Romincka Forest – Preparations for the establishment of a biosphere reserve in Kaliningrad Region (Russian Federation)

The Romincka Forest is a glacial stamped hilly landscape in the border area between Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation, Poland and Lithuania. It spans one of the biggest undivided lowland forests in Central Europe. In 2012 the central part of the forest landscape on the Russian side was declared as Regional Nature Park “Wystinets”. It excludes the more densely populated peripheral areas of the hilly landscape. These areas offer great potential for near-natural management, for example sustainable tourism or organic farming. The integration of these sectors can foster the protection of the natural environment of the Nature Park.

Project details:

With this project German experts support Russian stakeholders, in particular the Nature Park “Wystinets”, with the nomination of the Russian part of Romincka Forest as UNESCO biosphere reserve. During the project different thematic working groups will discuss sustainable farming and forestry, sustainable tourism development, nature conservation as well as ways of future participation in the biosphere reserve and develop proposals for implementing measures. Based on this, concepts for zonation, management as well as governance of the biosphere reserve will be elaborated. The project outputs will provide a basis for the preparation of the nomination form for the official designation of the biosphere reserve under the UNESCO’s „Man and Biosphere” Programme. The planned biosphere reserve would be the first one in Kaliningrad Region and the most westerly one in the Russian Federation.

The project is jointly implemented by the Michael Succow Foundation, BTE Tourism and Regional Consulting, the Russian Nature Park “Wystinets” and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Kaliningrad Region.

The two-year project is funded by the German Federal Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for environmental protection in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and other countries neighbouring the European Union. It is supervised by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Environment Agency (UBA).

Rominter Heide, © D. Stein

Rominter Heide, © C. Welscher

Rominter Heide, © D. Stein