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| Prepared by: National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU), Institute of Ecology NECU (INECO) Approved by the Public Council under the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety in Ukraine (MEPNSU), September, 22, 1999 Approved at the All-Ukrainian Seminar “Public participation in Conservation of Small Rivers”, November, 17-19, 2000, Kyiv |
The main way of human development is integration of economic growth with conservation and restoration of quality of the environment. Understanding this, the world community today makes first steps toward this direction but solution of main environmental problems has only began. Among them is a problem of clean water that is often estimated as the main problems of the XXI century.
Sustainable development of the society should integrate economic development with resolution of social and environmental problems. The essential part of the process should be raising of public awareness in Ukraine. On this direction, activity of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can lead to greatest results.
There is a certain level of co-operation between state agencies and NGOs especially directed on enhancement of the environment and revival of environmental component of public consciousness that will greatly determine perspectives of sustainable development in Ukraine. Today dozens of environmental NGOs work in Ukraine in the field of conservation, enhancement and restoration of rivers. Some of them have already got great experience. But to raise efficiency and purposefulness of their activity and involve general public and new organisations, co-operation and co-ordination of efforts among Ukrainian NGOs are necessary.
2. State of Ukrainian Rivers and Opportunities of Public Environmental Movement for its Sustainable Development
All territory of Ukraine is covered with a net of river valleys, gullies, ravines and numerous streams from small brooks to big rivers. There are more than 63,000 small rivers and streams in Ukraine, among them about 60,000 streams are very small with length not exceeding 10 kilometres. About 28,000 ponds and small water reservoirs with the total area of 500,000 ha have been built on the rivers.
As a result of industrial and household contamination, ploughing and hydrotechnical land reclamation of watersheds and floodplains, wood-cutting in river valleys, etc., a great number of water streams are on different stages of degradation. Water quality in the streams is deteriorating every year. A lot of rivers are under the threat of disappearing. At the same time, river valleys play the great role in conservation of biological and landscape diversity. So, rivers are very important for creation of Ukrainian and Pan-European ecological network.
Longstanding world experience on river conservation and restoration has proved that to improve the state of rivers and conserve biodiversity, it is necessary to introduce sustainable management in the river basins. That is why the improvement of ecological condition of rivers is tightly connected with economic activities both on the national and local levels. Promoting of environmentally sound technologies, compensating actions, strict compliance with the environmental norms and standards will not only guarantee conservation and restoration of biodiversity, improvement of water quality but will also support human health and improve social and economic of human life.
Changes in economic activity both on local and state level are impossible without clear understanding of environmental problems, their causes and ways of their solution. Environmental NGOs can lead this direction. They can and should work effectively and hard in close co-operation state agencies, local authorities, businesses, scientific and educational institutions, religious confessions, local communities and public. Environmental NGOs can work fruitfully in different directions connected with river conservation and restoration such as establishment of protected areas, participation in environmental expertise and elaboration of scientific and governmental programmes, practical activities on conservation, enhancement and restoration of water bodies, promoting raising of public environmental awareness.
Environmental NGOs are characterised by such peculiarities as flexibility of organisational structure and methods of work, quick orientation toward new approaches for solving environmental problems, developed international contacts, independence and active public position. The united potential of NGOs can be much more resulting on conditions that their activity will be supported by state agencies particularly by those that are responsible for use of natural resources and nature conservation.
3. Mission and Objectives of Environmental NGO Network
The mission of network activity: to promote improvement of ecological state of small rivers as well as positive changes in environmental policy of Ukraine on protection and conservation of rivers.
Objectives:
- to promote the improvement of ecological state of Ukraine's rivers by implementing the integrated approach to solving river problems, namely conservation and restoration of ecological functions and stability of water catchment basins and sustainable use of natural resources;
- to promote changes in attitude of Ukrainian citizens toward rivers, elaborating of activities on revival of environmental component of public consciousness, raising their environmental and legal awareness on river conservation, engagement of public in specific actions;
- to involve the general public and local authorities into conservation, enhancement and restoration of rivers in Ukraine with the aim to create practical mechanism and organisational structure for this;
- to promote realisation of the provisions of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy as well as implementation of international liabilities in the frame of Aarhus, Ramsar and Bern Conventions, dealing with environmental protection and development of civil society; and
- to develop co-operation between environmental NGOs and state agencies, local authorities, business enterprises, scientific and educational institutions, religious confessions, local communities and citizens.
The following priorities in the NGOs work are aimed at solving environmental problems of rivers:
1) raising public awareness on environmental issues and environmental education;
2) conducting actions and campaigns on river conservation and rehabilitation; and
3) institutional development of NGOs, expanding and strengthening of environmental NGO network.
A. Raising Public Awareness on Environmental Issues and Environmental Education
Raising public environmental awareness is a key moment in solution of environmental problems.
Main objectives of this direction are:
- creating the integrated system for dissemination of information on river problems; co-operation with the mass-media to initiate creation of permanent environmental columns in newspapers, broadcasts on TV and radio as well as taking an active part in their preparation;
- conducting educational activities among public:
- collecting and dissemination among public, heads of enterprises and representatives of state local, regional and central authorities different information (trough books, brochures, posters, leaflets, etc.) about rivers in Ukraine, possible ways of its rehabilitation, especially public action plans on river conservation and restoration, and information on current state of specific rivers;
- conducting scientific and practical conferences, contests, exhibitions and other actions, e.g. “The Best Action Plan for River Salvation”, “The Best River”, etc.;
- organisation and financial support of environmental and ethnographical tourist routes in river valleys, vacation resorts, environmental educational trails, etc.;
- co-operation with state educational institutions; and
- studying public opinion.
B. Conducting Actions and Campaigns on River Conservation and Rehabilitation
Practical actions on river conservation and restoration should be directed toward reaching actual outcomes, their long-term effect, introducing sustainable use of water bodies into practice, involving the most possible number of people in practical actions. At the same time, the river basin is considered as the core unit of the activities (river basin approach).
The main objectives of this direction are the following:
- public monitoring of state of rivers and their valleys;
- collecting the information on current state of some rivers and elaborating action plans on their rehabilitation;
- public control on implementation of environmental legislation on river conservation by citizens, local authorities, enterprises and other establishments, as well as water discharges into rivers control;
- initiating the environmental expertise of exploitation of existing and creating new ponds and water reservoirs on small and middle rivers, drainage and irrigating melioration systems, etc.;
- conducting complex activities on rehabilitation of specific rivers with participation of wide public:
- cleaning small streams, restoration and ordering of sources;
- putting in good order and looking after (cleaning, grassing, tree planting) of protected riversides;
- conducting actions on conservation of natural landscapes in the protected zones along the rivers;
- creating and supporting protected areas near river heads, on lands important for hydrological and hydrobiological conditions of rivers and for biodiversity conservation, in river deltas, etc.;
- promoting the implementation of principles of sustainable use of water resources of specific rivers, namely limitation of sand and gravel extraction in river beds, renewal of river flowage, etc; and
- promoting using of modern technologies for utilisation of coal and ore mining, industrial and other discharge waters.
C. Institutional Development of NGOs, expanding and strengthening of environmental NGO network
Institutional development of NGOs working on river conservation and restoration, expanding and strengthening environmental NGO network should be aimed at increasing of both number of the organisations and efficiency of their work, significant improvement of co-operation between NGOs as well as co-operation among NGOs, state bodies and businesses.
The main objectives of this direction are the following:
- giving support to activist groups, establishment NGOs and public associations for river salvation;
- uniting NGOs into the “Ukrainian Rivers Network”, elaborating the URN Action Plan, creating unified methodical basis for actions, in particular working out public action plans;
- promoting actions of Public Councils under the state nature conservation institutions and local authorities;
- conducting training courses for NGOs activists and publishing special literature on organisational, legal and methodical aspects of work; and
- conducting workshops to exchange practical experience of work.
5. Resources for Strategy Action Plan Implementation
The strategy will be implemented by elaborating an Action Plan of NGOs Working on River Conservation on the stipulation that there is a close co-operation between NGOs and governmental organisations, informational, organisational and financial support from the state and international organisations.
The main resources for Action Plan implementation are:
- physical and intellectual efforts of citizens and NGOs working for restoration of rivers in Ukraine;
- active and close co-operation (partnership) between citizens, NGOs and local and regional authorities, state scientific institutions, national nature conservation organisations – Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Ministry of Agriculture and Industrial Policy of Ukraine, the government, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and the President of Ukraine;
- financial support at the expense of regional, oblast and the general state budgets; and
- grants of international charitable funds and environmental programmes.
6. Stages of Strategy Action Plan Implementation
The first stage (2001-2003):
- establishing of co-ordination of work and information exchange via the “Ukrainian Rivers Network” (publishing bulletin, creating of web-site, development of association emblem, etc.);
- expansion of network of NGOs working on rivers;
- elaborating a programme-minimum and promoting educational activities for general public;
- development and using the unified methodical basis for NGOs' actions, experience exchange, conducting training courses, publishing methodical and relevant legal literature;
- establishing the co-operation with local authorities and launching joint action plans; and
- development and initial implementation of local action plans for rehabilitation and restoration of model rivers.
The second stage (2004-2007):
- further development of network of NGOs that work on river conservation and rehabilitation, increasing of professional skills of NGOs representatives;
- elaboration of a system for information dissemination on river problems;
- sharing the experience on preparation and implementation of Action Plans for specific rivers;
- establishment and development the system of public monitoring of river state;
- public involvement in activities on river restoration, establishment of new protected areas, promotion of environmental and tourist activities, as well as cultural and country-learning activities; and
- elaborating the strategy for the NGOs network for future.
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© 2005 Ukrainian Rivers Network