The role of Transnational Environmental Organizations in Local Institution Building for the Russian Forest Sector

This paper analyze in-depth the interactions between global actors, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), multinational logging companies, transnational environmental organizations, and Russia¿s forest players within the context of Russia¿s post-Soviet transition period. Through the analysis of seven case studies the paper explore how all these players interact in Russian localities and influence local institution building. After Perestroika and the politico-economic collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia opened its borders and forests to the Western logging companies, and simultaneously to the preservation efforts of the West¿s environmental movement. WWF and Greenpeace began to develop agendas for preservation of Russia¿s forests, and began to link with all forestry actors, including federal and regional governments, Russian and multinational logging companies, the public, smaller environmental organizations on the local level, forestry scientists, and the media. One of the main technologies in their arsenal is forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In order to import FCS and other sustainable technologies to Russia, management practices developed in the West must be adopted to Russia¿s unique post-Soviet context. For instance, many of the social aspects of FSC certification, mainly community participation in forestry decision making, find little already-existent infrastructure within Russia¿s rural localities where most logging takes place. This paper will show hoe these international NGOs use the forces of the market to jump-start such institutions and create a basis for social, environmental, and economic modernization within Russia¿s forestry sector.