Description
The project objective is to perform monitoring of selected Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection (Białystok, Olsztyn, Rzeszów) in voivodeships with valuable natural sites. Selected areas of activities of RDEPs will be examined: exemptions from regulations on species protection, approvals for tree falling, approvals for wind farm building, proceedings on environmental damages, preparation of planning documents for protected areas. We will monitor the compliance with legally binding deadlines for procedures. In selected RDEPs discussion panels will be organised. As a result of the project, a report will be prepared, in particular for the use by the Supreme Audit Office, Ministry of Environment, and the General Directorate for Environmental Protection. Main problems of regional directorates will be diagnosed. Persons implementing the project will play the role of advocates of regional directorates in their dialogue with supervisory institutions to improve their activities.
Summary of project results
The Regional Environmental Protection Directorates (REPD) were created for natural environment protection, but in many cases they fail to operate in line with the existing legal regulations, as witnessed by their overruled decisions and reports from the Supreme Audit Office (NIK report of 9.09.2013 on Implementation of tasks by REPD). The aim of the project was to enhance the quality of REPD operations and decisions on environmental protection through diagnosing the most important problems and their possible solutions that are realistic from REPD perspective. Three REPD were monitored (Białystok, Olsztyn and Rzeszów) in voivodeships where especially valuable natural areas are situated. Monitored and/or joined by us in the role of a party were the following proceedings: 61 concerning exceptions to prohibitions related to protected animals and fungi; 49 concerning cutting roadside trees; 6 concerning building of wind farms. We participated in preparation of 25 planning documents for natural reserves and areas Nature 2000. 68 independent expert opinions and materials on nature were prepared. Many decisions were questioned, and necessary documentation and alternative solutions to the questioned decisions were presented. The final report sums up the effectiveness of implementation of tasks by REPD in the field of environmental protection, and also contains statistical analysis of their decisions. Two meetings with the monitored REPD were organised to sum up the project and discuss conclusions, recommendations, problems and their possible solutions, as well as two meetings with supervising bodies in order to present proposals for legislative amendments and comments and conclusions from the monitoring. The Internet page and the Facebook profile
www.facebook.com/dzikiwschodorg/ present implemented activities, information on questionable activities concerning environmental protection, and remind about the opportunities for participating in social consultations. The activities benefited workers of REPDs covered by the project, and through making REPD activities more effective also their supervisory bodies, naturalists, citizens as recipients of nature. The partner participated in all monitoring activities, in particular those concerning protected species.
Summary of bilateral results