EU Environmental approximation in the WB

and Turkey- ETNAR Conference

Natural resources policy analysis in CroatiaHrvoje Radovanović, Marko Košak

Zelena akcija / FoE Croatia

Palic, September 24th to 26th

2013

Legal framework

LAW YES or NO

Nature protection YES

Water protection YES

Forests YES

Agricultural land YES

Agriculture law YES

Law on soil protection (regulation) YES

Law on GMOs YES

Environmental law YES

Sea protection YES

EIA (regulation) YES

SEA (regulation) YES

IPCC (transposed into Croatian legislation through other laws and regulations) YES

Legal framework

• Nature Protection Act still isn’t harmonised with the EU Habitats Directive; The Water Act still isn’t in compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive; also, some terms used in the Act are not defined, and some of them need additional clarification so future versatile interpretation can be avoid; sediment extraction from riverbeds is still favoured which will lead inevitably to further deterioration of river ecosystems in Croatia

• implementation of all acts linked to the natural resources has still not reached the European level

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• From the aspect of biodiversity, Croatia

is one of the richest European countries • Large number of endemic species• The number of known species is around

38,000, while the estimated number is from 50,000 to more than 100,000.

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• Despite the high biodiversity of Croatia, many

of its components are threatened • The red list of threatened species lists 2,235

threatened taxa • The greatest threats to wild species in Croatia

include: the destruction and loss of habitat , habitat fragmentation, overexploitation, tourism, intensive agriculture, pollution of water, soil and air, and the introduction of alien species.

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• Forests and forest land cover 47.5% of

Croatian territory (2.688.687 ha)• Wery well preserved and natural in

composition• 81% of forests are state-owned• Majority of state-owned forests are managed

by the public company Hrvatske šume (95.8%)• Among the private owners small owners

predominate (less than 100 ha)

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• Forests managed by Hrvatske šume are

exploited sustainably (5,8 million m3 annual yield vs. 8 million m3 annual increment)

• Last year HŠ generated around 2.8 million EUR of profit

• 70% of raw materials are sold to domestic wood industry by way of long-term contracts, while the rest is sold through domestic and foreign bids.

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• The main threats to forests in Croatia are:

pollution of air, soil and water, changes in water regime due to inadequate water-management activities, construction of roads through large forest complexes, forest fires, mines left after the last war (still some 48,000 ha of mine suspicious areas), different forest pests and plant diseases

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• A total of 420 protected areas• Protected areas account for 8,19% of the total area of RH

(11,61% of the terrestrial territory and 1,97% of territorial sea)

• The Nature Protection Act prescribes that all strict and special nature reseves, national, nature and regional parks and significant landscapes must have management plans

• Currently, management plans for 4 national parks and 3 nature parks have been adopted, those for 3 additional nature parks are in the process of public discussion, while those for further 4 national parks and 4 nature parks are in the process of being made

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• National ecological network was proclaimed in

in October 2007• Croatia's National Ecological Network

covers 47% of the terrestrial land area and 39% of the marine territory, in addition to two corridors: the sea turtle corridor and the Palagruža-Lastovo-Pelješac corridor (important for bird migrations)

Biodiversity, Forests and Protected areas• SINP has drafted the proposal for Natura 2000 network

in Croatia • The presence of 222 Natura 2000 species and 73

habitat types was determined, including some priority species such as the wolf, brown bear, sea turtles, adriatic sturgeon and the olm

• Croatia has requested for amendments of Annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive for certain species and habitat types which are specific for Croatia and neighbouring countries

Agriculture

• Agricultural land: 23,43% (13260,83 km2) of land area

Land use in Croatia, 2012

• Organic farms: 2,42% (320,36 km2) of agricultural land

• Networks of organic farmers: Croatian organic farmers association, Dalmatian organic farmers association “DALMACIJA EKO”, Istrian organic farmers association “Istrian eko-product”, “Ecologica” Zagreb, “Eko Liburnia” Rijeka etc. 

GMO legislation and limitation: Act on Genetically Modified Organisms (2005); limit imports of food containing genetically modified organisms Number of organic farms by counties in Croatia, 2008

Freshwaters and Sea

• Major river basins: Adriatic (38%, Black Sea (62%)• Rivers: Sava(23 243 km2), Kupa(10 032 km2), Drava 6 038(km2), Lonja-Trebeš(5 944

km2)etc.• Lakes: Vransko(30,7 km2), Dubravsko(17,1 km2) Peruča (artificial)(13,0 km2) etc.• Wetlands: Lonjsko polje(506,5 km2), Kopački rit (177 km2) etc.

• WFD in correlation with national legislation:• EU-Twinning Project “Building and Development of Guidelines for the

Implementation of Water Framework Directive” with Germany and Netherlands

• The Water Act still isn’t in compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive; f.e. sediment extraction from riverbeds is still allowed which will lead inevitably to further deterioration of river ecosystems in Croatia

• River Basin management plans: were integrated in document “Building and Development of Guidelines for the Implementation of Water Framework Directive”

• Firms for bottled water: Jamnica,Prima,Podravka

• Total production of bottled water: about 360 million liters of water annually

• Imported bottled water: about 19 million liters of bottled water annually; main import

partners: Bosnia and Herzegovina (95%), Slovenia, Italy, France, Hungary  • Exported bottled water:

about 25 millions liters of bottled water annually (Jamnica 90%); main export partners: Bosnia and Herzegovina (about 70%), Hungary,

Serbia, Slovenia, USA, Romania • How drinkable is water:• Among 188 countries only Norway and Iceland are richer with water

supplies than Croatia• Croatia has 32 818 cubic meters of annual renewable fresh water per

capita and is one of the 30 richest countries in the world • Croatia is among the few countries that guarantee and provide drinking

water to its citizens via public water supply• About 80 percent of the population has access to water from public

water supply• Croatia provides about 90 percent of water from groundwater supplies

• Total sea area: 31 067 km2 • % of protected marine area:

3,9% (1 211,06 km2)Major problems:

• fishery:- the protected fishing zone problem (illegal activities under no control)- excessive fishing (especially of small pelagic fish)- renewal of the fleet, which is old and unsuitable • industry:- salt industry - misunderstanding of state institutions (no subvetions)• shipbuilding:- overdue, insolvent, unprofitable, with no plan for restructuring- import of raw materials - poor quality and unskilled labor • tourism: - strong seasonal concentration of tourism traffic - illegal construciton 

Case study

NATURE PROTECTION ACT- adopted with minimal possibility of public participation

Some crucial objections :1. Ecological networkNatura 2000 covers a much smaller area of the territory than the ecological network, which means that many areas of national importance are going to be excluded from the procedure of impact assessment of strategies, plans, programs and projects.

2. Management of economic activities in protected areas The new Act doesn’t define clear legal mechanism for regulation of commercial fisheries and management of marine resources in protected areas. 3. Public participationIf public participation is defined in the Act during the main assessment in the Ecological network impact assessment, than it also needs to be defined during the screening of the Ecological network, what the new Act doesn’t define.4. The Nature Protection Act doesn’t deal with ICCA areas ("Indigenous peoples' conserved territories and community conserved areas" - areas preserved by the efforts of indigenous peoples and communities)