RESOLUTION

of the Steering Committee meeting on the GAP-project in NW Russia 
(Evaluation of the representativeness and gaps of the protected area network)

St. Petersburg				27-28 February 2008

1.	In this meeting the Steering Committee was represented by:

Smirennikova E. (Directorate for regional protected areas in the Archangelsk Region)	Archangelsk Region	
Maksutova N. (Vologda State Pedagogical University)	Vologda Region	
Vdovin I. (Directorate for regional protected areas in the Murmansk Region)	Murmansk Region	
Noskov G. (St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Biology)	St. Petersburg	
Kovalev T.  (St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Biology)	Leningrad Region	
Kryshen A. (Karelian Research Centre)	Republic of Karelia	
Aksenov D. ("Transparent World")	common component	
Poutanen M. (Ministry of the Environment of Finland)	financier	
Saano A. (Finnish-Russian Working Group on Nature Conservation)	Finnish GAP working group	
Lindholm T. (Finnish-Russian Working Group on Nature Conservation)	Finnish GAP working group	
Hemmi R. (Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE)	Finnish coordination	
Hartikainen M. (Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE)	Finnish coordination	

In addition to the members of the Steering Committee, the meeting was attended by Esko Seppälä (Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg), Tatyana Kovaleva (Directorate for regional protected areas in St. Petersburg), Tatyana Rymkevich (St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Biology), Viktor Petrov (Kola Biodiversity Conservation Centre), Olli Turunen (Finnish GAP working group) and Päivi Piispa (Planeko, Finland).

2.	Representatives of six regions of the Russian Federation (Archangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk and Leningrad Regions, City of St. Petersburg and the Republic of Karelia) presented the annual reports of 2007 approved by the regional working groups. The contents of the reports were discussed and approved by the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee recommends making certain activities of the regional working groups more effective as well as paying special attention to the interregional component of the project. As the Steering Committee noted, different approaches to the GAP project can be explained by the different natural conditions and amount of previous nature studies in the regions.

3.	The annual report of 2007 of the Russian NGO "Transparent World" was discussed and approved by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee noted the importance of the organisation's work in combining different approaches to the GAP analysis in the regions.

4.	The Steering Committee takes notice of the absence of special bodies in the administrations of the Republic of Karelia and the Vologda Region responsible for the regional protected areas, as well as the ineffectiveness of the authorities in most of the regional working groups in planning and establishing protected areas.

5.	The Steering Committee discussed the thematic working groups and notices the following:

The chairman of the working group on bird migration (G. Noskov) considers necessary in each region to resource the work of the working group on bird migration. The next meeting of the working group will be held in St. Petersburg, 18-19 March 2008.

The working group on legal issues has developed methodology for assessing the legal basis of protected areas' activities. The next meeting of the working group will be held in the beginning of September or the end of October 2008.

6.	The Steering Committee discussed regional proposals for project work in 2009-2010. Since the Murmansk and Leningrad Regions as well as the City of St. Petersburg presented their proposals already in the Steering Committee's meeting in September 2007, in the present meeting the proposals of the Republic of Karelia, Archangelsk and Vologda Regions and "Transparent World" were discussed in more detail. The regions were asked to deliver the proposals in writing after the meeting of the Steering Committee.

	The Karelian working group suggests paying more attention to the development of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia, having both ecologic and socio-economic importance for the neighbouring areas. It is suggested also to take notice of the development of the network of protected areas along eastern and south-eastern borders of the Baltic Sheet (Fennoscandia). Together these two belts form a circle connecting all the regions participating in the GAP analysis. Also Finland and Norway could be considered as interregional components of the project.
	
In making concrete regional work plans for developing the network of protected areas, the Steering Committee recommends:
- to pay special attention to "hot spots", such as the old-growth forests of Muezersky district in Karelia, Severnaya Vuoksa on the Karelian Isthmus etc.
- to pay attention to the lack of protected water and coastal areas of the largest lakes in Europe – Lakes Ladoga and Onega – and to recommend the regional working groups of the Leningrad and Vologda Regions to make the rationale for a protected area on the south-eastern coast of Lake Onega and, for the regional working group of Republic of Karelia, the eastern parts of Lake Onega.

	Final plans for 2009-2010 should be made by September 2008.

7.	Information about the Programme's mid-term review was provided. It will be conducted by an outside auditor appointed by the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. Project partners are requested to assist the auditor when necessary. The continuation of the project in 2009-2010 will be determined on the basis of the mid-term review.

8.	The participants of the meeting discussed also other matters related to the GAP project and:
	- noted that the Ministry of the Environment of Finland does not allow advance payments;
	- agreed on formal requirements of the publications made within the project;
	- decided to discuss in the regions "Transparent World's" proposal on project web pages
	- noted the necessity for the project reporting and information to run to time

12.  The next meeting of the Steering Committee was decided to be held in the first half of September 2008 in Archangelsk. In the meeting the progress reports of 2008 will be discussed and approved as well as the work plans for 2009-2010.

The Steering Committee of the GAP project would like to thank the Directorate for regional protected areas in St. Petersburg and Tatyana Kovaleva in particular for excellent practical arrangements during the meeting.