Managed citizenship: global forest governance and democracy in Russian communities

Abstract

In this study, we examine the political implications of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and its requirements for participatory governance by focusing on three case studies in Russia and drawing upon qualitative research data from 2002 to 2014. We argue that one of the unintended by-products of forest certification is the advancement of a specific type of citizenship – what we refer to as ‘managed citizenship.’ In managed citizenship, local communities are empowered by new rights endowed to them by a global governance generating network (GGN), such as the FSC. Through the GGN, local stakeholders may become involved in long-term initiatives that provide new opportunities to participate in democratic governance. However, citizens’ involvement is cultivated, directed, and circumscribed by actors from outside the communities, such as environmental and certification experts who educate local residents about their stakeholder status. We also find that the persistent weakness of social interests, as opposed to environmental, within the FSC and the effects of economic instability and weak democracy domestically contribute to the challenges of engaging local communities.

Keywords:

• FSC
• certification
• citizenship
• democracy
• Russia
• governance
• sustainability
• forests

Notes

1. Funds provided by the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research (NCEEER), under authority of a Title VIII grant from the U.S. Department of State, partly supported the work leading to this publication.

2. Ironically, the Putin administration at one point labeled its regime ‘managed democracy’ to describe the mix of formal rights and freedoms along with significant centralization of state authority that have evolved in the post-Soviet period (Surkov 2008).

3. In 2011, National Initiatives were renamed as FSC offices. The new scheme was introduced in order to facilitate sharing financial resources between FSC International and FSC initiatives within states and regions.

4. Promotion of FSC certification in Russia continued through a WWF–World Bank Alliance project and later through WWF partnerships with IKEA and in cooperation with regional forest business associations.

5. During the period of the MFP’s implementation, the number of companies leasing the forest varied from 12 to 17. These represented a diverse business community with different kinds of relationships with leskhoz, the local administration, TNCs, Silver Taiga, and local communities.

6. Interview with a Saving Pechora Committee expert, March 2006, Siktifkar.

7. Interview with a local community organizer, April 2005, Obyachevo.

8. Since the introduction of the new Forest Code in 2007, the leasing of forest territory occurs through auctions and the public has less opportunity to participate in leasing procedures.

9. Interview with a community activist and participant in many public hearings, March 2006, Siktifkar.

10. Interview with a journalist, Forest Council member, April 2006, Obyachevo.

11. Interview with a teacher, Forest Council member, April 2006, Chernish.

12. Interview with a local community organizer, October 2005, Chernish.

13. Interview with Silver Taiga staff, 2002, Siktifkar.

14. Interview with a Shuvgy Parma organizer, December 2002, Obyachevo.

15. Interview with a teacher, December 2002, Chernish.

16. Interview with a club participant, December 2002, Obyachevo.

17. Interview with the coordinator of the discussion club, December 2002, Obyachevo.

18. Interview with Silver Taiga staff, 2002, Obyachevo.

19. Interview with the coordinator of a youth discussion club, 2002, Obyachevo.

20. Interview with a coordinator of youth discussion clubs, 2002, Obyachevo.

21. Interview with a participant in the project, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

22. Interview with a social expert in forest certification, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

23. Interview with a member of PMF staff, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

24. Interview with PMF staff, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

25. Interview with a PMF implementer, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

26. Interview with the president of the Forest Club, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

27. Interview with the director of the Ecological-Biological Center, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

28. Interview with the museum curator, Strugi Krasnie November 2007, Strugi Krasnie.

29. Interview with a local school teacher and Forest Club activist, October 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

30. Interview with the director of STF-Strug, June 2002, Strugi Krasnie.

31. Interview with an activist of the Forest Club, November 2007, Strugi Krasnie.

32. Interview with an activist of the Forest Club, November 2007, Strugi Krasnie.

33. Romanyuk, B. D. ‘Pskov Model Forest: Public Participation in Forest Planning,’ published by the WWF in 2001.

34. Interview with the research director of the project, March 2008, St. Petersburg.

35. Interview with the research director of the Project, St. Petersburg, March 2008, St. Petersburg.

36. One author of this article, Maria Tysiachniouk, served as an expert during this period.