Framework for an Integrated Land-Use Plan for the Mid-Yaselda Area in Belarus


Summary


Project Background and Research Objectives

The Pripyat River is the main watercourse of the Polesia wetland; the longest tributary of the Dnieper, it has a total length of 761 km and a catchment area of 121,965 km2. Most of the catchment area (approximately 80%) is located in the Republic of Belarus, while the remainder is located in the Republic of Ukraine. The most significant northern tributaries of the Pripyat River include the Yaselda, Lan, Sluch and Pitch Rivers, and the most important southern tributaries include the Stahod, Styr, Garyn Stigva, Ubort and Slavechna Rivers.
The Pripyat River is considered to be of international importance because of its relatively contiguous wetland habitats and its intact natural ecological and hydrological functions. The river has very few control mechanisms, such as dams or dikes. On a European scale, this unspoiled quality has special significance. Most western European rivers have been strictly controlled and no longer have naturally functioning hydrological or ecological systems, and habitat fragmentation is a common problem. The Pripyat River has international significance because of its upland and transition mires, unique at this latitude. The various wetland habitats supported by the Pripyat River floodplain are extremely important in terms of biodiversity conservation; various endangered birds, amphibians and fish are supported here. Perhaps most significantly, the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) was found in large numbers in the floodplain; these are the greatest numbers of breeding concentrations of this species in the world.
In spite of these qualities, the Pripyat River floodplain is threatened by anthropogenic activities such as land reclamation and canalisation. These activities are taking place without the guidance of an integrated land-use plan. The International Conference on the Ecology and Conservation of Floodplains and Lowland Mires in the Polesia Region was held in Minsk in 1997; the need for an integrated land-use plan was also stressed at this meeting. The meeting also put emphasis on the conservation of the mesotrophic lowland mire existing in the Yaselda catchment, as the mire is the best-preserved of its kind in all of Europe. The need for an integrated land use plan for the Yaselda catchment partially formed the basis for this report.
The aim of this report is twofold: i) to bring together all the knowledge about the Pripyat-Yaselda floodplains available at different institutes in Belarus and, based on this information, ii) to draw up a framework of an integrated land-use plan for a certain part of the Pripyat floodplains. Bearing these requirements and the research delineation in mind, the central question was developed: Which steps are required of government agencies and other actors to arrive at a framework of an integrated land-use plan for sustainable development of the Yaselda area with regard to the current situation, issues, policies, long-term aims, and options? A series of research questions were then formulated in order to clarify the methods by which the central question should be answered. The main target group of the final report includes the relevant policymakers and decision-makers, with regard to the management and protection of biodiversity, of the Belarussian government. The commissioner of the project was Wetlands International.
The research strategy that the Pripyat Project Group has adhered to included the following elements: i) a literature study, used for fact-finding (orientation to the problems in the area and descriptive information about the area); ii) questionnaires given to competent authorities, scientists and local inhabitants, used for elaboration upon factual information obtained from the literature study and for gaining insight into the opinions of Belarussian stakeholders; iii) a field trip to Minsk, whereby more specific information about the Pripyat region and the Yaselda region in particular was obtained and the questionnaires distributed, and iv) the facilitation of a workshop in Minsk by the Pripyat Project Group, Wetlands International and the Zoological Institute of Belarus, held to gather more information about the study area in terms of its environmental and economic situation, and to initiate communication among the main stakeholder groups regarding problems and solutions in the Yaselda catchment in order to build a basis for future consensus-building on these matters.

Main Values and Problems of the Area

The components of the ecosystem allow the ecosystem to perform various functions, which in turn have value for nature and society. Several important values, in terms of functions, have been identified as part of the workings of the Pripyat-Yaselda wetlands. Functions dealt with include the biodiversity function, the flow regulation function, the groundwater supply function, the water transport function, the nutrient removal system, the sediment and toxicant retention function and the carbon sink function. The wetland functions also provide opportunities for economic gain, such as the fishery. Other functions are less tangible, such as those for cultural uniqueness and heritage. Most functions have both ecological and economic values associated with them. These functions and values provide reasons for protecting and maintaining the Pripyat-Yaselda wetland.
The above values of the Pripyat-Yaselda wetlands are threatened by the various problems that exist in the area as a result of anthropogenic influence. The main problems identified by the project group were grouped under four categories: environmental, economic, social and those of the administrative framework.
Environmental problems include: pollution of surface and groundwater, changes in the hydrological regime of the Yaselda catchment, disturbance of the ecosystem, the decreasing area of natural vegetation, overgrowing by willows and shrubs and soil erosion. Economic problems causing wetland degradation include economic policy failures (price distortion, income distribution inequalities, absence of full cost accounting), and fundamental economic problems (market failure, absence of property rights, economic transition and development). Problems related to the economic transition and the economic heritage of Belarus are also addressed (inability of company management to follow the economic transition effectively, internal imbalances in structure of production, inefficient use of resources in industrial production, the collapse of the All-Union budget, low consumer demand). Social problems included the following: a clean, healthy, trustworthy world-view brought to a swift close by the Chernobyl disaster (although in the Yaselda region no dangerous levels of caesium were recorded), and rising poverty after the economic reforms. Problems of the administrative system included: inadequate management of protected areas; lack of information exchange between institutes and government; uncoordinated planning coupled with a lack of co-operation; lack of clear division of responsibilities between various agencies for nature conservation; duplication of functions of different levels of government; unmanageably large oblasts (regions of governance), and loss of power of rural communities.

Main Actors in the Area and Their Interests

In order to determine the causes of current problems in the Yaselda region, and to predict possible future conflicts among interests in the area, it was necessary to obtain an overview of the actors who have “stakes” in the plans addressing the eventual development of the area. The term “actor” or “stakeholder” may be defined in this situation as all the user groups, organisations (governmental or non-governmental) and institutions that have an interest in the future of the Yaselda floodplain. The main actors in the Pripyat-Yaselda wetlands were divided into two categories: i) those that are direct users of the wetland, especially in terms of traditional uses, whether sustainable or unsustainable, and ii) those that have a less direct influence on the wetland, in terms of their own interests or objectives. Actors included in the first group are local people, while those included in the second group are government authorities/politicians, conservation agencies, development agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Overall, many conflicts or potential conflicts could be identified in terms the differing of objectives or interests between the two categories. It is interesting to note that conflicts would occur within categories as well. In addition, some actors have conflicts within themselves: for example, the Belarussian government’s mandate includes facilitating the process of overcoming the socio-economic crisis and restoring economic growth, while at the same time it is responsible for preserving environmental and natural resources. It is necessary to resolve these conflicts such a way so as to create a so-called “win-win” situation, while keeping all stakeholders involved in the planning process. However, if mandates within an organisation are already conflicting, how should it be possible to come to a consensus amongst all parties that is satisfactory? The answer is through communication and compromise. This topic reappears in discussion of chapter 7, the proposed framework.

Existing Conservation and Development Plans and Related International Agreements

Within the project group, it was recognised that in order to develop a framework for an effective land-use plan, it is necessary first to take stock of the plans addressing the problem at hand before embarking upon the creation of a new plan. Plans addressing the Yaselda region at local, regional and national levels were examined, and related international agreements were also reviewed. Several national development plans exist, most notably the Action Plan for the Conservation of the Polesia Floodplains and Lowland Mires. Only one local plan concerning tourism development in the Yaselda region is in existence. Related international agreements include The Bern Convention, The Biodiversity Convention, The Bonn Convention, The Man and Biosphere Programme, World Heritage sites, and The Ramsar Convention..
Regarding plans at the national, regional and local levels, the importance of effective plan implementation must be stressed. The plans in existence are ambitious, but sadly not effective. Furthermore, the involvement of local people in the plans’ implementation is weak to non-existent. Enforcement of legislation also tends to be weak because of a lack of manpower. Becoming a signee of related international agreements is recommended in order to have access to funding for carrying out plans effectively, and for attracting international attention to the sites in question.

The Proposed Framework

Based on the first six chapters, the Pripyat Project Group developed a framework for an integrated land-use plan that should become the basis for the development of a future full-scale land-use plan for the Yaselda region. It must be noted that what is presented in the report is a framework and not a land-use plan. Many issues are addressed and recommendations made as part of this framework. Concrete measures are suggested as well as agencies responsible for implementation; institutional capacity-building and co-operation; management of reserves; prospects for economic development of the region, and development of current policies and legislation, as well as attention paid to international agreements; training, education and public awareness, and finance and foreign aids.
In the framework, goals and short- and long-term targets are formulated in order to ameliorate the environmental, economic and social problems of the Yaselda region. Main goals include: i) to reverse the trend of loss and degradation of the wetlands; ii) to maintain the wetlands’ biodiversity; iii) to improve the water quality/quantity of the Yaselda river; iv) to suggest additional economic activities with non-negative effects on the wetland ecosystem, and, v) to improve public awareness and participation in decision-making about the wetland through education. Ramsar Convention principles are mentioned within the framework as overall guidelines to consider during the development of the framework, such that the area eventually is designated as a Ramsar site. Based on the goals, targets and principles, concrete measures were formulated in order to facilitate the achievement of the framework and to answer the second part of the central question. Measures addressing the regulation of the hydrological regime, water quality improvement, the drainage systems, land-use in the floodplain, economic development and organisational change were included in the framework. Regarding the appropriate management of a protected area, an important goal is that every protected area should have a practical, workable management plan with resources and manpower to implement it. Collaboration management, or “co-management”, is the hallmark of successful community involvement in wetland resource management; this method for involving the Yaselda residents would likely contribute to the overall success and acceptability of the framework (and eventual land-use plan).
The measures were evaluated in terms of cost, effectiveness, efficiency, connection with other projects, urgency for quick implementation and acceptability by various stakeholders. Based on the evaluations, it was found that organisational changes and educational measures would be the most cost-effective and acceptable in terms of the stakeholders involved. Guidelines for overall implementation of the framework and eventual plan, including possible use of the framework outside the Yaselda catchment were: i) the involvement of the local people at the earliest possible phase; ii) the appropriate adaptation of the plan to the situation at hand, and iii) the importance of carrying through with less expensive parts of the plan if financial resources become scarce. The necessity for close co-operation among the rayons was also noted. Funding for the carrying out of this framework could be sought from various organisations, including Wetlands International, the Michael Otto Foundation, the UNDP, EBRD, EU-TACIS, and World Bank.

Conclusions and Recommendations

It was concluded generally that the Yaselda region is very valuable in many respects; it has a unique hydrological situation and its special mesotrophic mires are unequalled anywhere in Europe. In terms of biodiversity, many of Belarus’ endangered species find shelter in the wetlands, including the aforementioned Aquatic Warbler. It is of international importance to protect these wetlands, because they represent one of the final examples of a natural swampy river floodplain and one of the largest flyways for birds on the continent.
Current methods of land cultivation cause numerous environmental problems. At present, the only possibility for their mitigation is the use of low-cost measures. Each environmental problem is related to some kind of economic activity, each of which should be changed to one that is more environmentally sound and/or sustainable.
The regional authorities are duplicating several functions of the central government. The existing system is also inefficient, because of country-wide lack of financial and human resources. In addition, division of responsibilities between scientific institutes and authorities is unclear. The division of the Yaselda region into five districts (rayons) certainly contributes to difficulties with its management.
The many actors involved in one way or another with the problems and eventual plan for the Yaselda region will make the plan’s details challenging to develop and complex by nature. However, each actor has been considered integral to the development of the framework, with special emphasis on the local population and a preference for a “bottom-up” approach, along with the necessary “top-down” influence.
This framework may be seen as a follow-up to the 1997 Action Plan for the Conservation of the Polesia Floodplains and Lowland Mires , as part of its implementation process. It can be concluded that signing the relevant international Conventions would be a great boost to conservation in the Yaselda region. In development of the detailed plan from the framework proposed here, it is important that the Ramsar Convention principles are taken into account.
The most cost-effective measures that could be taken into account in the framework are organisational changes and educational measures. Suggested changes to be made in order to mitigate the problems of the area meet the criteria for sustainable development because they should occur slowly, without requirements for drastic changes and large investments within a short period of time. Measures should also be taken in order to guarantee that the implementation of the framework and eventual plan remains integrated.
Recommendations for the Belarussian Governments included details addressing: Map of the area.

How to order the report.

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