Towards To The Integrated Management
Towards to the integrated management
for the Dniester delta wetlands
I.T. Rusev1, T.D. Ruseva2, J.V. Ternovaya3
1European Union for Coastal Conservation - Ukraine, Odessa
2Nature protection and regeneration fund named after prof. I.I. Pusanov
"Natural Heritage Fund", Odessa
3Ecological education centre “Dniester delta”, Mayaki, Odesskaya oblast
Introduction
The Dniester delta wetlands are situated along the north-west coast of the Black Sea, near Odessa in Ukraine. The Dniester river is 1 328 km long, including 550 km in Moldova (Domanitskiy, 1941); it has an average flow of 320 m/s and is flooding 3 to 11 times a year, which is a key factor to the functioning of the whole ecosystem. The Dniester wetlands represent one of the most intact wetland ecosystem in the Black Sea region, displaying: extensive reedbeds, freshwater lakes, riparian forests, liman, floodplains, meadow and many rare and endangered species.
In 1993, 7 620 ha of the delta area was designated as a local protected site "Wetlands of the Dniester delta" (Rusev, 1998), but it failed to fulfill its role of preserving the wetland ecosystem due to administrative and financial difficulties and to unclear competencies in the region of rapid socio-economic changes.
Importance of the wetlands: the functions-of-nature approach
Wetlands have an important transitional position between land and water. The existing ecological interactions between the physical, chemical and biological components of this ecosystem produce goods and services important for human societies, so-called values:
Ecological values
–First, the Dniester wetlands are unique for their adaptation to the different hydrological, nutrient and salinity regimes. Then, they offer diverse habitats extremely productive, so being a refuge for rare and threatened species (Rusev, 2000). Finally, the take an important role in preventing erosion and maintaining the water quality.
–in 1989 international level including the wetlands to the list of Important Bird Area in Europe
–in 1993 by the Ukrainian government, establishing a nature reserve.
–in 1996 at the international level by including the area to the list of Internationally Important Wetlands of Ramsar Convention
–in 2000-2001 Ukrainian government plan to establish national park
Economic values
This class of values can be divided into two different sub-classes
–productive values (agriculture, fishery in open water, fishery farming and forestry)
–consumptive values (fishing, firewood cutting, cattle grazing, reed cutting, and hunting).
Socio-cultural values
Different socio cultural values have been recognized in the Dniester wetlands:
–recreational part of the wetlands (not the nature reserve) are open to the public and visits are partly organized: recreational hunting and fishing, boat trips and bird watching.
–educational: the Dniester wetlands are used as an example by regional and local NGO\’s (Natural Heritage Fund and its local branches) for environmental education and raising of public awareness on nature conservation.
–historical: for ages, the territory of the Dniester has attracted many people of different origins and nationalities, traces subsist.
History of human intervention and consequent impacts
The history of human intervention in the delta can be divided into three periods (Rusev,Barker, 1995).
before 1950: human intervention in the Dniester wetlands is considered as negligible.
1950-1982. human intervention started to affect the extent and quality of the ecosystem, and pollution problems appeared. Main threatening activities were drainage for agriculture, encroachment of fishery installations on natural habitats, construction of a Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy port, road construction, fish poaching, and unlicensed hunting
1982-present:
–the construction and operation of a large Dnestrovskaya hydropower plant in the 80\’s had serious impacts on floods control and brought up an ecological crisis;
–the current economic and political situation ends up with insecurity, short-term perspective on natural resource management, confusion between laws and lack of enforcement;
–different agreements are in force (Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea; Odessa Declaration; Ramsar Convention; Biodiversity Convention, Bern Convention, AEWA) but there are only poor legislative norms at the local governmental level;
–at the ministerial level, it exists plans on the establishment of a national park, but no comprehensive management plan in practice;
–regional and local NGO\’s play an active role and have developed a Management Plan for conservation biodiversity including wetlands conservation, wetlands restoration and ecological education (EPCEM,1997,2000).
Wetlands provide valuable ecological, social and economic services; but human activities inside and outside the area influence these values.
Existing use conflicts
Many conflicting ideas and opinions about the use and the necessary protection of the wetlands exist. The conflicts with a potential to solve them on a local level are the following:
- fishing in the wetlands
- fishponds production in the wetlands
- firewood collection in the wetlands
- agriculture on the riverbanks.
All impacts of human activities on the ecosystem are not only generated by some stakeholders, but also objects for conflicts between them. The different stakeholders identified here are:
• users groups (local inhabitants, organization of hunters, and municipalities)
• enterprises (agricultural firm, state-fish farm, fish-kolkhoz or -cooperative)
• authorities (forestry department, environmental department, fish inspectorate, hunting inspectorate, and organization for the drinking water for Odessa)
• 2 external actors (Dnestrovskaia upstream dam management, and Moldovian thermopower plant).
Solving approach. Integrated wetlands management
The main issue in the existing use conflicts in the Dniester wetlands are between use of the wetland resource and conservation of the wetland resource. However, beyond those conflicts, it can be noticed that most stakeholders have a common interest:
• Environmentalists: they want to conserve the wetlands as being an important natural site with high ecological values, to regulate fishing and fish production methods, to do something about the collection of firewood and cattle grazing, to establish forest instead of agriculture; but they recognize the needs of local people to use it.
• Fishermen/Agrofirm/local people: they want to use the wetlands as a production site, but they also have an interest in conservation to secure the resource use in the future.
• Governmental departments: They have conservation interests because of then-competencies, and partly economic ones.
• Local resource-users: they need local authorities as a link with society and as institutions for helping to control the use of the wetlands.
• Local authorities: control on the resource use is only possible with help and agreement of the organized users, which should also involve local inhabitants.
• NGO\’s: they can bring the contacts (national and international) and knowledge useful to find solution.
Consequently, we would like to propose Integrated Wetlands Management (IWM) as a solution for achieving sustainable development for the Dniester wetlands. Since this is a long-term and iterative process based on the management cycle "plan-do-check-act", we will restrict our analysis to theoretical recommendations related to national, regional and local.
A survey of IWM: elements and obstacles
IWM involves the comprehensive assessment, setting of objectives, and planning and management of coastal systems and resources, taking into account traditional, cultural and historical perspectives and conflicting interests and uses; it is a continuous and evolutionary process for achieving sustainable development. An IWM program should facilitate integrated decision-making through a continuous and evolutionary process for co-operation and coordination among sectors, integrating national and local interests in the management of activities concerning the environment and development. These programs include coordination of activities throughout the coastal zone, taking into account, where appropriate, river basins, ecosystems or entire islands. Co-ordination is also required within and among national programs, regional organizations and international institutions. Basic elements of IWM as part of ICZM may include:
• identification of priorities and problems in consultation with local interests
• identification of opportunities for the future development of wetlands -related functions
• local and/or national policy and other initiatives to address wetlands problems, with clear goals that are understood and supported by the public
• legislation and/or institutional arrangements at local, national and, where applicable, regional levels, including means and/or authorities for co-ordination
• program development, integration and implementation over the short-, medium- and long-term, including guiding principles, functional planning of land use and wetlands resource use and analysis of natural and socio-economic systems
• assessment of the environmental impacts of development and other coastal activities
• education, public awareness and an equitable process for the participation of all stakeholders
• systems for collection, verification, retrieval, access and management of data and information
• trained professional, supported and extension staff
• program review and modification, including feedback mechanisms into all elements of IWM
• enforcement
• research, monitoring and assessment
• wide application of the precautionary approach according to the capabilities of each state
• financial resources for multi-year planning, capital investments and operation and maintenance expenses.
Obstacles and constraints are found at both national and local levels, and include:
• limited understanding of and experience in IWM
• limited understanding of coastal and marine resources, processes and opportunities
• fragmented institutional arrangements
• single-sector oriented bureaucracies
• competing interests and lack of priorities
• inadequate legislation and/or lack of enforcement
• land-tenure regimes and other social factors
• lack of information and resources (e.g. funds, trained personnel, relevant technologies, equipment, etc.).
Implementation of IWM
IWM as part of ICZM is based upon fundamental premises and principles. While the degree of specificity to ICZM is self-evident for most of the principles and premises, the list is arranged so that item more specific to Dniester area appear toward the beginning of the list and those of more general application toward the end.
1- the coastal area is a unique resource system which requires special management and planning approaches
–The Dniester wetlands are constituting a unique environment, both from an ecological point of view (e.g. biodiversity) and from an economic one (e.g. fisheries); the present situation shows the need for actions.
2- water is the major integrating force in coastal resource systems
–Every aspect of an ICZM program in the Dniester wetlands will relate to water in one way or another (agriculture with floods, commerce with fisheries, nature conservation with eco-tourism).
3- it is essential that land and sea uses be planned and managed in combination
–The Dniester wetlands are a single complex ecosystem, whose sub-systems (land-, coast-and marine-sub-systems) are interacting. Human activities in one sub-system adversely affect other sub-system, so that the various parts cannot be considered in isolation. Resources and their utilization are so interlined that they need to be managed as parts of one and the same system if sustainable output is to be guaranteed. A clear example is the one of agriculture.
4- the edge of the sea is the focal point of coastal management programs
–The water\’s edge in the Dniester wetlands is a place of great dynamism and energy, and so where the greatest competition and conflict (fishing and fish production in the wetlands…) between users is found. For these reasons, it is extremely vulnerable to any change. Consequently, special policies are needed.
5- coastal management boundaries should be issue-based and adaptive
–Boundaries of the Dniester wetlands need to be delineated oil the basis of the particular problems encountered and attempted to be solved, and must be adaptive to the goals and objectives (e.g. to resolve the agricultural conflict, the area taken into account for the ICZM program should include all fields).
6- a major emphasis of coastal resources management is to conserve common property resources
–The fish stocks are an example of a common property resource, and it has been clearly demonstrated that it is an urgent issue to deal with in an ICZM program.
7- prevention of damage from natural hazards and conservation of natural resources should be combined in ICZM programs
–The ICZM-type program is the best vehicle for combining coastal natural hazard prevention and resources conservation. As already experienced in other regions, the measures best suited to conserving ecological resources are often the same, as those needed to preserve the natural landforms.
8- all levels of government within a country must be involved in coastal management and planning
–The Dniester wetlands are governmentally complex and require a high level of coordination between the different levels (national, regional, local…).
9- the nature-synchronous approach to development is especially appropriate for the coast
–The most cost-effective approach to coastal development and coastal engineering is one that respect the strength of natural forces operating at the coast and that designs projects to utilize or adapt to these forces (e.g. any project should be aware of the key importance of the Dniester river floods and shouldn\’t interfere with it).
10- special forms of economic and social benefit evaluation and public participation are used in coastal management programs
–The emphasis needs to be on environmental awareness (internalization of the externalities, and public participation in the decision-making process).
11- conservation for sustainable use is a major goal of coastal resources management
–For example, if people dump rubbish and dirty water into the delta, the fish die and stocks fall. Fishers then have to be much more aggressive towards the environment for keeping the same yield, consequently reducing the buffer capacity of the Dniester wetlands.
12- multiple-use management is appropriate for most coastal resource systems
–Conservation and economic development are not seen anymore as conflicting ideas. Each single natural resource can serve to both recreational and economic goals (e.g. fish for commercial fishing and game fishing).
13- multiple-sector involvement is essential to sustainable use of coastal resources
–The fact that the Dniester wetlands are shared property causes particular problems in regulating activities: investors, developers, farmers, tourists, nature conservationists, decision-makers, and policy-planners all need to communicate\\coordinate/cooperate to achieve the establishment of "win-win" situations.
14- traditional resource management should be respected
–We\’ve seen that the local economy is not based on a market (monetary) economy, but on an exchange economy. The traditional resource use of the wetlands is essential for the local community welfare.
15- the environmental impact assessment approach is essential to effective coastal management.
–The above table on human impacts on the Dniester wetlands gives a complete picture of the situation and can enable the adequate authority to manage the area in an integrated manner.
Conclusion
In the resolution of the International conference on management of coastal zones, which was held in Noordwijk the benefits from application ICZM were formulated:
"… the Application ICZM can stimulate and direct sustainable development of coastal zones; can minimize degradation of natural systems, provide conditions for management of diversified activity and raise opportunities for future nature users. When the coastal states apply integrative methods of management of the coastal resources, they provide benefits at local and national levels, including improvement of economic conditions and increase of quality of life of the population. These benefits are created, including, and by conservation of an environment (increase of quality of waters, protection of a biodiversity, adaptation to changes of a climate and other). Thus, ICZM brings in the powerful contribution to conservation and sustainable development of coastal resources of the Earth "
References
1. Domanitskiy A.P. Dniester and its basin. Leningrad, 1941. 305 p.
2. Rusev I.T. Management plan for the Dnestr Delta. Proceedings of the EUCC international symposium «Management and conservation of the Northern-Western Black Sea coast», Odessa-1996, Odessa, 1998, P.130-152.
3. Rusev I.T. Numbers and distribution of the waterbirds in the Dniester delta. Numbers and distribution of briding waterbirds in the wetlands of the Black Sea Region of Ukraine, 2000, 66-98 pp.
4. Rusev I., Barker N. The wetlands of the Dniester delta: present situation and management. Directions in European Coastal Management, 5th EUCC conference, 1995, 519 - 524 pp.
5. Conservation and Use of the Dniester Wetlands, Ukraine. EPCEM study reports. Wageningen, April, 1997. 90 p.
6. Towards an Integrated Management for the Dniester Delta Wetlands. EPCEM study reports. Wageningen, April 2000. 121 p.
7. World Coast 2000, Preparing to meet the challenges of the 21 Century: Conference statement, Noordwijk, 1993).
8. Clarc J. Integrated Management of Coastal Zones. FAO. Rome. Italy.1992.
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