Topic of the issue: Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the complex of all plant and animal species that populate specific ecosystem. Ecosystem includes all the life forms (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria) and environment in which they all exist (landscape, climate and so on). High level of biodiversity is one of the indicators of the stable ecosystem. Every species has its own "specialization": consumes and produces some resources, interacts with other organisms. Disappearance even of one of these "specialists" leads to the distortion of the interaction in the ecosystem. Ecosystem is able to compensate the loss by replacing the empty place with another species, but only to some degree, and this process takes time. If species disappear too quickly the ecosystem starts to destroy. The process of ruining of ecosystems is now taking place primarily due to the human activities. The negative effect on the wild environment is constantly growing, along with uncontrolled or illegal taking of wild species from their natural environment. The species of the industrial value to people (used for production of food, medications, cosmetics and other goods) and rare species attractive for numerous amateur collectors are suffering the most. 160 species of mammals and birds alone were destroyed in the last 300 years. Any change in the environment triggered by the human activity negatively effects the economic, social life and people's health in the long run. For example, cutting down of the Carpathian forests resulted in catastrophic floods; construction of the cascade of water reservoirs on the Dniper river became a reason of disappearance of many valuable commercial fish species; over-grazing of the livestock in the steppe regions led to desertification, melioration - to acidification of soils, global atmosphere contamination triggered the greenhouse effect and acid rains and so on. Irrational activity makes replication and existence of many species of flora and fauna impossible. Therefore the necessity of the legislative, scientifically based regulation of this activity and of the protection of the species is evident. People have been making efforts to consciously restrict consumption since the pagan times. Examples of that are the taboos on killing totem animals and plants. Sacred forests were the prototypes of the modern protected areas, as well as forest parts restricted only for the prince's hunting, where hunting was strictly regulated. Later in the history similar restrictions were documented in different decrees of princes, tsars and kings. But it was only in the beginning of the ÕÕ century when people started to seriously consider the idea of nature protection. That was a time when the consumer attitude to the environment had an economic impact - the amounts of commercial species dropped. The development of biology and ecology sciences also influenced the attitude to environment. The notions of ecosystem and biosphere have appeared. Legislative documents and lists of endangered species were adopted, as well as resolutions on creation of protected areas and national parks - environment protection has become the business of the state. Now several types of protected areas exist, the most spread are reserves, national parks and preserves. The role of the reserves is saving ecosystems therefore any economic activity and the use of natural resources is completely prohibited on these areas. The biosphere reserves consist of a so called core (A), buffer zone (B, protects the core from the anthropogenic influence), zones for the ecosystem recreation with regulated economic activity and zones for the commercial use (C, anthropogenic landscapes). In total there are more than 10 thousand different protected areas around the globe. National parks usually posses huge areas and consist of zones similar to those of the biosphere reserves. Lots of types of commercial activity are prohibited in these parks. But most of the areas of the parks are open for public visiting and recreation. Some specific species of plants, animals or parts of the territory in different seasons or all year long are protected in preserves. Commercial activity is allowed here to the extent not harmful for protected objects. It has become clear with a time that protection of specific species within the specific areas is not very effective, and the whole ecosystem should be paid attention. Thus, international legislative documents started to be adopted - conventions on protection of the environment, quotas on the use of natural resources and on contamination of the environment. One of the global ideas of the last years is a proposal to unite all natural protected areas of different levels in one network due to creation of so called natural corridors. Besides there is number of lists of endangered species in the world: the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List of threatened species, Red lists of different regions, and lists-addendum to different conventions on environmental protection. The last edition of the Red List of Ukraine was issued in 1994 and is somewhat obsolete - currently the new edition is formed. Red List is an official document of international non-governmental and national state organisations, a list of animal and plant species, condition or future existence of which brings up concerns. Red List is not legally-binding and serves only as a basis for development of legislative acts. Its major role is to suggest the most effective methods for protection for each specific species. Ukraine has a number of environmental laws: "On natural reserves", "On fauna", "On flora", "On the state program of forming of the environmental network in Ukraine" and also the laws adopted in the result of joining different international conventions. For example, in compliance with the Bern Convention some new provisions on the hunting equipment were added to the Law of Ukraine "On hunting economies". Some new articles on the invasive species were introduced as well into the last edition of the Law "On the animal world". The recommendations on the protection of the Black Sea dolphins were developed. In compliance with the convention on trade of endangered wild animal and plant species the "Rules of the issue of approvals and certificates for importing and exporting of wild endangered species" were set up. The following international conventions are now in effect in Ukraine:

• Convention on biodiversity (R³î-då-Janeiro, 1992), ratified by Ukraine in 1994;
• Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats (Bern, 1979), ratified in 1996, came into force in 1999;
• Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) (1973), ratified in 1999, came into force in 2000;
• Convention on wetlands of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat (Ramsar, 1971), ratified in 1996;
• Bonn Convention on migratory species (1979) (Bînn, 1979), ratified in 1996, came into force in 1999;
• Agreement on the conservation of African-Eurasian migratory waterbirds (AEWA) (1996), ratified in 2002, came into force in the end of 2002;
• Agreement on the conservation of bats (1995), ratified in 1999, came into force in 2000.

Several international documents concerning the protection of biodiversity are planned to be in the focus of the V All-European Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" (Kiev, May 2003). One of them is a Protocol on strategic assessment of the use of natural resources along with several conventions - the Carpathian, the Caucasus and the Dniper and the Water initiative for the countries of Central Asia. Four of these documents have been developed within the process of development of the Mountain and Water initiatives, declared at the World Summit on sustainable development that took place this year in Johannesburg.

Facts

..Danube

..The protocol

..An alive fir tree

Danube Protected Area to Adopt a Ship-Canal?

The idea to construct a canal joining the Danube and the Black Sea in Bystry strait belongs to the Ministry of transport of Ukraine. The problem is that Bystry is situated in the zone A (highly protected) of the Danube biosphere reserve, where only scientific activity is allowed. This is what Alla Shevchuk, member of the Social-Ecological union, stated at the recent press-conference noting that the Ministry of transport would start the construction even without receiving a positive result of the state environmental expertise. The Danube reserve belongs to the UNESCO global network of the biosphere reserves and wetlands of the international importance according with the Ramsar Convention. Together with Romanian territories it represents a bipartite reserve "The Danube Delta" - one of five of the transborder natural reserves of the world. It is the last natural delta in Europe, which natural processes are especially evident on the Ukrainian territory. This is one of four reserves in Ukraine that meet international criteria. Thousands of flora and fauna species live here. 257 bird species, 40 of which belong to the Red List of Ukraine. The canal, which is to divide the most protected zone on two parts, will pose a considerable threat as the fragmentation negatively influences the life processes. Activity on the canal may result in oil spots and sound contamination of the delta. According to Olexander Voloshkevich, director of the Danube reserve, the population of sturgeons will be endangered as their spawning happens only here. Opponents of the construction also stress that the depth of the Bystry is not proper for the canal project. It will need to be deepened for additional cost and afterwards its depth will need to be continuously supported. Local community is against the construction because it may harm fishing, which forms local economies. The administration of the Danube reserve organized a trade of the reed to Western Europe, in which local community from the neighboring Vilkovo town is involved. Municipal authorities are also against the construction of the canal as the tourism is becoming more and more dynamic in the region - 4 thousand visitors came here last year. Scientists and environmentalists understand the usefulness of the canal "Danube - the Black Sea", but resolutely speak out against its construction. Representatives of the National Academy of sciences said at the press-conference that they are ready to help the Ministry of transport to find an alternative and more environment friendly option. Now there are already four of them. Representatives of environmental organisations expressed an opinion, that construction of the canal through Bystry will be negatively accepted by the international community. Decision on the construction should be first agreed by Romania, but according to the doctor of judicial sciences Natali Malysheva, Romania will reject the project. There is a number of other international documents that may stand on the way of construction - for example, Convention on Environment Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (ESPO). The final decision has not been yet made. All-Ukrainian conference of environmental NGOs sent a letter to the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and to the newly assigned Prime-Minister Viktor Yanukovych with a request to support opponents of the canal construction. Activists of the Social-Ecological Union are planning a picket against the construction by the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.

What is Within the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment?

The Protocol on strategic environmental assessment is one of the most important documents that will be discussed during the V Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" (May, 2003). Implementation of such a powerful mechanism will allow the public to define whether environmental decisions of the government deserve as much attention as social and economic. The Protocol focuses on public participation at the first stages of decision making and on informing about all issues concerning the preparation of political and legislative decisions within the document. The Protocol is complementing the Convention on on Environment Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context signed in 1991 in Espo (Finland). The idea of the Protocol was brought up in summer of 2000 during the meeting of parties to the Aarhus convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. Participants of the meeting concluded that the Aarhus convention alone is not enough to influence governmental decisions - its provisions a rather flexible and the Protocol had to tighten them. The Protocol became a part of the Espo Convention, because the Aarhus convention was not in force at that time.

An Alive Fir Tree for the New Year

The New Year is approaching, a holiday which main character is the Santa Claus with a fir tree as a symbol. According to the State committee on forestry, state enterprises are ready to provide about 4 million of New Year trees for sale, grown at special plantations and 1 million of trees from the forest sanitary activities. The proposed fir trees are of different kinds as they are grown on the area of more than 3 thousand hectares: 1400 hà - spruces, 1300 hà - pines, 450 hà - Crimean pines, about 10 hà -firs. All these trees of different sizes will be retailed at fir tree markets. Age of a 1-meter high tree is about five years, its price - 3 Hrivnas (a bit more that 50 cents). There is also a huge shadow market of fir trees, which according to the State committee is decreasing. In 2000 there were 5 thousand registered illegal cuttings, in 2001 - 3331 such cases. "Fines must have become a good threat (85 to 170 Hr for one tree plus 40 Hr. for the harm to environment)", states Viktor Ruban, the leading expert of the state forest protection department, "It is too early to make forecasts for this year. As in the previous years mobile inspection groups will start working on December. They will consist of the representatives of the Committee, environmental inspection and a militiamen". Poachers usually choose the best and the strongest fir trees what negatively influences the future of the forest. There are other consequences as well. Pines and spruces are evergreen trees and therefore absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen all year round. Their roots keep half sandy soils subject to erosion. Besides, these trees are a home for many creatures. Alternatives exist - one may use a fir tree in the yard for decoration, make a wreath out of tree branches or by an artificial fir tree. Now there is also a new option - to rent or to buy a fir tree in the pot. In spring it may be placed in the open environment.