1. Waste and resource management in
connection to nature protection
Bohdan Prots
WWF Danube Carpathian Programme

2. WWF’s Mission
to build a future in which people live in harmony with
nature.
To achieve this mission, we will work to:
conserve biodiversity
reduce humanity’s ecological footprint; and ensure the
sustainable use of natural resources to support current and
future generations.
12 October 2012 - 2

3. 12 October
2012 - 3

4. Developing of WWF-Central Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE)
from global to regional network
Austria Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary
Pop: 8.4 million Pop: 10.1 million Pop: 5.4 million Pop: 9.9 million
GDP (PPP): $332 billion (2010) GDP (PPP): $261.3 billion (2010) GDP (PPP): $120.2 billion (2010) GDP (PPP): $187.6 billion (2010)
GDP/capita: $40,400 (2010) GDP/capita: $25,600 (2010) GDP/capita: $22,000 (2010) GDP/capita: $18,800 (2010)
Ukraine
Pop: 45.1 million
GDP (PPP): $305.2 billion (2010)
GDP/capita: $6,700 (2010)
Moldova
Pop: 4.3 million
GDP (PPP): $10.99 billion (2010)
GDP/capita:$2,500 (2010)
Slovenia Serbia Bulgaria Romania
Pop: 2 million Pop: 7.3 million Pop: 7 million Pop: 21.9 million
GDP (PPP): $56.58 billion (2010) GDP (PPP): $80.1 billion (2010) GDP(PPP): $96.78 billion (2010) GDP(PPP): $254.2 billion (2010)
GDP/capita: $28,200 (2010) GDP/capita: $10,900 (2010) GDP/capita:$13,500 (2010) GDP/capita: $11,600 (2010)

5. We look forward to working with you.
Over 170 people of staff!
The WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme gratefully acknowledges funding support from the European Commission. The contents
of this publication are the sole responsibility of WWF and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
Visit us: http://www.panda.org/dcpo, /bulgaria, /romania, /serbia, /ukraine, www.wwf.at, www.wwf.de, www.wwf.hu, www.wwf.pl

6. In 2007, the Footprint exceeded the Earth’s biocapacity by 50%

7. Where are the Impacts?
We are living beyond our means…
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8. Worrying trends
Since 1970, 60% decline in the tropical Living Planet Index

9. ‘It takes a new way of thinking to solve the problems that we created by the old way of
thinking’

10. Use less, waste less…
WWF CLIMATE GROUP
energy saving campaign
© iStockphoto

11. EU phosphates ban
paying off for the Danube
© iStockphoto

12. Celebrities join
2,200 people to
clean Bulgaria’s
Nature Parks
.
© WWF

13. Bulgarian parks day

14. EU Resource Efficiency
Directive

15. More Business, More Jobs, More Nature
Nowadays the nature protection cannot be effective without
sustainable business
These treasures present the region’s competitive advantage and
a unique opportunity for the region’s development.
Some of the opportunities are obvious, and some can draw on
centuries of previous experience, though with a modern twist.

16. Protected areas
A bonanza of protected areas in Ukraine
In Ukraine, 29 protected areas were established over the course of
2009, increasing national coverage to 669,000 ha, or some 5.5% of
the national territory. Additional areas were protected by regional
governments, including valuable riverine forests in northwestern
Ukraine, the “jungles” of Transcarpathia, which have been a long-
standing focus for WWF’s protection efforts.

17. Continue loss of biodiversity despite number of Pas increases, doing too less,
we need to double % of PAs in UA Carpathians

18. Green Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains are
Europe’s last great wilderness
area – a bastion for large
carnivores, with over half of the
continent’s populations of
bears, wolves and lynx, and
home to the greatest remaining
reserves of old growth forests
outside of Russia.
© WWF DCPO

19. Plastic bottles pollution as a serious threat for nature
Starts from UA Carpathian mountains (Tereblya river bank)

20. Spreads through Tisza to the Ukrainian-Hungarian Border

22. Creates plastic debris in riverine forests near Chop
(Regional Landscape Park “Prytysianskyi”)

23. Stopped in Tokaj, Hungary

24. Sound of plastic in a hot day…Did you hear that?
Accumulation of plastic in natural habitats is raising

25. Strong impact of garbage pollution in natural habitats on rare biodiversity
15 years of monitoring
Biodiversity hotspots
Garbage polluted area
Significant loss of biodiversity

26. Situation in UA Carpathians
• Mountain villages of UA Carpathians have got no effective system of garbage
collection and sorting; garbage continue to accumulate wildly in natural
ecosystems (mainly along rivers).
• One time garbage collection actions are useful but not effective till the system
is introduced (Rachiv, Bukovel)
• Protected area can not be fully functional till area is clean, tourists does not
like to have recreation in polluted environment, UA tourism industry loosing
the customers each day;
• Old way of thinking effects the garbage sorting (water will wash away), still
more people, which neglects than people than cares; economic situation
effects people and their behavior in relation to nature (Krushelnytsia case)
• Land ownership problems for mountain river areas (rivers belongs to
nobody?)
• Touristic paths should not have the garbage bins but must be strongly
supported on carrying garbage with them and putting into final destination bin
(impact large carnivores etc)

27. Steps needed
•Economic government support for mountain villages on
garbage sorting as emergency need; introduction for each
village separate system but within regional framework
•Introduction in management plans of Pas the
management of plastic; using new conservation
management approaches like participative management
(garbage is a part of agreement);
•Law enforcement on land/garbage and awareness raising
improvement on garbage sorting;
•Introduction of regional waste sorting plants for tourist
destination areas as first step
12 October 2012 - 27

28. Thank you very much!