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Lead Papers
Abramia explained that currently Georgia participates in a number of international multilateral and bilateral environmental programs. Negotiations on bilateral agreements in the field of environment are going on with Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Greece and Turkey. Republic is actively participates in the Black Sea Environmental Program (BSEP of GEF), established in September, 1993 by 6 littoral countries. Collapse of the Central Asia - a beginning of the end of the world (Slav Akimov and Ozod Mukhamedjanov) ? Dynamic degradation of ecological systems of the Central Asia and incapability of the local governments generates a number of serious threats, as global security of the world community, so and national security of developing countries of Western Europe and America . On forming of given process also render an active influence islamic fundamentalism, drug-business and other power, that are interested in destabilisation of situations in the CAR . Main sales markets of narcotics are rich countries of the West Europe and North America. Possibility of quick increase of drug-stream (before 1000 tons of heroin per year) in these countries requires of taking preventive measures by their governments. Except this a danger of selling a weapon of mass striking or technologies of its fabrication in third countries and use by its international terrorism is exist. Bentivegna mentioned that the 1995 New Land Planning Act of Tuscany is one of the most advanced act in Europe. According to this new law all choices in Tuscany land planning activity must pursuit these goals: sustainable development, transparency in decision process, citizens participation, integration among space organizations and time in life and job. Sustainable development is intended as the development which assures equal possibilities of welfare increasing for all citizens and safeguard the next generations right in the use of land resources. Bogolyubov explained that "Ecosystem" was founded by a group of young biologists and educators, the former participants of the biological school group of the state Darwin Museum in Moscow. They had been filled with the ideas of the young naturalist movement and had worked out a unique experience of the traditional Russian environmental field education. The main activity of "Ecosystem" is an introduction of outdoor ideology and approach into the environmental education, emphasizing children's involvement with concrete research work and nature conservation through different types of outdoor activities. Nowadays "Ecosystem" is an instructive-methodical center for the environmental education of school-children. It is oriented to work with Moscow city schools, institutions of the additional education and public environmental organizations all over the Russia that teach children ecology in natural settings. Vilinovic, Chrenko, Hudek, Toma and Miklos discussed about the overall aim of a project to contribute to creating an understanding of sustainable development as an ongoing, cumulative process owned by the society as a whole. This component will assist the Slovak Republic in enhancing public participation in activities promoting sustainable development at the national, regional and local level. The segment will provide small grants and technical assistance for NGO´s and local communities in order to strengthen their capacity and to assist them in the implementation of small projects related to sustainable development with a particular focus on environmental protection and management, social and community development and building partnership between municipalities, NGO´s, the private sector and other stakeholders of the society. The projects should be linked to the sectors and issues recognised by Agenda 21, for example air, soil and water pollution problems, biodiversity issues, energy issues, environmental law related issues, education and awareness raising, rural development or sustainable development (both on national and local level). Victoria Churikova, L. Ignatenko, Vera Koveinik, A. Nikitin and S. Nikitina, Alexey Drouziaka and Valery Drouziaka described several projects concerning:
Danielyan explained that the Human Development Index, used by UNDP, should be supplemented by the "social indicator" (e.g. the population poverty index, which has been developed by UNDP and presented in the Human Development Report for 1997), and the "integral environmental indicator". The obtained variant will be the most appropriate one among the existing quantitative evaluations of the situation in a country from the point of view of Sustainable Development. On demand of UNDP representative office in Armenia, such technique was developed by us in 1995. Integral environmental indicator Pe is formed by two generalized indicators: the indicator of environmental state of a territory (A) and the indicator of environmental evaluation of human activities (B); in general, Pe is formed on the base of 21 environmental indicators. Djanaeva believes that it is desirable that we, people on the Earth can implement a three part platform for actions: - in the area of intra-social relations, changes in the society. Economic programs, political restructuring, reorientation in public consciousness, changes in value system, legal norms, etc. are one step. - In the area of natural environment, conservation and making it healthier, etc. - In the area of relations between society and nature or ecological relations of society. Heydendael described how to establishe a programme of work that promotes the development and implementation of social, economic and legal incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, in synergy with specific programmes of work, in order to: (a) Support Parties, Governments and organizations in developing practical policies and projects; (b) Develop practical guidance to the financial mechanism for effective support and prioritization of these policies and projects. Grynyuk found that in order to improve ecological situation and to increase forest raw material potential of the Ukraine it is necessary to increase wooded area by 1.5—2 times by afforestation waste lands and I with low productivity unfit for agriculture, to create a system of shelter belts in the fields and along the banks of rivers, to timely and qualitatively carry out reforestation measures and improve feelings in the forests of the national significance to form forest stands with optimum species composition and de using selection-genetic planting material. In order to improve logical situation, to maintain biogeographical diversity and to optimize the state of environment it is expedient to create a united tern of nature protective territories on an area of 6.0—6.5 mln ha with the most typical and unique natural complexes in all physical geographical zones of the Ukraine. It is necessary to create ecological monitoring in order to observe control the state of natural resources and environment and to organize national system of the ecological training in educational institutions. GUTINA described a Project of Ecological, Aesthetic and Civil Education in Primary schools in Russia. The Project aims at the inculcation in secondary school students of ecological thinking, aesthetic and humane attitude to nature and society their adaptation to the environment, their involvement in cooperation and action aimed to the protection of the environment. Shahidul Haque, Hasida Yasmin and Md. Hasibur Rahman explained that to mitigate environmental pollution, population control, sustainable development is needs to introduce in every sector of development including industrial and agricultural sector. Environmental pollution, such as soil degradation, water pollution and air pollution which is increasing green house gas emission will enhance global warming, sea level rise and climate change. Sea level rises would be most worsening situation for the low-lying countries like Bangladesh. Disastrous which cannot be stop but can be managed with adequate planning and adaptation. Government policy can play a key role to minimize vulnerability of natural disastrous or take adequate preparation to face and eventually overcome inevitable disastrous or adopt sustainable development. Proper Policy making, sustainable development and awareness raising on environmental population is in need to create mass conscious to conserve the natural resources in sustainable way and as well as natural resources management in every sector is important component to keep the ecosystem in better position of Bangladesh. Kun H. JOHN,Yeo C. Youn and Jae W. Park discussed about the difficulty in changing landholder's behavior is that the rewards of a bio-reserve program are, although lucrative in the long-run, might be negligible compared to the more immediate attractive profit potential of resource-consuming development projects. This is compounded by the fact that adverse environmental impacts are not included in feasibility accounting, and in fact are not recognized at all until the adverse effects become a debatable issue among the general public. The primary threat of the cranes habitat extinction comes not from public inaction but from wilful action by private landowners. We feel the most efficient pragmatic solution is a rational and tangible compensation scheme that can convince landowners and other private interests that their economic ends are best served in the long-run by resource conserving actions rather than resource destroying one. In this way, powerful and wilful forces in the region will naturally, out of their own self-interest, work to preserve the rich and unique ecosystem of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dr. Mikhail Krasnyanski described the problem of ecology and technological safety become more and more important for the mankind. But the majority of countries of East Europe, South America, Asia and Africa have not enough finances either for environment protection (keeping air and water clean) or for utilization of the accumulated industrial and domestic wastes, or for preventing fires and explosions in industry, woods, etc. Lagutov Vladimir Victorovich described the existing situation in the former Soviet Union and presented a new concept to resolve the problem. The concept is aimed at the stabilization of the environment under conditions of limited resources and authority degradation. The main idea behind the realization of this goal is the dislocation of the most active social part of the local population in the key areas of river basins. Dr. Ross Mallick explained that when environmentalists deal with indigenous peoples it will help determine the success of conservationist programs, and therefore an understanding of how this relationship can be managed is critical to the success of environmentalism and the survival of indigenous peoples. JAMES MWAMI believes that soil and water conservation activities are under various agro-ecological and socio-economic circumstances, in different parts of the World. However, for a multitude of reasons farmers do not generally engage on their own in investment in soil and water conservation. In the more advanced economies farmers may sometimes take initiative, but in most cases they are stimulated to do so as a result of specific government policies, direct incentiveness on participation in specific projects. When the seriousness of the erosion problem was realised in Uganda, in the 1950's, government took the initiative and for along time they followed a top-down approach in the design and implementation of soil conservation projects and programmes. Many of these failed. Usually the priorities and capabilities of the land users were insufficiently considered in the preparation and execution of such projects or programmes. Uganda government has now come to realise that proper implementation of such activities depend on the acceptance by and full participation of the population, so that soil conservation and reforestation activities become less dominated by regulations. There is a shift towards "protect and produce" including less direct soil conservation related activities (e.g. promoting tree crops) and the measures are accompanied incentives (e.g. subsidies) or by rural development "starter" activities (e.g. drinking water supply) to incite farmers to participate. In other words conservation has gradually evolved into regional development activities using "watershed activities". Alfredo Quarto explained that local population growth and associated increasing resource demands are signaled out as main contributors to mangrove forest loss. Whereby such practices as clearing of forest cover for small-scale agriculture and harvesting for local fuel wood collection are important factors to consider in any analysis, these are by no means the only factors contributing to mangrove loss. In actuality, the insatiable demands for forest products by the timber and charcoal industries, as well as increasing tourist and agri-business demands for more raw land, all combine to waste and endanger these valuable natural resources. In fact, fuel wood collection usually becomes a problem itself only when combined with these other growing pressures on remaining mangrove forests. Another factor affecting mangrove forest resources is the rapidly expanding shrimp aquaculture industry, which has in the last two decades become a major destructive force in regards to unsustainable coastal resource development. This multi-billion dollar worldwide industry is expanding throughout Asia, Latin America. and, more recently, Africa. Vast tracts of habitat-rich mangrove forests have been cleared to make room for the short-lived shrimp ponds, whose owners practice a form of "slash-and-burn" type aquaculture, with the consequent loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares of mangrove forests. Such unsustainable development interests have so damaged the once supportive local resource base that the local communities, unable to sustain themselves via traditional livelihoods, often turn to the nearby forests to meet their growing economic needs. The question is whether these needs actually increased due to population growth alone, or due to unsustainable development patterns set in motion by short-sighted industries and government policy-makers bent on quick profits at the cost of the lives of the local people and the environment which once sustained them? Regardless as to where the blame for mangrove forest loss lies, It is becoming more and more evident that future solutions to these problems must directly involve the local communities in integrated approaches to coastal resource management. As well, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must play an increasingly important role in helping to promote the rights and abilities of the coastal communities to manage their local resources. Md. Hasibur Rahman described that in Bangladesh where development and conservation of natural resources is under pressure from rapid increasing of population, unplanned urbanization and industrialization, illiteracy, poverty, etc., all are leading to degradation of environment and ecosystem. On the other hand country is suffering from devastating natural disasters, such as cyclone, intrusion of saline water, storm and floods. The topic of cancer passes through the middle of Bangladesh, the country falls in the tropical region. Cyclone, tidal-surge and flood comes every year and destroyed natural resources including wildlife, biodiversity, settlement and human lives. Natural disasters are beyond of control but the adverse effects of human activities that are causing global warming could be minimized. Natural resources management, stakeholder participation and sustainable development are interrelated. Sustainable development is a process which will start with situational analysis including problems identification, prioritization followed by policy making, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In many cases, problems identification and its ranking or future planning is not done by involving participatory approach. It is evident that the stakeholder problems or root-causes of threats that depletes natural resources are remains behind the consideration. More importantly in the field of development in general or in agricultural, particularly a few common approaches are considered for planing that is far from fully participatory approach. Coordination of national planner/policy maker and stakeholder participatory approaches is needed to input in the field of any development. As because the local stakeholders are important components who are exploiting natural resources and also they can conserve the same for better environment. It is an urgent need to take necessary measures in order to control and minimize the adverse effect of human activities. And to ensure conservation of natural resources and planned urbanization, industrialization, sustainable agricultural development etc. are the main components. Proper implementation of environment friendly and sustainable development policy is most important along with a pragmatic implementation strategy. Recommendations and policy implementation regarding mitigative measures in order to conservation of natural resources and balanced development is needed to the national as well as to the global context. Alexander Wegosky and his organization have developed the system for reclamation and restoring of waste – lands by means of creating Social System for Nature Reviving (SSNR). By creating SSNR we are trying to mark the beginning of a special activity to compensate the destroying affects of Urban Civilization upon nature. In our views the mankind can (in ecological terms) achieve the balance only by creating nature-reviving dynamic that is to compensate the destroying urban dynamic. To create nature reviving is to create biocenos of noocenosis on the waste – lands which is to grow in area at the same speed as other grounds are destroyed upon the influence of urban technocratic civilization. We hope that in the nearest future the mankind should be divided into two categories according to attitude toward nature: so called destroyers and so called creators. In our opinion the only way to solve the problem of coming worldwide ecological destruction is to find a balance between the destructive and creative powers we mentioned earlier. This is only way to solve ecological problems in planetary scale. There we can see a social niche to bestow the aim and purpose of existence upon a considerable part of people all over the world, to give them reason to live, to provide them with the means of living, so that they can afford independence from outer world being relatively autonomous. Wegosky mentioned that there is no hope for state’s help in Russia. Shahidul Haque, Hasida Yasmin and Md. Hasibur Rahman explained that environmental pollution causing adverse impacts on human beings all over the world (more in developing country like Bangladesh )that are also causing global warming and climate change. Environmental problem are facing in different ways in different countries, depend on pollution criteria and geographical location. But adverse impact of environmental pollution cannot be kept in a certain geographic boundary it will create global concern. Unsustainable use of natural resources, unplanned urbanization and industrialization’s deforestation is threatening global environmental pollution. Destruction of ecological balance would enhance natural disastrous, such as cyclone, tidal-surge, earthquake, desertification, drought, flood etc. Mitigation measures of the environmental pollution can be taken by locally, nationally or globally that would be ultimate as globally. It is fact that one country, one organization or one society cannot solve the problem of environmental pollution. Awareness programme on adverse impact of environmental pollution is need to disseminate among the mass people would help to minimize pollution level effectively. A great step needs to initiate by the human beings to minimize environmental pollution from ever corner of the world as global village.
Biological indicators are often used to monitor environmental quality; they can respond to many different compounds and they show cumulative effects over a period of time. They can tell us directly if there is pollution in the air or water that is harmful to life. Ecosystems on land vary largely from those found in waters. They have also similarities. Terrestrial communities as well as aquatic communities are made of organisms that decompose detritus entering the system; primary producers absorb the sun's energy; herbivores feed upon the primary producers; carnivores feed upon herbivores; and omnivores. The energy efficiency of either food web is about the same. About as much as 15% of the energy in protoplasm in primary producers is passed on to the herbivores and slightly less is passed on from herbivores to carnivores. A change in temperature and various types of pollution will affect differently species in water and those on land. We may first observe a change in sizes of population, then kinds of species, and finally the disappearance of species and a reduction of biomass. It is an impossible task to describe and measure communities by one single index, such as a diversity index. Various models of communities must be used and as many different parameters as possible to properly describe a community. Changes in these various parameters will determine the effect of pollution. By measuring the effects of pollution on biological organisms one can monitor pollution and determine effects over time; the presence of pollution can be deduced by analyzing the structure of populations of organisms. Chemical analyses only identify pollutants at the point in time. Both approaches are necessary to define pollution effects. An indicator of environmental protection is the area of lands under formal agreement for wildlife habitat. It includes national and provincial parks, ecological reserves, and agreements with landowners, such as conservation easements, and restrictive covenants. Another indicator is the size and distribution of significant wetlands. Wetlands make an essential contribution to biological diversity. An indicator measures the number of extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened and vulnerable species of wildlife and plants. An indicator measures the per cent of wildlife species which are within 10 per cent of target populations. These target population sizes have been set for many of the wildlife species that we hunt , trap, or fish, and it is important to monitor progress in achieving these targets to ensure that their populations are sustained. An indicator measures the population sizes of those plants and animals which reside only or primarily in a specific region; these species maybe endangered species and species under pressure from civilization. By acting as responsible custodians for key endemic species people behave as responsible global community citizens.
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