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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