The role of Bavarian NGOs in protecting the environment along River Danube as part of the projects of Danube Strategy (Abstract)

The southeast strategic direction and the importance of the Danube region has been present in the German political thinking for centuries. This thanks not only to the pass of the River Danube in Southern Germany, but also to the vacuum of power in the area in the past and the presence of German ethnic groups. Due to the changing German interests in Southeast Europe, today the Danube Strategy of the European Union could define a new policy which base not only on state interests but on the determinate role of NGOs and ’bottom-up’ initiations. According to the ’bottom-up’ principle – the idea of European Commission – there are many proposals which come from the local players.

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Proposed Flood Protection Measures

Perceived change in climate over the world begins to be negatively felt in our geographical latitudes, too. Increasing global surface temperature, extreme temperature differences in a short period cause so far unprecedented progress of the weather: dry periods with deficient rainfall are followed by periods of excessive rainfall that is impossible to be absorbed and accumulated by the surface, which causes hydrological cycle disruption in nature. More and more often there occur such rainfalls: in small river basins enormous amount of water fall to the ground and runs down unrestrainedly over surface into watercourses causing so-called flash floods with inconceivable material and moral consequences.

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About the Ecology of the Navigation Link the Black Sea – the North Sea

By JCKole on Flickr. Source: Fotopedia. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

In the neighbourhood of the Black Sea – North Sea navigation waterway a very important industrial activity has developed, of high influence on national gross product (NGP) of the respective countries. The risk of nature degradation is included in the polluting factors which result from the main categories of the social activity: material production (organic and inorganic wastes, chemical ashes, scrap iron, damaged grounds, deforestation etc.), energy production (carbon dioxide, carbon oxide, sulphur dioxide, ashes, radio-active wastes etc.), consumption (dust, worn waters, garbage etc.). In order to express the wastes quantity due to the economical activity in a certain national economy or in a certain economic-social area, the input-output model can be used when considering “m” branches of goods production and (n-m) wastes generated by these branches (n m).

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Uloga ekološkog obrazovanja u zaštiti i unapređivanju životne sredine

Prirodna sredina našla se pod uticajem energije razorne moći, zastarele i prljave tehnologije, nekontrolisanog saobraćaja, trke u naoružanju, ratnih dejstava, diverzantsko- terorističkih aktivnosti i drugih štetnih uticaja, koji osetno narušavaju ravnotežu prirode i ugrožavaju životnu sredinu. To nameće potrebu kontinuiranog obrazovanja i vaspitanja u funkciji zaštite životne sredine.U ovom radu dat je prikaz mesta ekologije u našem obrazovanju,od obaveznog do visokoškolskog. Ovo je pokušaj da se izdvoje nastavni predmeti u kojima su zastupljeni ekološki sadržaji. Pošto ekologija kao poseban nastavni predmet nije zastupljen u obaveznom obrazovanju, dat je pregled nastavnih predmeta i aktivnosti kroz koje se izučavaju ekološki sadržaji. Prikazani su i nastavni predmeti u srednjoškolskom obrazovanju u kojima su zastupljeni ekološki sadržaji, po područjima rada i pojedinim obrazovnim profilima. Predstavljeno je i visokoškolsko obrazovanje gde ekologija ima značajno mesto.

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The Role of Ecology Education in Environmental Protection and Advancement (Abstract)

The environment is currently under the influence of destructive energy, dated and faulty technology, uncontrolled traffic, arms race, military actions, acts of sabotage and terrorism and other harmful influences that noticably disturb natural balance and harm the natural environment. All that imposes the need for continuous education and upbringing in order to protect the environment. In this paper there is the survey of the place of ecology in our education, from the compulsory to university education. The school subjects with ecology contents are mentioned. Since ecology is not a special subject in compulsory education there is the review of the school subjects and activities in which the ecological contents are studied. The school subjects in high school education with ecological contents are reviewed according to areas of work and specific educational profiles. The review of university education where ecology has a significant place is also given.

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Roman Limes: Frontier line of the Roman Empire in the Iron Gate area

Relief depicting the bridge on the Danube

The Djerdap, or Iron Gate region encompasses the banks of the Danube from Golubac (Roman Cuppae) to the mouth of the river Timok (Roman Timacus) with its immediate hinterlands. In this region for millions of years the Danube cut its way through the rocky massif of the Transylvanian Carpathians, forming not only the largest but also one of the most beautiful river gorges in Europe. Between the river and the mountains of Homolje, Miroc, and Deli Jovan on its south bank, the space available for human habitation is very limited. In some parts of the Danube gorge, there are many submerged reefs, rapids and cataracts, while in the Great and Small Gorges in the middle of the canyon, the Danube is the deepest river in Europe. In antiquity the river often froze during severe winters, making crossings very easy during those periods. From the end of the Gorge, at the Roman castellum Diana, to the mouth of the Timok river, the Danube again becomes a broad and smooth flowing stream with numerous islands and sandbars. Inland from its banks, endless plains, fields, and forests spread. in this Iron Gate region, which is some 120 Roman miles long, some of the oldest cultures connected with the origins of European civilization developed. The river also separated two worlds which, most of the time from the prehistoric period to the Middle Ages, were in opposition to one another. From the north side of the river arose problems and threats to the peoples occupying the south bank, and it also happened that it was on this stretch of the river that the Roman empire steadfastly defended the integrity of its borders for four long centuries.

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Role of CSOs to support regional initiatives in implementation of EU directives in the Danube Region and Western Balkan countries

pregled proizvodnje, uvoza i izvoza azbesta u zemljama Zapadnog Balkana

Number of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Western Balkans is growing rapidly year by year. Civil society is vital pillar in a general shift towards more transparent and accountable society. Progressive policies indispensably involve civic participation as essential element for creation of sustainable local environment. Cooperation between national governments (or their institutions and agencies) and civil society is growing year by year. It is projected that cooperation will strengthen in the future in areas addressing environmental priorities indicating challenges and improvements in fields such as energy efficiency, waste management, climate change, sustainable transportation, water protection, food safety, sustainable consumption, public health. Social entrepreneurship and green economy is on the agenda of many CSOs in South-East Europe as a high priority for possible path in economic empowerment.

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Regional Cooperation within the Sava Commission for Sustainable Development of B&H – Conclusion

Most na Savi kod Brčkog

The Sava River Basin represents a major drainage basin in the South Eastern Europe and one of the most important sub-basins in the Danube River Basin, with a high potential for development activities such as the waterway transport, tourism and recreation. The Sava River represents a unique ecosystem with high a biodiversity providing habitat for the most diverse fauna and flora. In the Sava River Basin occur 167 protected area including Natura 2000 sites and six Wetlands of International Importance, so-called Ramsar Sites. Wetlands provide a vast array of ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being and play an important role in the regulation of global climate change and in the diminishing the destructive nature of flooding. At the same time, wetlands offer a wide range of opportunities for tourism and recreation that could generate considerable income.

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New Phase of Cooperation in the Sava River Basin

The positive developments have taken place in the co-operation processes initiated within the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe over the years. The South-Eastern Europe countries began the new phase of “regional ownership and responsibility” for regional cooperation. The Stability Pact has been transformed into the Regional Co-operation Council (RCC), in order to reflect the increased maturity of the region. This new regionally owned cooperation framework, the RCC, was officially launched at the joint session of the final meeting of the Stability Pact Regional Table and inaugural meeting of the Regional Co-operation Council, in Sofia, on 27 February 2008. The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the RCC was adopted and the RCC first Annual meeting took place on 28 February 2008, with the support from South Eastern European countries, donor countries and the European Commission. The main task of RCC is to be a facilitator of regional co-operation and support the European and Euro-Atlantic integration. With Secretariat located in Sarajevo, Co-operation Council focus its activities on six areas which the countries of the region have already identified as those where regional co-operation will be beneficial to all: Economic and social development; Infrastructure; Justice and Home Affairs; Security Co-operation and Building Human Capital (BHC) with Parliamentary Co-operation being an overarching theme that is linked with each of the other areas.

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Economic Basis for Cooperation in the Sava River Basin

According to the Labor Force Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the structure of employees by activity in 2011 shows that 51,5 % were employed in services, 28,9% in non-agricultural sectors (industries), and 19,6% in agriculture. The number of unemployed persons in 2011 was 310.947. The percentage of unemployed in 2011 compared with 2010 increased by 0,4% and thus the unemployment rate in 2011 was 27, 6%. The highest unemployment rate of 39,0% was in Brčko District, than in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was 29,2%, and the lowest unemployment rate of 24,5% was in Republika Srpska

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