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On February 18, six out of 21 proposals were selected as winners of the
Cooperative Environmental Projects in CEE grants program by an expert
panel at the REC's headquarters. The purpose of the grants, funded by the
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs/MATRA Projects Programme, is to
enhance NGO cooperation in addressing common environmental problems in
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Cooperation and international networking
is considered to be crucial for developing NGOs and exchanging experience
and information between them. And the six winning projects, amounting to a
total of EUR 112,005, are...
Joint Implementation (JI), representing one of three Kyoto Mechanisms for reducing global warming, has already become part of national climate change policies throughout CEE. For example, Poland has a highly developed administrative system for regulating JI projects. Latvia has one of the highest numbers of JI projects for any CEE country. And Hungary has experimented with a few large-scale projects. This winning project will prepare detailed JI analyses for these three countries to reveal differences and common interests. It will assess current problems with JI, draft national and regional criteria, and encourage cooperation among CEE governments and NGOs to influence international climate change policy - especially to gather support for a joint NGO resolution for the upcoming international climate change conference (COP6) in the Netherlands this November. Project leader and partners: National Society of Conservationists, Hungary; Polish Ecological Club-Mazovian Branch; Green Library, Latvia.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have become a global threat to the natural environment and human health as a result of their long half-lives, high persistence in the environment and their ability to travel far from their sources. Even Arctic polar bear populations now appear affected and the toxic chemicals can elicit carcinogenic effects and endocrine disruptions in the human body. CEE countries have paid very little attention to POPs problems, so this project's goal is to increase public awareness of POPs by producing website pages in several languages, exhibitions, materials, national round tables, publications, position papers, e-mail conferences, national information centres and an information database. Project leader and partners: Children of the Earth-Center for Citizens Support, Czech Republic; Waste Prevention Association "3R", Poland; Earth Friends Society, Slovakia.
The natural assets of the Odra River Valley are threatened by the construction of a large water reservoir and the Odra-Danube transportation channel. The project partners therefore aim to increase public awareness of the Odra Valley, activate local communities in protecting the valley, and include the valley into NATURA 2000, the European network of protected areas. Project activities will be supplemental to governmental projects, particularly those of the International Committee for the Protection of the Odra River Against Pollution. Project leader and partners: Lower Silesian Foundation for Sustainable Development, Poland; Children of the Earth Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The project aims to help protect the breeding sites of threatened golden eagles and lesser spotted eagles in the Carpathian Mountains in accordance with national regulations, and to increase the ecological consciousness of professional groups associated with nature conservation. In spite of various local and international forms of protection (acts, decrees and conventions) introduced in Europe, birds of prey, including eagles, have been dying out for over a century. Growing interest in the Carpathians as an attractive tourist, recreational and sports base is leading to the uncontrolled development of infrastructure in small mountain settlements. The consequence is the initiation of irreversible processes transforming the mountain landscape, which, along with the exploitation of old tree stands, threatens the eagles. Project leader and partners: Eagle Conservation Committee, Poland; Working Group on Research and Protection of Birds of Prey and Owls, Slovakia.
Bird crime activities in Europe include illegal hunting, falconry, illegal trade and sports such as free climbing, where people prefer climbing in spring - also the breeding season for birds of prey and Eagle owls. In response, the project partners will attempt to reduce bird crimes by: establishing Action Groups in each of their four countries; connecting all groups with Europe Against Bird Crime (EABC); guarding the nests of threatened species such as falcons and goshawks; coordinating a workshop for experts as well as public educational seminars; publishing a handbook on bird crime; monitoring illegal persecution; and designing a website. Project leader and partners: DOPPS BirdLife, Slovenia; Society for the Protection of Birds, Slovakia; Czech Society for Ornithology; MME/BirdLife, Hungary.
Within the framework of EU accession, CEE governments are planning to liberalize and integrate their electricity markets into the EU's Single Market. This, as happened in the EU, could lead to a substantial increase in natural gas use. NGOs believe that gas-burning technologies are greener than other fossil fuel-based technologies. However, they can also endanger the introduction of renewable energy and energy efficient sources. This project will therefore build the capacity of CEE environmental NGOs and stimulate governmental and inter-governmental discussions on the appropriate prioritisation of natural gas in CEE and EU countries. Project leader and partners: Energy Club, Hungary; Hnuti Duha, Czech Republic; Institute of Ecological Taxation Reform, Poland; Community Atgaja, Lithuania. |
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