gopher pro ekologicka hnuti

[Vladimir Vrabec]

Vazeni pratele,
na gopheru pan.cedar.univie.ac.at jsou udrzovany informace
o ekologickych hnutich ve stredni a vychodni Evrope, vcetne
CZ. Pro zajemce pripojuji puvodni zpravu z CERRO-L a za ni
Markuv text na tomto gopheru o ceskem hnuti. Zdravi
                                          Vladimir Vrabec
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Date: Thu, 4 Aug 1994 12:02:24 +0200
Reply-To: Central European Regional Research Organization
          <CERRO-L at AEARN.BITNET>
Sender: Central European Regional Research Organization <CERRO-L at AEARN.BITNET>
From: "The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern
      Europe"@EMAIL.UNIVIE.AC.AT
Subject: Environmental NGO Directory Via Gopher
To: Multiple recipients of list CERRO-L <CERRO-L at AEARN.BITNET>

NGO Directory for Central and Eastern  Europe:

Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in
Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia,
Slovakia and Yugoslavia

Information about NGOs in both Central and Eastern Europe as
well as in Western Europe is useful to improve the
effectiveness of cooperation. The Institut fuer Europaeische
Umweltpolitik in Bonn, Germany, published the first edition of
the NGO Directory for Central and Eastern Europe in 1992.
Since then the NGO landscape in Central and Eastern Europe has
changed significantly. Therefore, the Regional Environmental
Center for Central and Eastern Europe decided to publish the
second editon of this directory and to update it continously.

The NGO Directory for Central and Eastern Europe lists
environmental non-governmental organizations in the following
countries:

Albania
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
FYR Macedonia
Montenegro
Poland
Romania
Slovenia
Serbia

The Directory is available as a searchable database via Gopher at
pan.cedar.univie.ac.at under the Regional Environemntal Center's
Database sub-directory.

The Regional Environmental Center
E-mail: rec-info at rec.hu
        y3112daa at awiuni11.bitnet
        y3112daa at awiuni11.edvz.univie.ac.at
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 Czech Republic

  The  tradition  of  active environmental  NGOs  in  the
former Czechoslovakia dates back several years before the
`Velvet  Revolution'  occurred in 1989.  Struggle  for  a
healthy  environment is an integral part of the  struggle
for  liberty  and  human rights. The green  movement  was
among  the  important  powers  attempting  to  accomplish
revolutionary changes in the society.
  At the time the political system change took place, the
non-governmental  environmental  movement  in  the  Czech
Republic was in a favorable position. Because the  public
attached  a  high priority to environmental  problems,  a
reasonable chance of influencing social progress toward a
permanently sustainable development existed.
  Later, however, assets diminished rapidly and currently
the  environment has ceased to be a priority in the  eyes
of  the  public.  This  is mainly  due  to  the  existing
political  and  economic situation in the Czech  Republic
and  to  a  low  level  of real environmental  awareness.
Before  1989 people supported the environmental  movement
because  they were willing to think in the long-term;  at
the same time, this support was a kind of protest against
the  political regime. The current lack of public concern
is directly associated with the lack of interest shown by
the   new  government.  In  addition,  many  skilled  and
competent people have left the movement. Until 1989,  the
environmental movement was among the few activities which
was both meaningful and tolerated by the authorities.  It
was  a  shelter  where many talented  people  could  make
themselves  useful  within a rather open  and  relatively
free  society.  After the political change,  such  people
found  their place in different activities and  left  the
environmental movement.
  The     existing     environmental     non-governmental
organizations  do  not  show  much  willingness  to  work
cooperatively.
  Before  the  revolution, most of  the  `greens'  worked
within  one of two structures: either in a dissenting  or
in  an  officially  recognized  organization.  After  the
political change, the dissidents attempted to keep  their
radical  environmental  and  political  positions.  Their
approach helped to create a foundation which enabled some
functions of the plurality society to be established.
  People  who were active within official structures  and
organizations   had   a  better  opportunity   to   exert
influence.  They  assisted in the  shaping  of  (limited)
public  environmental  awareness;  frequently  they  also
succeeded in mitigating negative environmental impacts of
the totalitarian policies.
  As   the   activity  of  the  environmental   movements
increased  before 1990, the two groups tried to cooperate
in  an  effort  to  reach their common  goals  and  in  a
struggle  against  their common enemy:  the  totalitarian
political  regime  whose policies  created  environmental
problems instead of addressing and solving them.
  Only    two    major   environmental   non-governmental
organizations existed before 1990. They were:
  þ  The  Czech  Union for Nature Protection (Cesky  svaz
ochrancu  prirody), which developed its activities  under
governmental supervision, and
  þ  the `Brontosaurus' movement, which was a part of the
Socialist Youth Organization (SSM).
  The  social  changes after 1989 were  associated  with,
among   other  things,  a  large-scale  development   and
activization  of `green' movements. Over 300  independent
NGOs  aimed  at  addressing environmental  problems,  and
protecting  the  environment, have formed  since  January
1990.   Most  of  them  emerged  in  the  post-revolution
euphoria  without setting clearly formulated goals.  Many
of  them eventually ceased to exist, either because of  a
lack  of  interest by their members and/or a shortage  of
concrete goals. However, several dozen organizations  and
groups persisted which now know what they want to achieve
and  whose  activities have been fruitful. We can  see  a
differentiation and specialization in their activities in
the following fields:

  1.Environmental education
  The majority of non-governmental organizations is aimed
at  environmental education, particularly of youth.  This
kind   of   activity  is  subsidized  by  the  government
(Ministry   of   Youth,  Ministry  of  the  Environment).
Intensive  cooperation with similar organizations  abroad
is  fostered and the results achieved compare  well  with
those seen in other countries.

  2.Public information
  A  large  group of organizations is aimed at increasing
public information about environmental issues. The  Green
Network  of  non-governmental environmental organizations
works  as an internal information system, assisting  NGOs
to  set up an efficient communication network independent
of  the  governmental structure. In the long term, proper
and   prompt  public  information  about  problems  which
endanger  and/or  interest the  wide  population  is  the
utimate goal.

  3. Special campaigns and particular actions
  Here  the  activities of NGOs concern critical problems
such  as nuclear power, transportation and air pollution.
Public  meetings, demonstrations and other direct actions
(campaigns,  petitions, lobbying in the  Parliament)  are
organized   to  prevent  anti-environmental  plans   from
implementation  and  to alleviate existing  environmental
burdens. Some actions were successful in that unfavorable
situations  were  changed  or decisions  endangering  the
environment were withdrawn.
  Paritcularly important were the following:
  þ  Blockades  by  the  Rainbow  (Duha)  and  Greenpeace
organizations  against  the  demolition  of  the  village
Libkovice   (  the  village  was  demolished  to   enable
continued coal mining).
  þ Blockades of traffic routes in the central parts of
towns and of truck traffic, which were organized, for
instance, by the Rainbow (Duha) movement in Brno, by the
Mothers in Prague (Prazske matky) movement, and by
inhabitants of towns near heavily trafficked border-
crossing points (Germany).
  þ Demonstrations against the establishment of joint-
stock companies to take over the management of state-
owned companies planning to assume control of the
management of state-owned forests. The demonstrations
were organized by the Association of Friends of the
Forest ( Sdrueni pratel lesa).
  þ Demonstrations and other actions against the
completion of the construction of the Temelin nuclear
power plant, orginized by the Czech Environmental
Organizational (Cesky svaz ochrancu prirody) subsidiary
in Ceske Budejovice, the South-Bohemian Mothers Against
Nuclear Hazard (Jihoceske matky proti jadenemu nebezpeci)
movement, Greenpeace, the Rainbow (Duha) movement, and
others.
  þ Demonstrations and other actions (including full-right
participation in the licensing proceedings)  against  the
planned  construction  of a spent  nuclear  fuel  interim
storage  facility. The actions and public opposition  are
orgnized  by  the Rainbow (Duha) movement in  cooperation
with local authorities and the public.
  Organizations involved in campaigns and direct  actions
are  apparently  successful in  adopting  experience  and
information  from  abroad. They have begun  to  implement
systematic  pressure on the government  and  governmental
bodies and are quickly learning to cooperate.
  About 40 environmental organizations are represented by
a   common   body,   the  Green  Circle   (Zeleny   kruh)
organization,   which   primarily  fulfills   information
requests and coordinates functions.
  In  spite of all the unfavorable factors affecting  the
green   NGOs   in  the  Czech  Republic,  it   would   be
inappropriate to see their future skeptically. The period
of  post-revolution fervor is approaching its end and the
situation in the environmental field, as in other  fields
of  social  activity, is beginning to  stabilize.  A  new
model and new formulas of behavior by the government, the
public,  and  green NGOs are taking shape.  The  arrogant
attitude of the government, the one-sided suppression  of
environmental   requirements   of   the    public,    and
governmental efforts to push green NGOs out of the sphere
of influence on policy are in a sense beneficial. Further
development and quality improvement voluntarily takes  on
the role of a `common enemy' and cements the union of the
environmental opposition.
  The following phenomena can be expected:
  þ A considerably more extensive involvement of non-
organized public in addressing environmental problems and
environmental decision making.
  þ Additional reduction in the number of influental NGOs:
several really leading organizations and several dozens
of important organizations may survive.
  þ Additional specialization in the scope of activities
of the individual NGOs.
  þ More active involvement of NGOs in policy and decision
making through elected bodies at all levels; NGOs will be
granted appropriate rights in relation to the government
and governmental bodies.
  þ  To  a  larger extent, people will group into ad  hoc
movements  to  address  particular local  and  individual
problems.

  Josef Marek
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