Watchdog and advocacy activities for environmental protection

1. Watchdog and advocacy activities for environmental protection on the Nera River, in the border area between Romania and Serbia

2. 1) INTRODUCTIONIllegal logging of trees on the banks of the river Nera, which does not comply with forest regime, are common activities that occur in Romania and in Serbia also. In 2011, such of illegal felling took place in the area of Kusić and Vračev Gaj villages (Serbia) and in the area of Pârneaura, Lescoviţa and Câmpia villages (Romania). Trees, as poplar, alder, willow, etc. were cut from lands belonging of individuals, municipalities and water administration.

3. These trees are an important component of the common cross border ecosystem of Nera River, placed in the border area between Romania and Serbia, which hosts the habitat of many bird species. The area affected by the cutting of trees is located nearly of the Balta Nera – Dunăre nature reserve (Romania) and the Ramsar wetland area Labudovo Okno (Serbia), and deforestation phenomena have a negative impact on protection and conservation of the biodiversity.

4. Na teritorije Srbije, Nera je zajedno sa rekom Karaš "poslednji mohikanac " u Vojvodini , "neuređena" reka, na kojoj koje su se zahvaljujući prirodnom toku i periodičnom plavljenju prirodnih staništa (Livade, bare i šume) očuvale retke-zaštićene vrste biljaka i životinja i prioriteni tipovi njihovih staništa u Srbiji. Nera spaja Panonsku ravnicu i Karpate, što se vidi i po jedinstvenim šumama crne jove u Vojvodini, ali i po redovno zalutalim pastrmkama, koje prijavljuju Rumunski ribari nizvodno od ušća Nere. Zato je Nera izdvojena kao prekogranični ekololški koridor u Ekološkoj mreži Srbije, proglašenoj Uredbom od strane Vlade R Srbije

5. Nera Ecological Group Collaboration (GEC Nera) from Oravita and Aurora Association from Bela Crkva appreciated that illegal felling of trees taking place due to insufficient involvement of authorities from Romania and Serbia with direct responsibilities in the protection of the common ecosystem of the river Nera (as municipalities, border police, local police, authority of forest regime, environmental). For this reason the two NGOs have decided to cooperate to conduct activities related to identifying and punishing those responsible for illegal cutting of trees on the Nera river

6. 2) METHODOLOGYWatchdog and advocacy activities to increase the responsibility level of authorities with direct responsibilities in the protection of common ecosystem of the river Nera which was made consisted of: - Alternative environmental monitoring of the common ecosystem of the Nera river -Request for point of views from local and central authorities regarding to conclusions of alternative monitoring report. -Cooperation with local and central media in the goal of distribution of the alternative monitoring report and authorities' point of view.

7. Environmental alternative monitoring is an assessment of environmental factors and biodiversity practiced by civil society as individuals, groups of persons or nongovernmental organizations in order to provide local and central authorities responsible for environmental protection information alternative/complementary about status of environmental factors and biodiversity in areas that are permanent exposed to aggression from anthropogenic factors. Alternative environmental monitoring occurs as a reaction of civil society if the authorities fail to control sufficiently the phenomena of aggression on the environment and biodiversity.

8. The activity consists in collecting of information, which is perceived at the level of basic human senses, regarding to the status of environmental factors (water, air, soil) and biodiversity. Information is included by volunteers in specific monitoring form, used as currently in the volunteering center of GEC Nera.On Romanian territory, in September 2011 there were four activities of environmental alternative monitoring on the river Nera, on the length of 8 km, nearly of Pârneaura, Zlatita and Campia villages.

9. Aurora Association has provided to GEC Nera important information in relation to when and where illegal deforestation occurred on the Romanian territorz and this information has facilitated the work of GEC Nera volunteers. In late of September GEC Nera prepared a alternative monitoring report which confirms that was cut, as illegally, a number of 350 trees and was deforested an area of 7 ha. In October 2011 a team of GEC Nera volunteers made a visit to illegally deforested areas within the village Kusic.

10. Na teritorije Srbije, krajem septembra, nakon prve zabeležene seče stabala, kontaktirana je NVO iz Rumunije, GEC NERA, sa kojom smo imali intezivnu komunikaciju tokom svih ovih meseci, razmenjivali podatke sa terena i pokusavali da na osnovu tih podataka alarmiramo nadležne organe tj da se uspostavi jedna sinhronizovana akcija nadležnih službi Rumunije i Srbije. Državljani Srbije ilegalno su prelazili granicu tokom pustošenja šumskog pojasa i uništavali priobalje Nere i na Rumunskoj teritoriji, i saradnja pograničnih službi Rumunije i Srbije mogla je delimično da zaustavi pustošenje prirode. Nažalost do saradnje navedenih službi nije došlo uprkos apelima i obaveštenjima i pozivima GEC NERA i Udruženja Aurora.

11. Request for point of views from authorities On the Romanian territory, in early of October , the alternative monitoring report was sent to the Prefect of Caras – Severin County , Inspection for the forest regime, Socol City Hall, Local Police, Border Police of Caras – Severin County, Water Administration and Environmental Guard ,and under Law 544 / 2001privind free access to public information, was requested an opinion on the conclusions of the monitoring report. The Prefect of Caras – Severin County, which is representative of the government, demanded an investigation by authorities with direct responsibilities in the protection of common ecosystem of the river Nera. Octavian Ţunea - the prefect of Caraş-severin County Response of Caras-Severin Police Inspection

12. Investigation report was completed in November 2011 and was sent to GEC Nera. Conclusions of the report confirmed the conclusions of alternative monitoring conducted by GEC Nera. Based on the joint report conducted by the authorities, the Forest Inspectorate of Caras Severin notified the Police Inspectorate of Caras - Severin County, who did research six people and the report was sent to Moldova Noua Prosecution. Currently this issue has come to court and it is expected a sentence.

13. Na teritorije Srbije, konstantno su obaveštavani svih ovih meseci i podnošenje prijave sledećim državnim organima: -pogranična policija, lokalna samouprava, Vojvodina šume, Vode Vojvodine, Ministarstvo životne sredine, Sekretarijat za zaštitu životne sredine, Zavod za zaštitu prirode, republičke i pokrajinske inspekcije, opštinsko tužilaštvo u Vršcu.Januara je održan je sastanak na kome su prisustvovali predstavnici lokalne samouprave, Vojvodina Šuma, vodoprivrednog preduzeće Ušće, policije, Zavoda za zaštitu prirode ( direktorica), Udruženja Aurora i medija. Sastanak je održan sa ciljem da se zaustavi urušavanje eko sistema Nere, kao i Karaša i Malog peska. Na žalost, sastanak je protekao u prebacivanju odgovornosti bez nekih konkretnih rezultata, i pored toga što područje Nere i Karaša predstavljaju staništa strogo zaštićenih vrsta i deo su Ekološke mreže Srbije (Uredba o ekološkoj mreži - „Sl. Glasnik RS“, br. 102/2010

14. Cooperation with central and local media In the period of September - November 2011 the phenomenon of illegal cutting of trees on the river Nera was widely publicized in local and central media from Romania and Serbia. In Romania, GEC Nera delivered four press releases and made four investigations on this phenomenon together with TV and radio canals. The media pressure forced the authorities from Romania to act quickly in the goal to stop the phenomenon of illegal logging of trees on the river Nera.

15. Na teritorije Srbije Krajem septembra i početkom oktobra nakon izostanka bilo kakve reakcije na prosledjena obaveštenja, krenulo se sa opširnom medijskom kampanjom, pošto se seča stabala proširila na celi tok Nere u opštini B.Crkva a njen intezitet je svakodnevno rastao. Dobijali smo prijave od gradjanstva da dolazi i do ileglnog lova na zaštićene vrste ptica i da je nelegalni ribolov zabranjenim sredstvima uobičajena stvar.

16. Krajem oktobra u Beloj Crkvi snimana je TV emisija o uništavanju eko sistema Nere. Tokom snimanja emisije organizovano je bilo potpisivanje peticije za zaštitu Nere i našoj akciji pridružili su se aktivisti GEC NERA a nakon toga bili su naši vodiči u kanjonu Nere (Cheile Nerei) u Rumuniji.Tokom oktobra, novembra i decembra vodila se trostruka bitka: praćenje ilegalnih aktivnosti na terenu, obaveštavanje i pisanje prijava nadležnim organima i jaka medijska kampanja u nacionalnim medijima a ovaj slučaj pojavio se i u nemačkim i rumunskim medijima. Tokom novembra, stigla je i pritužba kancelariji Vojvodine u Briselu od strane nemačkih državljana, na „haos u Banatu“ tj uništavanju prirode u opštini B.Crkva.

17. 3. RESULTSIncreasing of responsiveness capacity of authorities to the phenomenon of illegal cutting of trees. This impact is an effect of following concrete results: - A criminal investigation fileson persons guilty of illegal logging, - Stopping for now of illegal logging of trees -Awareness by authorities of NGO potential to contribute to nature protection and conservation on the river Nera.

18. Na teritorije Srbije, glavni rezultat svih ovih aktivnosti je da je napokon pokrenuta priča o decenijskom uništavanju prirode u opštini B.Crkva.Otkriveno je da se godinama vrše nelegalne aktivnosti Priča o ovom slučaju objavljenja je u svim najvećim nacionalnim štampanim medijima (BLIC, Večernje novosti, PRESS, Kurir, Dnevnik) kao i na TV B92 info, TV Vojvodina, TV Banat i samim tim ovaj slučaj izazvao je pažnju na nacionalnom nivou.Uspostavljena je saradnja sa Zavodom za zaštitu prirode u N.Sadu. Ojačana saradnja sa GEC NERA. Aktiviralo se građanstvo povodom ovog problema. Učinjen je prvi korak ka zaustavljanju decenijskog uništavanja prirode u ovomkraju.

19. Prezentacija je urađjena od strane: dr.inž. Cornel Popovici Sturzapredsednik GEC NERAMilan Belobabićpredsednik udruženje AURORAFlorina Benghiaučitelj geografije, koordinator tim volontera AninaHvala Vam !