INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
UNESCO -JFIT Project "Establishment of a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and a Regional Ecological Network in Polesie"

12-14 September 2007
Polesie region, Belarus Programme


11 September 2007, Tuesday
20:00 – 22:00 Arrival of the Workshop participants


12 September 2007, Wednesday
09:00 Registration of participants
09:30 Official opening
09:30 Opening speech - Vladimir SHCHASNY, Ambassador at large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Chairman of the National Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO
Welcome addresses to the Workshop participants:
- Lisa Hiwasaki, UNESCO, Natural Sciences Sector
- Vitaly Korenchuk, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection of the Republic of Belarus
- Stepan Bambiza, General Director, Prypiatsky National Park

Morning session: Perspectives of the potential West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve development
Chairperson - Natallia Rybianets, Belarus MAB national Committee, Vice-Chairperson
09:50 State of the joint Belarus-Polish-Ukrainian activity on establishing and functioning potential West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (political agreement, coordinating structure, expected financial mechanism for further activity et al.)
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each report
From Belarus - Natallia Rybianets, Belarus MAB National Committee,
Nikolay Lukashuk, Pribuzhskoye Polesie BR/ Republican zakaznik
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
Discussion
10:30 New indicators to be used for periodic review of Biosphere Reserves
Lisa Hiwasaki, UNESCO, Natural Sciences Sector
10:40 Indicators for analysis of the potential West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Nikolay Mikhalchuk, Polesian Agricultural&Ecological
Institute/ NAS Belarus
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
Discussion
11:30 BREAK
11:45 GIS data using for the territory of potential West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Henadzi Dudko, Belarusian research institute of land management, geodesy and cartography
Representative of Poland
From Ukraine-Volodymyr Koshovyy, Leonid Muravsky, O. Oliynyk, G. Gas'kevich, Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute/NAS of Ukraine
Discussion
12:30 Current results and prospective researches with implementation of agreed approach to joint activity in the territory of potential West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Viktar Demyanchik, Polesian Agricultural&Ecological
Institute/ NAS Belarus;
Nikolay Lukashuk, Pribuzhskoye Polesie BR/ Republican zakaznik
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
Discussion
13:30 LUNCH
Afternoon session: Progress in setting up the scientific background for a Polesie regional ecological network focusing on the Valleys of the Bug and Pripyat Rivers; progress in design a future potential TBR in the Ancient Pripyat Valley
Chairman - Michael Nikiforov, Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus, Director

14:30 The main principles of structuring and functioning of a Polesie regional ecological network: zoning for ecological networks of involved countries and their integration into Polesie regional ecological network on basis of unified approach to ecological corridors
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 20 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Michael Nikiforov, Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
15:30 Preliminary design of regional ecological network focusing on the Valleys of the Bug and Pripyat Rivers is based on the results of joint field work of expert groups
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus- Natallia Yurgenson, Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
16:00 GIS data using for the territory of a Polesie regional ecological network
Representatives of Belarus, Poland and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Henadzi Dudko, Belarusian research institute of land management, geodesy and cartography
Representative of Poland
Representative of Ukraine
Discussion
16:40 BREAK
17:00 Progress in design a future potential TBR in the Ancient Pripyat Valley: current results and prospective researches with implementation of agreed action plan for joint activity in the territory of potential TBR in the Ancient Pripyat Valley
Representatives of Belarus and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus -Boris Yaminsky, Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus
Representative of Ukraine

17:20 Progress in design a future potential TBR in the Ancient Pripyat Valley: GIS data using for the territory of potential Ancient Pripyat Valley Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
Representatives of Belarus and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus - Henadzi Dudko, Belarusian research institute of land management, geodesy and cartography
Representative of Ukraine
17:40 State of the joint Belarus -Ukrainian activity on establishing potential Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, perspectives in preparation of UNESCO-MAB Nomination form, setting up joint coordinative structure
Representatives of Belarus and Ukraine - 10 minutes for each presentation
From Belarus -Anatoly Uglyanets, Prypiatsky National Park
Representative of Ukraine
Discussion
18:10 General debates
19:30 BUFFET DINNER


13 September 2007, Thursday
9:00 -11:00 Consideration and preparation of draft Progress report to UNESCO on year 2007 in expert working groups (expected results 1-3)
Morning session: Collaborative activity in the Polesie region
Chairman - Alexey Artyushevsky, Manager of UNDP-GEF Project

11:00 UNDP-GEF Project input into the activity on setting up of a Polesie regional ecological network in the territory of Belarusian Polesie
Alexey Artyushevsky, Manager of UNDP-GEF project in Belarus:
11:300 Reports of expert working groups' representatives on main positions of Progress report to UNESCO on year 2007 - 10 minutes for each presentation
Representatives of the Working group on expected result 1-
Nikolay Mikhalchuk/Belarus, representative of Poland, representative of Ukraine
Representatives of the Working group on expected result 2 -
Alexander Pugachevsky/Belarus, representative of Poland, representative of Ukraine
Representatives of the Working group on expected result 3 -
Natallia Yurgenson/Belarus, representative of Ukraine
Discussion
12:15 Round table: new ideas and challenges of the region (carbon trading, routes of ecological tourists, etc.), potential development of the UNESCO-JFIT Project and potential international projects in the Polesie region
13:30 Pripyat River tour, including lunch
Round table - "Linkage of biological and cultural diversity as a
approach to valuable complexes of natural ecosystems and cultural objects' involving into Polesie tourist routes"
Leader - Vladislav Aronov, Centre for Coordination of Cooperation with
UNESCO and other International Organizations/NAS Belarus

19:30 Dinner
20:30 Ethnic evening

14 September, Friday
Chairperson - Natalia Rybianets, Belarus MAB national Committee, Vice-Chairperson
09:00 Discussion of the Progress report to UNESCO on year 2007
10:00 Discussion of the Workshop final document
10:50 Closure of the debates
11:00 Departure of the Workshop participants