Side Event

The Universal Value of Biodiverse “Ussuri Taiga” Forest of Southern Russian Far East: Tiger Protection and Indigenous Peoples Sustainability

Organizer
Global Environmental Forum

Date and Time
25 October 2010 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10)

Middle and Upper Bikin River basin (11,500 km2), a habitat for about 50 Amur tigers and a traditional homeland of the Udege and other indigenous peoples is in need of international attention and effective conservation as the area contains the largest intact Ussuri-Taiga forest in southern Russian Far East. With a work-in-progress documentary film “Messages from Taiga” and guest speakers from the region, this open seminar provides an introduction to the universal value and protection needs for this biodiverse forest which has biological, economic and cultural linkage with foreign countries including Japan. The seminar also aims to activate discussions regarding how to realise sustainable develoment considering local indigenous poeples who seek effective ways to protect forest biodiversity from development pressures. Also, we would like to share the knowledge about possible re-nomination of this forest area to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a natural and cultural property. We are hoping to deliver some messages of this beautiful primal forest of far east to the world wide audiece on this occasion. The event is organized by “TAIGA FORUM” - a non-governmental forum(or collective) led by Japanese environmental organizations, businesses, and RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North).