Threats to nature across the Development of Carpathian...
Transcript of Threats to nature across the Development of Carpathian...
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Threats to nature across theCarpathian Mountains
Anna Guttová, Bohdan Prots & George Predoiu
Seizing opportunities, addressing threatsOctober 3-4, 2007, Hostetin
Photo: Mirek Kutal
Project Objectives
• Establish a Carpathian Biodiversity Information System
• Develop a Carpathian Ecological Network
• Increase capacities of the NGOs in UA, RO & SB to design and manage ecological network and to implement
relevant EU and international policies
• Strengthen organisational structure and capacities of the
CERI to support the implementation of the CC
Development of Carpathian Ecological Network
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1. Identification of threats and obstacles for sustainable development
of the Carpathians – broad picture
- to gain detailed and comprehensive information crucial for the development and
future implementation of the Carpathian Ecological Network
- the work focused on identification of threats and obstacles in the respective
fields:
Management Planning WG
Tourism WG
Biodiversity WG
Environmental and socio-economic context
Main ecological problems:
deforestation, air emission, water pollution, soil erosion, loss of species of flora
and fauna
Main social problems:
unemployment, poverty
Main social trends:
Positive: increasing of working possibilities, low rate of unemployment and social
classes changes, integration in EU
Negative: young people leaving the villages for big towns, mostly capital,
uncontrolled and unplanned suburbanization, large rate of unemployment,
extention of disparity between poor and rich population groups
Main economic trends:
Positive:
booming of manufacturing sector (depends on region), increase in labour
productivity, slightly increasing domestic demand, EU developments, industry
decreasing, increasing of tourism, services, decentralization of economy,
extension of investments, development of commerce
Negative:
potential danger of overheating the economic boom in the near future, still not
enough environmental friendly activities developed, construction of highways,
overexploitation of natural forests, development without special state program for
economical development of mountain regions
Management planning
Identification of threats and obstacles, which prevent management plans to be
useful nature conservation tool in Carpathian countries identified within the
activities of the CERI Management Planning WG in 2006
Coordinated by WG Leader Milan Janák
The experts were also asked to:
• provide judgment about the relative importance of the threat and/or obstacle in
question
• to indicate few other threats/obstacles relevant for particular country
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Lack of EU standards in MP
Legislation not developed & detailed enough
Strong lobbying against nature conservation interests
from the side of local governments & bussiness
Opposition of local governments against N2000, seen
as obstacle not opportunity for local development
Weak protected areas system. No agency with
enforcement and planning power & public image
Insufficient communication with NGOs involved in
nature conservation
Insufficient communication & involvement of local
stakeholders
Insufficient monitoring & review mechanisms
Insufficient funding for MPs development &
implementation
Lack of available data on habitats & species & on
socio-economic activities relevant for nature
conservation
Nature conservation managers lack expertise and
experience with MP
Low consideration of nature conservation needs
within strategies & plans of other sectors
Low legislation enforcement, contradictory legislation
No legal obligations towards development and
implementation of MP
UASBSKROPLHUCZ
COUNTRYOBSTACLE
high
average
low
Importance
Tourism
Identification of threats and obstacles forming barriers in development and
practical realisation of ecotourism practices in the Carpathians identified at the
2-day workshop in Zarnesti, Romania in October 2006. Fifteen WG members
and experts from four Carpathian countries plus Austria and Germany were
present at the workshop.
Coordinated by WG Leader Hildegard Meyer
Identified:
• General threats
• Social level
• Environment and land use
• Political and administrative
• Economic
Economic
• poor infrastructure
• transport
General threats
• climate change
• mass tourism
Social level
• depopulation of the mountaneous areas
• no tourism culture (no understanding of tourism demands and benefits
tourism can bring to the destination
• lack of capacities and skills (guides, accomodation, etc.)
• lack of awareness on regional natural and cultural values
• change in values of local people ("manipulation" of locals e.g. through
money) hence cultural change, whish to be "modern" and "keep up
with the west"
Environment and land use
• change of traditional land use (loss of cultural landscape)
• policies in agriculture
• pollution (lack in waste disposal, sewage systems, etc.)
• deforestation
• national economic projects/plans for the future in vulnerable areas (e.g.
mining), pollution caused in former times "Altlasten"/"historical
pollution"
Political & administrative
• EU accession - new laws, policies in agriculture
• EU money used for unsustainable projects
• lack of national strategies, implementation
• uncontrolled development
• top-down national strategies
• EIA „justifies“ dangerous & damage bringing projects
• lack of communication between municipalities & nature protection authorities
• EU funds for projects not in line with cultural heritage/architecture without an
appropirate body for supervision
• lack of financial mechanism for the local people (small grants, etc.)
• funding functions through national authorities - misuse?, problems in allocation,
corruption
• lack in PA management (tourism)
• centralism
• governments prioritise specific interests which very often are not sustainable
Biodiversity
after expansion of city limits the status of existing nature reserves not taking into consideration, interruption of migration corridors, canalisation of the streams, fragmentation of biotopes
Urbanisation
profit driving forest practices, removal of all the mass of wood, planting monoculture stands of spruce, illegal logging
Forestry
displace in development of relatively/proportionally huge skiing resorts, extremely high capacity ski-lifts, new ski pists, unlimited and uncontrolled use of off-road four wheel vehicles also in some nature reserves
Tourism
building of new motorways (European transport corridor)Transport
opening of new coal mine, construction of new dams and hydro-power plantsEnergy supply
application of carbofuran, pesticides, tilling of slopes and riversides, overgrazing, drainage of grasslands, building dikes and dams
Agriculture
economic interests overruling biodiversity needs, prioritized particularly in the urban areas, construction of highways, building of industry zones, industrial pollution, peat extraction, inappropriate waste management
Economy and
industry
insufficient, ineffective, not consequent, without clear application, lack of correlationbetween legislation in different areas of interest, local state bodies ignore thelegislation which is in place
Legislation
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Transport corridor Deva – Arad, RO
Illegal fishing and logging in the Latorytsya riverine forest, UA
before 1914 around 2000
Canalizing rivers around Mukacevo, UA Drainage and melioration point, the river Tisa near Vilok, UA
absence of awareness of importance of biodiversity protection in local authorities and communities
insufficient financingProblems and obstacles forbiodiversity protection
some gaps in UkraineVertebrates
big or rather big gaps in all Carpathian countriesInvertebrates
big or rather big gaps in all Carpathian countriesAlgae
big or rather big gaps in all Carpathian countries except UkraineBryophytes
big or rather big gaps in all Carpathian countriesLichens
big gaps in all Carpathian countriesFungi
big gaps in RomaniaPlants
big gaps in UkraineHabitats
Gaps in the knowledge on biodiversity components
Project Objectives
• Establish a Carpathian Biodiversity Information System
• Develop a Carpathian Ecological Network
• Increase capacities of the NGOs in UA, RO & SB to design and manage ecological network and to implement
relevant EU and international policies
• Strengthen organisational structure and capacities of the
CERI to support the implementation of the CC
Development of Carpathian Ecological Network
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2. Identification of threats and obstacles for sustainable development
of the Carpathians – application
Land ownership (major owners - non state)
Soil - agricultural map - potential for agriculture
Mining (increase or decrease) – location of current and future data
Net migration - urban growth
important + additional expertiseSize of farms , trends in lifestock
Second priority
mustRiverregulation - mapping of natural, semi , artifical rivers, dams, powerstation
must, can be done based on existing data
Where will forest survive/grasslands dissappear? (elevation, proximity to villages, infrastructure)
mustSurface protected areas (easy to find)
Urban areas - population densities
Areas eligible for agri-environmental schemes
mustArea under forest – certification (not in Serbia – contact FSC-bodies)
yesTourist centers – mass tourism (ski resorts, bath- spa’s) - existing and planned
must(Improved) Land use information for UA
mustRoad network (density) – existing and planned – divide them in road category
1st priority
AvailabilityData required
A first draft of the current pressure map
the pressure due to:
• roads
• railways (ESRI- data- buffer of 500 m)
• urban settlements (Corine Landcover- buffer 500 m)
• tourist resorts (buffer 500 m)
Areas that are protected are considered to have a low pressure unless there is
an roas or settelment (? to be confirmed)
the FsC- forests (low pressure) not yet included
areas eligible for agri-enviromental schemes (should we include the latter in the
current pressure map?) not yet included
(As Corine Landcover 100*100 m used for this analysis Ukraine and Serbia are missing).
Important areas in red
Final product – demo map
Interactive map with zonation and mananagement recommendations Thank you for your attention!
www.carpates.org
Photo: Mirek Kutal