Project “Transformation” – Fight against corruption in Nature Protection

On 27.11.2015. association Green Osijek and project partners Faculty of Law Osijek and Associations ZEON, PAN and WWF Osterreich started a two year project named „Transformation – New code of practice management of NATURA 2000 and protected areas.“ Areas of research are protected areas located in Osijek – baranja county, Vukovarsko- srijemska county, Virovitičko- podravska county, Koprivničko-križevačka county, Varaždinska county, Medjimurska county and Karlovačka county and also icludes sites within ecological network NATURA 2000 and protected areas with four international rivers Kupa, Mura, Drava and Danube. The project is co-financed by European Union within IPA – Transition Assistance and Institution Building Component.

The main project priorities will be strengthen civil society in the use of legal tools and the best practice of local and national authorities in the responsible use of nature, encouraging the institutions responsible for the nature resources management for transparency work and suporting international cooperation and encouraging public participation as a basis for open management and the fight against corruption in natural resources which is ultimately the main objective of this project.

Focus in the first phase of project will be on analysis of existing practies regarding the awarding of concessions, implementation of public procurement, transparency and the management of protected natural areas and building the capacity of civil society organizations.

Planned project activities: establishment of legal clinics, development of new curriculum practice and work on specific cases for the students of the Osijek Law University. Making photomonography, seminars and round tables where people will discuss about further education and better public awareness of the importance of participation and afterwords encourage public bodies to intersectoral cooperation and transparent work.

Dynamic economic growth, low levels of natural resource management, infrastructure investments and climate change have led to the destruction of many natural habitats and the reduction of biodiversity in Europe. New EU policy is focused at the importance of protecting natural values ​​and define the basic guidelines to combat today present problems. However, nature protection issues are not addressed only for the new regulations and frameworks .

Although protected by the stated levels of protection , these areas are under constant pressure from unsustainable modes of use, illegal landfills , excavation of sediment and other activities that in the long term harms the ecosystem. Court proceedings related to illegal activities in protected areas and presence of corruption are proof of how serious these problems are.

Intersectoral cooperation, inclusion of independent experts,citizens and organizations in the process of management of protected natural areas is the basic assumption in the fight against corruption and to ensure the basic principles of sustainable management of protected natural values. Exactly that is the importance of long-term cooperation between the Associations and the Faculty of Law, which officially began with this project in order to build interdisciplinary skills for monitoring public participation, transparency and efficiency of local government management of natural resources.

09-03-2016