WCC 2020 Res 008 - Progress Report

SFI engaged with the University of Georgia to assess the impact of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard on water quality and biodiversity in the region. There have been multiple publications that stem from this project that indicate the impact of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard on biodiversity and water quality. While the project is on-going, the results include multiple publications suggesting that water quality in wood baskets which have a higher number of SFI mills has improved over time relative to wood baskets where SFI mills are not present. SFI engaged with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) Foundation to develop an online tool to estimate and display water resources on SFI-certified lands in the USA. The tool is useful for SFI-certified organizations as it helps forest managers make sound management decisions. It is also valuable for others interested in evaluating water resources on SFI-certified forests, including brand owners that use SFI‑labeled products, and academic and non-profit organizations seeking to better understand contributions of SFI-certified forestlands.

SFI is engaging with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) to determine whether aquatic biological diversity varies with forest management or fire extent and severity. NCASI is assessing which landscape or management factors are the most influential predictors of aquatic biological diversity in forested streams. Inclusive in the forest management analysis is pre-fire management and post-fire management. NCASI is also evaluating biodiversity across control watersheds in Oregon and Washington that are part of forestlands certified to SFI standards to explore how SFI-certified management of lands around these watersheds may have affected resiliency to large landscape-scale wildfires. SFI is engaging with the Maine TREE Foundation to investigate sustainable forest management strategies that pertain to both past SFI Forest Management Standard practices and the new climate-smart forestry objective in the 2022 SFI Forest Management Standard, and how these practices mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The goal of this project is to develop a reference manual to inform how SFI practices may mitigate climate change risks within Northeastern forests. This information will be communicated to landowners and SFI-certified organizations in a way that allows it to be directly applied when making forest management decisions. Furthermore, an instructional document will be created which includes a set of guidelines on how to scale these learnings across multiple geographies.

The CCB River University aims to provide professional river education and so change the reality of our water conditions and create a network. Plus, to train participants in public engagement on river basin management, share experiences and generate new joint project ideas that help water management.

River rehabilitation - in 2020 CCB started the development of a list of priority dams for removal across the Baltic Sea region with partners from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Belarus. This list was finalised in 2021 with a description of priority Baltic river migration barriers for mitigation actions in the final report “River Barriers to remove or mitigate in the Baltic Sea Region”. Individual national reports were produced for Estonia, Latvia and Belarus. The 2nd edition of the River University took place in Lithuania in August 2021 and gathered more than 20 participants. In 2021 the River University took part in the Open Life Science program preparing to implement open science elements within its scheme. It also received the patronage of the European Parliament & the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania.

In terms of specific actions to support this Resolution the following has taken place:
- Tool developed for completing free-flowing rivers assessments and trainings hosted in Mekong and Nepal
- Convened and supported convening of sessions at World Water Week - in 2021 focused on Pathways for protection: Blended solutions to protect and manage rivers and 2022 focused on Designating Swimways for migratory aquatic species. Participation in Durable River Protections Coalition, which is convening numerous groups from around the world to share lessons learned and support implementation of river protection
- Several publications completed for public and general audience to raise the awareness of the values of rivers, including publication of the Brighter Future website
- GEF funding secured to support freshwater protection and restoration activities in the Luangwa River Basin, Zambia
- Foundation and public funding secured for policy and advocacy activities related to energy and rivers in Nepal (USAID), Zambia (private donor), Mekong (private donor), Peru (private donor)
- With other organizations, created an open letter (https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/freshwater_practice/call_for_freshwater_action_cbd_open_letter_/) and other policy brief (https://wwflac.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/un_water_inputs_to_cbd_zero_draft_on_freshwater_biodiversity_linkages_13_feb_2020.pdf) to advocate for inclusion of Freshwater in the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework;
- Proposal for kilometers of River to be restored under Target 2 (https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/publications/post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework-proposal-target-2-ecosystem-restoration-rivers)
- Emergency Recovery Plan for Freshwater Biodiversity (https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/70/4/330/5732594);
- Contributed to Swimways publication (https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2550)
- Analysis of the extent of Dams in Protected Areas (https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12719)
- Publication on Navigating the Trade-offs between Dams and River Conservation (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/navigating-tradeoffs-between-dams-and-river-conservation/6ADB5F2FB8C7D5B3B35AEF5F87541F22)

- Continued to raise awareness among policy makers and the general public about the diverse values that rivers provide and the need to keep some rivers as free-flowing

Funding at the scale needed to support the actions needed to ensure that rivers can function as corridors in a changing climate are not yet available in many locations. Have continued and will continue to raise awareness and seek resources needed.

With reference to operative statement 2b (support learning exchanges, innovation and adoption of durable protection and governance models for rivers and associated ecosystems (WCPA, Water Programme)), I am working with Synchronicity Earth on Resolution 134 (the Congo dams resolution) which includes the development of an IUCN intercommissional dams Task Force that will also address better governance of rivers, and much of the rational for the broader aspects of Resolution 134 draws on the recommendations made in Resolution 008.

The Durable River Protection Coalition focuses on learning exchanges and the development of initiatives and the publication of results from work on durable river protection and this Resolution 008 provides important guidance for these actions.

With reference to operative statement 2d (encourage countries to support protection and restoration of rivers and their associated ecosystems, including through funding), this is applied through work of Synchronicity Earth in applying this to the Congo river and with colleagues in Conservation International and Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental in applying this to the Maranon river (Peru).