Since 2009 we have been supporting the Model River Mezen project of the Silver Taiga Foundation. The Mezen river flows from the Komi Republic across the Arkhangelsk Region into the White Sea. The projects aims to restore the declining population of the Atlantic salmon family, one of the most valuable fish species for local communities in Northwest Russia. The project did not find firm links to impacts from logging operations and defined overfishing as the main driver for this decline.The project passed through 4 main stages:2009-2011: Preparatory phase, scoping and setting up the priorities, establishing working groups.2012-2014: Developing the interregional program for salmon restoration, establishing cooperation with the Arkhangelsk region, launching the monitoring programme for salmon reproduction.2015-2017: Proactively engaging local communities, conducting historic changes evaluation via public surveys, launching youth education programmes and support to local fisheries.2018-2020: Implementing the interregional program on salmon restoration, scaling up expertise by raising broad awareness about the topic and sharing knowledge with other regions.