On April 18, Nature Protection Law Monitoring Initiative representatives held a meeting on the Draft Law of Preserving the Nature and Biodiversity with the Environment Commission of the Parliament and representatives of Forest and Water Affairs Ministry
The participants’ including the Turkish Env.net Team’s demands were as follows:
CSO inclusion in the Biodiversity and Nature Protection Committee,
elimination of the 2 year limit for reevaluation of protected areas,
protection of special environmental protection zones and wildlife development sites, inclusion of protection and usage principles,
readjustment of ecological impact assessment.
The Law is expected to come to the parliament in the second half of 2016. TEMA Foundation will be closely monitoring the process.
The European Commission has initiated a survey to gather evidence on how the Natura 2000 network contributes to ecosystem restoration. Those involved in ecosystem restoration actions or with information about restoration work within Natura 2000 sites are requested to participate in the survey, including experts working within the framework of LIFE projects. Responses should be completed by 15 April 2016.
This questionnaire is a part of a wider data-gathering effort for the study ‘Technical support in relation to the promotion of restoration in the context of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020’, which is reporting to the Commission. The aim is to develop a better understanding of what is happening in relation to ecosystem restoration activities across the EU, in different Member States, for different sectors, and for different types of habitat.
22nd April, 2016, International Mother Earth Day: To mark and celebrate 22nd April, the International Mother Earth Day, Macedonian ENV.net team, together with Vila Zora and other local CSOs from Veles organised a social event that brought together more than 200 citizens. The event aimed to raise awareness on the key challenges: environmental pollution and weather (climate) changes as a result of our joint negligence, and to draw our attention on the screaming message that Mother Earth is sending to us that it is high time to take action.
“Plastic bags-NO thank you” was logo of campaign “Think globally, act locally” in Veles, supported by ENV net and EU. Our idea was to educate citizens to use cotton, not plastic bags, for protection of environment, human health and spend money. Vila Zora members and 4x4x4 Balkan Bridges as an ENV.net partner for Macedonia gave / exchange more than 500 cotton bags to citizens in Veles. In common celebration participate EA “Eko zivot – Life” from Kavadarci member of the Green Platfrom Macedonia.
The Balkan Green Foundation (BGF), in collaboration with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the European Office in Kosovo/EUSR, organized a high-level regional conference to discuss matters regarding sustainable development, climate change, and Western Balkan countries pathway towards Europe. ATRC participated in the conference.
The conference tackled energy, climate change, and environmental policies, in the context of the Western Balkans. Specific focus is afforded to national strategies on energy and climate change, targets and obligations within the Energy Community Treaty, and the potential of a liberalized energy market. Ministers of the Environment and Energy/Economic Development from the region presented their commitments for the abovementioned topics, especially with regard to the Paris agreement.
Additionally, representatives of the European Commission and other EU institutions addressed achievements and what path each country should undertake towards a sustainable energy policy. High-level representatives of agencies working on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Secretariat of the Energy Community Treaty, and IFIs, highlighted the targets, commitments, achievements, and joint means of financing environmentally friendly energy projects throughout the region.
The conference was organized in three panels. First Panel – The Aftermath of the Paris Agreement: perspectives from the Western Balkans and the EU; Second Panel – The Western Balkans 6 Connectivity Agenda: Regional market, An Integrated Solution; Third Panel – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources.
Albania signed the Global Agreement for Climate. Albania is not an industrialized country and its gas emissions do not reach even the allowed level. However, Albania has joint the historical agreement of 175 countries signed at United Nations “Paris Agreement” on Climate Change. The agreement is a legal global binding on climate change, where signing countries agreed to lower emissions of green house gases and to keep increase of temperature under to 2 degrees due to climate change.
The second round of sub-grantee of ENV.net project for grass -root organization in Albania was closed in 13th of April. 7 NGOs were invited to participate in the restricted call Green Initiatives toward complying with EU environmental standards. From 6 proposals delivered, only two of them were awarded.
The first project was awarded to NGO Eco-Movement “The collection and management of rainwater in the garden” . The projects aims to ensure sustainable water supply, reduce cost of water bill in the kindergarten No. 31 in Tirana, promote green technologies, through this pilot project. The project will monitor water management in kindergarten no.31, the standard water consumption; a green technology project will be designed and implemented in the kindergarten, followed by staff training and promotion of the project.
The second project was awarded to NGO Milieukontakt “Coordinated management of Coastal Waters in Vlora Region”. The project aims, first to establish collaboration between local and central government towards monitoring and protection of coastal waters in terms of quality, and second to support the responsible authorities to set up a coordination mechanism to comply with EU Water Quality Directives. The project will be implemented in Vlora Region and will directly involve representatives of institutions and different stakeholder that deal with coastal management. A research study on Institutional framework on water management, in general and coastal waters in specific will be delivered; a memorandum of understanding between central and local institutions for coastal water management and monitoring will be prepared and signed by target group; an action plan with concrete steps for each institutions to undertake for a better coordinated management of coastal waters will be prepared.
As a part of the ENV.net project, “Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development” organized the training session: “CSO Participation in Accession Process” which was held on April 8, 2016 in Belgrade . The course was attended by over 20 participants. On the subject of strengthening the role of CSOs invited speakers were: Andjelka Mihajlov, representative of the Negotiating Team 27, Jelena Pajovic van Reenen, representative of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society, Natasa Djereg, CEKOR, National Convention on the EU, Mirko Popovic, Belgrade Open School: Coalition 27, and Hristina Stevanovic-Carapina, Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development. The main conclusions of the meeting were that the environment is not a priority for the Republic of Serbia and therefore the environmental civil society organizations face a problem of providing funds for their activities, and that stronger civil society can be achieved through more intense sharing of opinions and initiatives ( for example, initiatives related Post-screening document implementation).
Turkish Env.net partner TEMA foundation organised a three day comprehensive training in İstanbul, for 32 local NGO representatives from all around Turkey, on the weekend between 8 and 10 April 2016. The training covered a wide range of topics from fundraising and effective communication to nature conservation principles and legal advocacy. Saturday afternoon of the training was organised by the Env.net team in TEMA foundation and covered the topics on legal advocacy and effective local activism.
As part of the Env.net component of the training, Omer Aykul (the legal advisor of TEMA Foundation and expert in environmental law), talked about the constitutional right to the nature as a human right and how it can be used as a legal advocacy tool in local environmental struggles. He then gave a short presentation on the current EIA legislation and problems related to the current regulations. He emphasised the important points that can help local communities in their struggles, such as important deadlines.
After Omer Aykul, the head of the environmental policy department of TEMA foundation, Ozgul Erdemli Mutlu gave a presentation on the strategies of effective activism. She talked about the non-legal advocacy tools such as how to organise an online campaign, how to mobilise local communities and neighbourhood, how to communicate effectively with local and national press.
The env.net session was concluded by the presentation of the Env.net project coordinator Cem İskender Aydın, who talked briefly about the Env.net project and the recent works completed within the project. He also presented the new participative mapping tool for the “Map of threats to the water resources in Turkey” and how local communities can directly put their cases on the map.
In realization of the event “Green action in Veles”, the organiser, Vila Zora, Veles and the ENV.net team from Macedonia, included kindergarten children and pupils from all elementary schools in Veles.
The action was organized in the courtyard of the kindergarten “Dimche Mirchev,” where the youngest, together with the organizers and representatives of the local government planted trees to celebrate days of the ecology
On 21st of March, 2016, in Veles, Vila Zora, in cooperation with the ENV.net team from Macedonia, organised a social event, titled “Tour de Veles”.
Over 200 hundred citizens, young and adults, with a bicycle procession on the city streets of Veles marked March 21, the first day of spring and ecology. The aim was to send a message to their co-citizens for a more frequent use of this means of transport, which is health-friendly and is the most acceptable for the environment.
However, for greater use of bicycles as a means of transport it is necessary to ensure appropriate conditions for a safer use of bicycles for going to work or school. The organisers of this event, the environmental organization “Vila Zora” from Veles, sub-grantee of ENV.net project, and the ENV.net team from Macedonia, used this opportunity to (again) demand local authorities to undertake action for constructing bicycle lanes in Veles.
The event was extensively covered, by the local media, both printed and electronic.
As part of the Env.net component of the training, Omer Aykul (the legal advisor of TEMA Foundation and expert in environmental law), talked about the constitutional right to the nature as a human right and how it can be used as a legal advocacy tool in local environmental struggles. He then gave a short presentation on the current EIA legislation and problems related to the current regulations. He emphasised the important points that can help local communities in their struggles, such as important deadlines.
After Omer Aykul, the head of the environmental policy department of TEMA foundation, Ozgul Erdemli Mutlu gave a presentation on the strategies of effective activism. She talked about the non-legal advocacy tools such as how to organise an online campaign, how to mobilise local communities and neighbourhood, how to communicate effectively with local and national press.
The env.net session was concluded by the presentation of the Env.net project coordinator Cem İskender Aydın, who talked briefly about the Env.net project and the recent works completed within the project. He also presented the new participative mapping tool for the “Map of threats to the water resources in Turkey” and how local communities can directly put their cases on the map.
