think of soft tourism concepts.

Picture: HOBAN

Reception with local people at a guided wilderness tour in the Semenic National Park

Options for income and sharing of respect and responsibility for the

European Ecological Heritage

Thank you for your interest

The data was compiled within the project “Old Growth Forests in

Romania: Safeguarding European Biodiversity Heritage” which is

funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation

Documents

The situation of virgin and old-growth forests in Romania · long ago that the natural species compo- ... WWF / DCPO ICAS / Bucharest ... Normally in forests on high