Responsible for Nature

  • 27.04.2016.

Odgovorno za prirodu

Two years project Responsible for Nature stated in November 2015.Association Sunce is project coordinator and Association BIOM from Zagreb, Društvo Marjan from Split, and Faculty of Economics from Split are project partners. Faculty of Law from Split is involved as project Associate.

Overall objective of the project is to raise the level of transparency and efficiency in managing natural resources in Croatia.

This will be done through fulfilling three specific objectives:
• Increase transparency of natural resource management authorities work and enhance public participation as a basis for open governance and fight against corruption in natural resources management.
• Exchange experience between the sectors and build capacity of CSOs in using legal tools and best practices for public participation and inter sectorial cooperation in responsible management of natural resources.
• Build cooperation with economics and law faculties to provide interdisciplinary knowledge for the monitoring access to information, openness of local government and efficiency of natural resources management.

Following activities are planned:
• Analysis on current level of informing and involving public in protected areas management.
• Ecosystem services evaluation and management efficiency analysis of the Park Forest Marjan.
• Analysis on following of legal requirements of public participation in county level impact assessment procedures.
• Two national seminars on involving public in protected areas management and environmental/nature impact assessment procedures.
• Participation in ongoing environmental/nature impact assessments and natural resources management plans.
• Development and implementation of project communication strategy and plan including communication campaign for promotion of the values and efficient management of the Park Forest Marjan.
• Training seminar on Aarhus Convention and natural resources related European legal cases.
• Training seminar on natural resources management sectorial management plans and public participation opportunities.
• Development and implementation of long term volunteering and service learning for students of Law and Economics.

Expected results are:
• Increased availability of referenced information for CSOs and citizens advocacy actions and improved current practices of informing public in natural resources management.
• Increased engagements of CSOs in environmental impact assessments and sectoral natural resources management plans.
• Increased knowledge of CSOs in environmental legal tools, public participation and ecosystem services evaluation as the basis for the surveillance and advocacy actions for natural resources responsible management.
• Developed volunteering and service learning program for the participation of law and economics students in monitoring access to information, openness of local government and efficiency of natural resources management.

Total value of the project is 181.500,08 Euro. Project is financed byEuropean union (85,48%) i co-financed by  Croatian Governmental Office for Cooperation with NGOs (9,49%) in the frame of  EU program Civil Society Organisations – Internal Control Mechanism for Safeguarding the EU Standards Grant Application Form IPA 2012 Building Local Partnerships for Open Governance and Fight against Corruption in Responsible Management of Natural Resources. Croatian Contracting Authority is theCentral Finance  and Contracting Agency.