General introduction to the CEE region
Although there are substantial differences
in the state of the environment in different CEE countries
some general similarities can be found due to the similar
political and economical backgrounds. The political changes
of 1989-1991 resulted in economic changes in the region
which have had a great influence on environmental policy.
Land-use
changes and a decline in industrial production are two of
the major outcomes of these changes. Although there has
been a considerable reduction in the emissions of pollutants,
degradation of the environmental still continues. The two
major environmental policies set by governments are air
pollution control and the protection of water resources
(reference).
Economic
and land-ownership changes have caused the movement of a
large number of people from the countryside to towns and
cities. This has resulted in small fragmented areas of abandoned
agricultural land which can be invaded by weeds and exotic
species, which often also colonize natural habitats. The
treatment of these areas can often be problematic for the
local environmental protection agencies.
In recent
years, extremely high and uneven precipitation in combination
with the poor state of dams have caused major floods causing
serious damage in the region. The soil erosion caused by
forest felling in catchment areas of major rivers, the over-regulation
of the rivers and the building up of floodplains have also
contributed to these environmental disasters.
There
are numerous protected areas and national parks in the CEE
region, and their numbers have increased in the past decade
due to new environmental policies. However, the designation
of protected areas is not, unfortunately, a guarantee of
their success because:
1. most protected areas
are under heavy pressure, and in some cases their natural
state declines due to both external threats and lack of
management resources;
2. pressure from visitors
is causing too big a strain on many protected areas, a great
deal still remains to be done to make sure that park-based
tourism is sustainable;
3. there is still considerable
pressure to privatize state-owned land in protected areas
in former communist countries;
4. more investment in
the management and extension of protected areas is needed.
Further
details for the four main countries of the CEE regional
programme are available through the links below:
Additional
details are also available from the CEE regional implementation
plan report.
References
Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO)
2000: Environmental Statistical Data of Hungary, Pomázi
I. & Szabó E.(eds.): Environmental Indicators
of Hungary 2000. Ministry for the Environment, Budapest,
2000
Nagyhazi,
Gy.& Perjes, T. 1998: Requirements and Framework for
Environment and Transport Telematics, Country Report: Hungary.
Regional Environmental Center
Regional
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)
UNEP
GRID ENRIN Biodiversity for Central and Eastern Europe web
page
