Pilot project in Belarus: “Sporaūskae” as Example of Peatlands Sustainable Management

Peatlands are unique natural treasures of Belarus with amazing biodiversity. Vadim Nikolaevich Protasevich, Head of Republican Biological Reserve “Sporaūskae”, told what was happening in the Reserve in the second half of 2016 year and serious achievements in biodiversity protection. 

• What works were carried out on the territory of Reserve during autumn and winter 2016-2017 years?

Almost all measures on cutting vegetation in “Sporaūskae” are held exactly in this period. It is impossible to take any measures in the end of spring and in the beginning of summer, because of aquatic warbler nesting. Thanks to the equipment that was purchased in the frame of EU/UNDP Project “Clima-East: Conservation and sustainable management of peatlands in Belarus to minimize carbon emissions and help ecosystems to adapt to climate change, while contributing to the overall mitigation and adaptation effort” peatland was cleared out of extra vegetation. We have mowed 64 ha of shrubs and harvested 786 ha of area, stocked 840 m3 of wood chips in 2016 year(all this has been already sold to all enterprises interested in green resources of energy). 

• Do you see ecologic and economic effect for the Reserve from all these measures that were conducted? 

Monitoring of fauna in 2016 year brought into sharp focus how mowing influences the nature. There are sections (approximately 200 ha beyond Mostyki village) that were mowed in January-February 2016 for the first time. We planned to prepare this land for sandpipers. But the monitoring showed that 10 aquatic warbler males appeared there. This bird never has been seen in that part of the reserve. This bird species population is stable on regularly mowed lands, its density increases there. 

It is too early to talk about economic effect and self-repayment, since we worked without closed cycle and all necessary equipment. Now we have all machines that were planned for us in the frame of EU/UNDP project “Clima-East”. I sincerely hope that starting from this year we would be able to cover expenses on mowing. 

• What else you do for biodiversity protection? 

We implement a row of biotechnical operations. For example last year we built 15 nesting platforms for birds of prey, in cooperation with our hunting farm we made breeding grounds for ducks in flood plain of Yaselda river. Work with youth is an issue of high priority for us. We constantly inform schoolchildren and students about any nature protection events (for example, APB network of guardians). 

• 2017 is the last year for EU/UNDP Project “Clima-East”. How you can evaluate your cooperation?  What events are planned for this year?

The project “Clima-East” was in its own way special regarding technical implementation. We have participated in international technical-assistance earlier, but exactly this project delivered unique equipment for “Sporaūskae” Reserve. We were aimed on organization of cyclic and sustainable mowing, that’s why specific equipment line was needed for each production stage. 

We have ambitious goals for 2017 year: it is necessary to mow not less than 1200 ha of peatlands and in cooperation with the Project conduct successfully “Sporaūskae Hayfields-2017”. That is bright and unusual festival with diverse agenda, it is going to be interesting and bright as usual. 

Specially Protected Area “Republican Biological Reserve “Sporaūskae” is one of pilot territories of the EU/UNDP Project “Clima-East: Conservation and sustainable management of peatlands in Belarus to minimize carbon emissions and help ecosystems to adapt to climate change, while contributing to the overall mitigation and adaptation effort”. Procurement of technical equipment necessary for biomass harvesting and transportation is completed for this territory. The equipment delivered and transferred to the Republican Biological Reserve “Sporaūskae” includes: universal four-wheeled tractor; forestry mulcher; conveying-loading trailer; biobaler; wood chipper; reed harvesting machine; forestry harvester; front mowing machine, roll type baler.