Safeguarding biodiversity in National Development
Plans (EfE)
Evaluating the Implementation of International Commitments
in CEE (EfE)
The EU-NGO Dialogue
Best and worst practices of Natura 2000 implementation
The Natura 2000 Barometer
CEE Coordination Platform
National and local projects:
Sustainability Evaluation of Micro-Regional Development
Plans
The development of a GIS system for the assistance
of the decision-making in the northern unit of the
Zemplén Protected Landscape Area
The analysis of land use changes on the Nagy-Kopasz
hill at Tokaj, Hungary
The elaboration of management plans for protected
meadows and pastures in the northern unit of the
Zemplén Protected Landscape Area
Habitat mapping in the buffer zone of Aggtelek
National Park
Controlling survey of environmentally threatened
habitats in the central area of Sajó valley
Sustainable rural development
model project in the Carpathian mountains
The principal objective of the project is to initiate the
development and implementation of a sustainable regional /
rural development plan of the selected small Romanian municipality
in the Carpathians. Visit the website
of the project >>
Survey of habitats
threatened by land use changes on the Kopasz Hill (Tokaj region,
NE Hungary), and delineation of the buffer zone surrounding
the strictly protected area
Within the framework of this project, evaluation of the
adverse effects of land use changes on the natural values
of the Kopasz Hill, assessment of the ecological impacts,
and delineation of the buffer zone of the strictly protected
area will be carried out. With the findings we would like
to contribute to the nature conservation management of the
hill. Vegetation mapping, GIS processing and evaluation are
the key elements.
Duration: 11 months (September 2001 July 2002).
Preparation of an
educational material to highlight the importance of biological
diversity and its protection
Preparation of a comprehensive educational material about
the biological diversity for teachers at primary and secondary
schools. The framework of the lecture with a Power Point background,
a collection of illustration with explanations and a database
of biodiversity experts completed.
Duration: 7 months (September 2001 March
2002).
Preparation
of the scenario of the Kelemér peat bog exhibition
The Mohos Lakes are situated in the neighbourhood of Kelemér
village, and are of international importance. Their most valuable
features are the floating peat-bogs and the fossil peat-body.
The human influence in the 19th century had a considerable
impact on the bogs. Disturbance of the marginal and superficial
parts of the bogs (cutting hairy birch, burning reeds, tourist
and research activities) enforced the negative changes. We
plan to decrease the negative impacts of tourist activities
by setting up an exhibition in Kelemér village, in
cooperation with the Aggtelek National Park Directorate. CEEWEB
will prepare the scenario of the exhibition, and develop a
landscape model to show the geological and geomorphological
situation of the lakes.
Duration: September 2001 May 2002
Habitats mapping
on the buffer zone of Aggtelek National Park
In cooperation with Green Action and the Ecological Institute
for Sustainable Development, CEEWEB began habitat mapping
in BAZ county in 1998. Since then the project is continuous.
In 2001-2002 we plan to map the habitats on the buffer zone
of Aggtelek National Park, in 1:10 000 scale.
Duration: September 2001 May 2002
Twinning
the NGOs II
The acknowledged success of the Twinning the NGOs I. project
was leading to a successful application, which has been submitted
to the Austrian authorities for financial support for the
second phase of the project. The preparatory work on the second
phase has been started in September, 2000, involving Slovakia
besides the participating countries of the first phase, Austria,
Czech Republic and Hungary.
In the second phase biodiversity will be the backbone of
the project, using up to 70 percent of the resources. The
co-ordination of the biodiversity component lays with CEEWEB,
meanwhile activities regarding Energy and Genetically Modified
Organisms will stay further with Ökobüro.
CEEWEB is also in charge of the preparation and maintenance
of the projects website. Read
more...
Exploration
and documentation of habitats threatened by mining activities
in the surroundings of Zemplén Landscape Protected
Area (Tokaj-Mountains region, Hungary)
The Tokaj Mountains and the forest areas in the Zemplén
Landscape Protected Area harbour very valuable habitat-complexes
of the regions ecological network. The silicate grasslands,
dry steppe areas, oak forests, scrub forests and the highly
diverse reforested areas are very important habitats, transmitting
ecological impacts towards the core areas.
Because of the regional infrastructural investments and the
growing demand in building materials, increase of stone mining
activities is expected. Consequently the mining activities
will expand towards non-protected, but environmentally valuable
habitats as well. The project aims at research and investigations
of these areas before the start of mining activities.
Strategy
for Sustainable Rural Development in CEE countries
CEEWEB started to develop a Strategy for Sustainable Rural
Development in the CEE region. This project - funded by Phare
Partnership - investigated the opportunities for the implementation
of sustainable rural development, with an emphasis on the
protection of biological diversity, from the perspective of
the CEEWEB network.
The project was closed by the end of February, 2000.
Partners: Daphne, ILE SAS (Slovakia), Göncöl
Foundation, Ecological Institute for Sustainable Development
(Hungary), Institute for Sustainable Development (Slovenia)
Internet service:
Office for information dissemination
With funds from the Hungarian Ministry of Environment, a
database was created as pilot project for NGOs in connection
with nature conservation issues related to EU Accession. This
database is easily available on the Internet. After the evaluation
of the project, it is planned, that the database will have
input and service the biodiversity focused NGO community in
all the Central and East European countries.
Twinning the NGOs
I
The programme was initiated by Ökobüro, Austria,
in co-operation with the Austrian Ministry of Environment.
The aims of the project were:
Accelerate the adjustment of the Czech Republic and Hungary
to the environmental legislation and environmental standards
of the EU
Create a network of environmental NGOs from the EU, the
Czech Republic and Hungary in connection with EU enlargement
Contribute to Austria's positioning as a catalyst of enlargement
in the field of environmental policy
Improve the transparency of the environmental adjustment
process
Twinning in the NGO sector.
Within the framework of the programme, three sectors were
chosen for further discussion, namely Energy, Genetically
Modified Organisms and Biodiversity.
In the first phase CEEWEB took up the task of representing
the biodiversity sector from Hungary and ensure the input
from the Czech NGOs, too.
Two project reports were developed with the active contribution
and co-ordination of the CEEWEB staff members, and a popular
homepage was also created for sharing information with the
project participants and with other people/NGOs interested.
Partners: ÖkoBüro, Global 2000 (Austria), National
Society of Conservationists (Hungary)
Twinning the NGOs
II
The acknowledged success of the ’Twinning the NGOs
I.’ project was leading to a successful application,
which has been submitted to the Austrian authorities for financial
support for the second phase of the project. The preparatory
work on the second phase has been started in September, 2000,
involving Slovakia besides the participating countries of
the first phase, Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary.
In the second phase biodiversity will be the backbone of
the project, using up to 70 percent of the resources. The
co-ordination of the biodiversity component lays with CEEWEB,
meanwhile activities regarding Energy and Genetically Modified
Organisms will stay further with Ökobüro.
CEEWEB is also in charge of the preparation and maintenance
of the project’s website.
Read more...
Mohos Lakes of
Kelemér: Conference on Peat-bog Conservation
A conference on peatbog conservation took place in Gömörszolos,
Hungary on 17-19. March, 2000. This event was a building block
of a co-operative nature conservation activity led by CEEWEB,
which aims to develop the long term rehabilitation plan of
the Mohos Lakes of Kelemér (two strictly protected peat-bogs
in the North-Eastern part of Hungary), with the perspectives,
that the used methodology will be used by NGOs in other Central
and Eastern European countries. Furthermore, the conference
was the manifestation of the beginning of further co-operation
between the representatives of Hungarian NGOs, British and
Hungarian research institutes and the Hungarian Ministry of
Environment. The Conference served two main purposes:
It provided an opportunity to close down a several years
long NGO activity and present the scientific results of
their work;
The other, more far-reaching objective was to demonstrate
that NGOs can be able to carry out professional, scientifically
sound work.
Moreover, the project could demonstrate, how three sectors,
governmental nature conservation authorities, research institutes
(universities) and NGOs can co-operate together.
The Conference was supported by the Know-How Fund of the
British Embassy, Budapest.
Mapping
Habitats and Ecological Networks in B.-A.-Z. County
As the follow-up of the previous years habitat mapping programme,
the Southern part of B.-A.-Z. County and the territory of
24 settlements were recorded through field studies and the
survey of aerial photos.
The work is a pilot exercise to demonstrate, that NGOs are
also competent in scientific nature conservation activities.
The methodology will be translated to English and available
for the members of the CEEWEB network, which are interested
to carry outsimilar studies.
This work provides the fundament for the future design of
the CEE cross-border ecological networks, which will be one
of the work CEEWEB will stimulate in the years to come.
Promoting
Sustainable Regional Rural Planning
CEEWEB has taken up the task of the national co-ordination
and promotion of sustainable rural development in Hungary,
establishing an information system and co-operation among
the organisations working on this issue. For the enhancement
of the efforts, a newsletter (Newsletter about sustainable
rural planning) was quarterly published, consultations and
trainings were organised.
Hungarian
Capacity Building Project for Local Governments
In August 2004 CEEWEB started a new national project supported
by the European Union’s Phare Access program for informing
people about the establishment of the Natura 2000 Network
in Hungary. See more detailes here
(PDF).
Developing a
Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in CEE Countries
CEEWEB started to develop a Strategy for Sustainable Rural
Development in the CEE region. This project - funded by Phare
Partnership - wants to investigate the opportunities for the
implementation of sustainable rural development, with an emphasis
on the protection of biological diversity, from the perspective
of the CEEWEB network.
Training course
for Albanian nature conservationists
In September, 1999, a group of nature conservationists from
Albania stayed for 10 days in Hungary. They visited 6 National
Parks and some other protected sites, where NP directors and
experts, officers gave presentations about the following,
specific topics:
administration / management of the site
tourism management
transfrontier co-operation
grassland / forests / wetland protection and management
co-operation with NGOs and public participation in general
In the frame of the visit the participants had the opportunity
to observe state-owned nature management (national parks), but
also nature management carried out by NGOs were shown to them.
Promotion
of Sustainable Rural Development in Hungary
CEEWEB recognised that the Hungarian development and the
Hungarian policy had not solve the problem of the rural areas
since the political change over.
The rural areas are the last remnants of biological diversity
and they could be the initial areas for sustainable development.
We have to understand that these areas are in danger because
their resources are very important in terms of the EU integration
process. The CEEWEB and the National Society of Conservationists
recognised the relationship between biodiversity and sustainable
rural development. Consequently these NGOs began to develop
sample programs together to enhance the process of sustainable
rural development in Hungary.
CEEWEB together with NSC went on developing the network to
popularise the possibility and methodology of sustainable
rural development. The first round involved the organisations
having regional effect on sustainable rural development. CEEWEB
and NSC contacted some sustainable development related
governmental organisations too. Practically these groups,
interested in the same question, formed the basis of the "Model
network of Sustainable Rural Development"
This network maintained information flow among the partner
organisations. Actual information was circulates not only
by email, but also the "Newsletter from Sustainable
Rural Development" edited by CEEWEB and the "Green
Letter" edited by NSC helped the process.
We contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Policy
and with a number of experts from the Ministry of Environmental
and from the National Authority for Nature Conservation in
order to articulate the alternative ways of sustainable rural
development. The academic background of the expert network
came from the Agricultural University and Horticultural University,
where some experts helped function the network.
Training:
"Planning Sustainable Rural Development Projects"
CEEWEB organised a training in 1998 in Gömörszõlõs,
Hungary. The aim of the training and the practical workshops
were two fold. On the one hand it gave the fundamentals about
sustainable rural development, and on the other hand it provided
some practical experiences to planning sustainable rural development
projects. During the preparation of the training we focused
on the inhabitants of marginal regions, because these regions
are characterized by cultural landscapes with high biological
values. So we invited Roma (gipsy) and Hungarian people from
the marginal regions of Borsod, Heves, Baranya, Szolnok and
Somogy counties.
Beside the members of participating NGOs, the training was
also shared by the representatives of foundations and organisations
working together with Roma NGOs in sustainable development
programs.
The training focused on the criteria of sustainability, the
point of sustainable development, project planning and gave
methodical and practical assistance to concrete project plans
that the participants brought along.
Promoting Sustainable
Local Development in Central and Eastern Europe
A number of local initiative proves, that sustainable development
is an alternative to the recent patterns of development. The
completed PHARE Partnership project demonstrates that the
interest of local population can be in harmony with the protection
of biological values through sustainable rural development.
The main area of activities was implemented locally. The actions
of the project focused on promoting socio-economic development,
and especially on ecotourism following the criteria of sustainable
development in Hungary, lead by the CEEWEB, National Society
of Conservationists in Hungary, Green Balkans in Bulgaria
and TER in Romania.
The results of the project beside the invaluable practical
experiences were introduced in project portfolios. These portfolios
demonstrate the gained knowledge and experiences which will
hopefully help both the governmental and non-governmental
organisations in turning the results of the project into practice.
Road to Aarhus
Programme
This project financed by the Regional Environmental Center
aimed to make our members more familiar with the Pan-European
Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy.
A survey among 50 CEE NGOs indicated that only 12 had heard
about the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
Strategy, and only three of them had read and understood it.
An other report revealed that very few NGOs knew about the
Pan European environmental process.
Based on this situation, the project focused on the involvement
CEE biodiversity NGOs into the Pan European process. In Brussels,
where an issue group on biodiversity (BIG) had been created,
CEEWEB was charged to co-ordinate the NGOs activities for
Aarhus in the CEE region. The BIG meeting in Brussels agreed
on networking biodiversity NGOs in order to inform and involve
them into the Pan-European process.
To start the co-ordination, CEEWEB formulated a preliminary
project proposal, which was studied and discussed by several
NGOs. In May,1997,a meeting was organised in Budapest to discuss
the tasks for Aarhus and to agree on the project. Fifteen
representatives from 10 countries adopted the plan, that formed
the basis of the project proposal.
The Project Period lasted from July, 1997 to June, 1998.
Each participating country organised national events for local
NGOs to make aware them about the Pan-European Biological
and Landscape Diversity Strategy.
The focal points tried to develop a continuous co-ordination
with the media, initiating media campaign, in order to provide
news about international and national biodiversity issues.
The main topic was to introduce the importance of biological
diversity and national NGOs biodiversity projects.
Each of the participating countries began monitoring of the
national process on preparing and implementing the PEBLDS,
and the collection of NGO projects.
The first action theme of the Strategy aimed to establish the
Pan-European Ecological Network. Some NGOs in some countries
have a very professional background in EECONET planning. The
project aimed to share this knowledge and experiences with NGOs
inexperienced in this field.
A training course on EECONET planning was organised in the
participating countries. So as to settle these trainings effectively,
the member organisations elaborated a training material by
using the former experiences.
This widespread lack of information on PEBLDS motivated the.
project leader to work to involve biodiversity NGOs from Bulgaria,
the Czech Republic; Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia,
Ukraine and Yugoslavia in the pan-European process. Each partner
was asked to conduct a survey of the status of the implementation
of PEBLDS in the country and to organise national events to
build public awareness on biodiversity issues.
Depending on the tools available and the needs in each country,
partners chose different methods of promoting PEBLDS. All
partners organised national events to introduce the Pan-European
Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy and the Aarhus
process for national NGOs. Through press conferences and articles
on issues important to biodiversity in each country, the public
learned about PEBLDS and the Environment for Europe process.
For example, the Bulgarian partner organisation, Green Balkans,
lobbied the government on important biodiversity legislation.
Its Earth Day events, which publicised the fate of protected
areas -in Bulgaria, received national media attention. A film
about the Latvian Fund for Nature and its biodiversity-related
activities was produced and shown on Latvian television. Unfortunately,
in most countries, the press was less interested in biodiversity
issues than in other topics, for example national elections.
The Bulgarian, Hungarian and Yugoslavian country partners
translated all or part of PEBLDS into the local language for
broad distribution. Meanwhile, the Slovakian partner published
"The Biodiversity Conservation - International Aspects"
textbook, which includes 10 international conventions, treaties
and agreements translated into the local language.
The clearest success of the project is the publication of
the book An NGO View on the Implementation of the
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy in
Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and
Yugoslavia. This thorough study gives an overview
for each country of the status of national biodiversity legislation,
protected areas, biological diversity, human impact, the implementation
of PEBLDS, and NGO recommendations for PEBLDS implementation.
As a result of the project, several new NGOs were established
in Ukraine and Yugoslavia. Also, two projects on environmenta1
protection were started in Yugoslavia. In one example, the
Young Researchers of Serbia ran a successful campaign to inform
federal and republic officials about NGO activities in Serbia
about the general trends and policies in the environmental
sector. In response, the Serbian government gave financial
support for activities and is also directly taking part in
the "Youth Week" activities mainly in the Biodiversity
Protection workshop to be held in Greece in 1999.
Demonstration of Ecological Networks
and Habitat Mapping
The overall aim of this project is to contribute to the European
Ecological Network (EECONET), which has been developed to
meet the urgent need for more active nature conservation,
and to the implementation of the EU Habitat Directive.
The EECONET concept was officially accepted by the Pan-European
Conference of the Environmental Ministers held in Sofia in
October, 1995.
CEEWEB created a sample area (50km2) in the most
polluted region of the Sajó-Valley in Borsod County
(Hungary) to demonstrate the ecological networks and the methodology
of habitat mapping.
Following this phase CEEWEB has mapped the Northern part
of the Sajó-valley (236 km2 altogether) and it has
established the bases of a long-term biomonitoring system
in the county. Recently CEEWEB is mapping the South Borsod
County according to the Hungarian Habitat Mapping Methodology.
The project included also a training session in May 1988
addressed concrete transboundary problems. The Regional Environmental
Center for the Central and Eastern Europe (REC) aided three
training sessions for Hungarian NGOs.
Developing
sample areas to improve ecological networks
CEEWEB started to develop a sample area in 1996 in order
to demonstrate the planning of ecological networks. On the
one hand, CEEWEB wanted to adopt the EECONET conception and
EU Habitat Directive, aiming to develop a system and an infrastructure
offering educational and instructional possibilities for experts
and specialists from CEE countries. On the other hand, the
activity was started because there were numerous infrastructural
developments in Hungary and also in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
County (North-Eastern part of Hungary), what has had serious
influences on wildlife, natural habitats and ecological corridors.
Degradation and destruction of the still existing natural
and semi-natural habitats play more and more important role.
The environmental impact assessments are rather formal because
of the lack of appropriate information and knowledge. So the
real effects of investments on ecological systems were not
explored. Moreover, the European Ecological Network (EECONET)
can be complete only if the CEE countries also join the initiation,
since these are the countries where effectively operating
ecological networks, large crop areas and ecological corridors
can be found.
In 1997 CEEWEB prepared the habitat maps of the areas belonging
to 12 local governments in Rakaca- and Bódva- Valley.
Mapping up an area of more than 50km2 in the industrial centre
of Sajó-Valley was completed using the habitat classes
of the National Habitat System in 1:10000 scale. The collected
data were digitalised by ArcInfo GPS program. The database
of different areas are being topped up continuously. In the
future on the basis of the collected data we plan to develop
the complete digital map of Borsod-A.-Z. County that could
be used for more exact determination of the ecological effects
caused by different investments.
NGO
Co-operation in CEE to promote sustainable rural development
Our Partner Organisations previously implemented some successful
activities in the field of regional development. Within the
framework of PHARE Partnership, CEEWEB had 3 partners in this
project: National Society of Conservationists (Hungary), Green
Balkans (Bulgaria), and TER (Romania).
The implementation started in May, 1997. A one week long
study tour provided opportunity for 20 representatives of
the partner countries to visit the the Hungarian project sites
as pilot projects on sustainable development. Training on
regional development were arranged in each countries. Taking
into account the aims and the criteria for the choice of project
sites and after complex surveies of the possible areas, the
following sites were chosen for the project implementation:
Póstelek in Hungary,
Busteni in Romania and
Arda-Valley in Bulgaria.
The Partner NGOs elaborated a strategic plan on sustainable
rural development in the selected areas, where feasibility
studies were completed on the basis of proper guidance. The
guidance - that was actually a questionnaire - was put together
and provided by CEEWEB. As a result of the project, CEEWEB
published a handbook, which collected the results and the
experiences on sustainable rural development. Thus it provides
recommendations and proper methods that can be used for sustainable
regional development.
EECONET
trainings and planning in Central and Eastern Europe
After implementing a successful international project on
organising EECONET trainings, the Central Environmental Fund
of the Ministry of Environment, Hungary, gave financial assistance
to continue the training courses in Hungary. The idea of such
a training series cropped up in the Biodiversity Section of
the National Environmental NGO Meeting in Gödöllo,
1997. On the meeting only 3 of the participants had heard
about the EECONET conception and none had detailed information
about the EU's Habitat Directive and the Natura 2000
Program.
In the scope of the program CEEWEB has completed a database
of the Hungarian activities related to ecological networks.
The Habitat Directive was translated, and the material of
the EECONET trainings were prepared.
