Good Practices in Public Participation within
Agricultural Pollution Control Project &
Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control Project
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS
ROMANIA
Naiana Milea – PMU Director
Government of Romania Global Environment Facility The World Bank
Geneva, June 6-8, 2012
ROMANIA – GENERAL INFORMATION
Area: 238,392 km2
Population: 19.04 mil. inh.
Capital: Bucharest
No. of Counties: 42
Large Cities: 7
Communes: 2,630
Agricultural
Land: 14.9 mil. ha
Forests: 6.4 mil. ha
International Waters
(Danube River): 1.075 km
National Waters: 9,301 km
Agricultural Pollution Control Project
Implementation Period: 2002-2007
Project Financing: GEF Grant: US$ 5.15 mil.
Government of Romania: US$1.86 mil.
Local contribution from beneficiaries: US$ 3.79 mil.
Total Project value: US$ 10.8 mil.
Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control Project
Implementation Period: 2008-2013
Project Financing:
IBRD Loan: EURO 50 mil.
GEF Grant: US$ 5.5 mil. (aprox. EURO 4 mil.)
Local contribution from beneficiaries: EUR 6 mil.
Total Project value: EURO 60 mil.
Projects’ Development Objectives
The main objectives of the Project are to support the Government of Romania to meet
the EU Nitrates Directive requirements by:
reducing nutrients discharge to water bodies;
promoting behavioral change at the commune level;
strengthening institutional and regulation capacity.
Projects’ Global Environment Objective
To reduce over the long term, the discharge of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous)
into water bodies leading to the Danube and the Black Sea through integrated land and
water management
Holistic Approach of Nutrients’ Pollution from
Agricultural Sources
Animal waste - aerobic digestion compost
- anaerobic digestion biogas
Human waste - sewage systems and water treatment plants
Agricultural fertilizers - buffer strips, vegetative barriers
- good agricultural practices
Public participation during the projects
implementation
Governmental
institutions
Local
administration
Farmers
Priests
Human doctors
and vets
NGO’s
Schools/
Universities
Media
PUBLIC
Public participation during the projects
implementation
Four levels actions:
I. Involve the authorities, beneficiaries and other stakeholders in the process of creating the infrastructure for achieving visible results at household and communal level;
II. Collaborate and support local authorities to implement efficient systems for nutrient management;
III. Inform and dialogue in order to induce changes in the
current behaviors;
IV. Monitor the soil and waters quality.
Level I actions: Involve the authorities, beneficiaries and other
stakeholders in the process of creating the infrastructure for
achieving visible results at household and communa level;
• Identify together the problems and find solutions;
• Explain the proposed investments with examples from pilot Project and search for public support;
• Ensure that local public authorities take decisions in consultation with the farmers and other final beneficiaries;
• Ensure that all stakeholders understand the outcome of their decisions: the benefit, but also their long term obligations;
• Start the investments.
•Providing investments is not sufficient;
•The project ownership is essential for a efficient use of investments, control of the outcomes and long term results;
•Assure advisory services, permanent monitoring of investments and close contact with the beneficiaries.
Key of success: Construct a more personal dialogue outside the administrative barriers, based on the beneficiaries immediate needs and problems, but taking into consideration their knowledge, level of understanding and interests.
Level II actions: Collaborate and support the local
authorities to implement efficient systems for nutrients’
management
Problems and challenges in involving public to
the Projects’ decision making
• Sometimes low desire to be involved, even reluctance in some cases;
• Lack of trust regarding the public power to influence the decisions;
• Tendency to associate the environment interventions with the public figures that promote them (e.g. mayors, local authorities) and to participate and agree or not according to their personal opinion regarding those public figures;
• Change of opinion between different moments: decision making and its implementation;
• Agree the solution as being in line with the problems, but never participate to its implementation and rarely apply the remedial measures agreed.
Large information and communication efforts;
Continuous contact with the stakeholders, doubled by media
and public awareness campaign
Level III actions: Inform and dialogue in order to
induce changes in the current behaviors
Behavioral Changes
Manure management
Environmental friendly agr. practices
Training
Technical assistance
Legal instruments
Testing-demonstration program
Afforestation program
Code of Good Agricultural Practices
Public Awareness Campaign
Level III: Inform and dialogue in order to induce
changes in the current behaviors
Public Awareness and Replication Strategy
Carrying out a information, communication and public awareness program at local, river basin, national and regional levels in order to:
•Raise awareness regarding the nutrients’ pollution;
•Provide education and training;
•Increase the access to relevant information;
•Construct an effective dialog between different stakeholders;
AIM:
•Promote behavior changes through increased understanding of the benefits of key issues related to waste management, sanitation, wastewater management, environmentally sound agricultural practices
and
•Promote replication of activities under this project in other communities.
Events :
• national and regional workshops, targeting different types of stakeholders;
• local seminars, informal meetings with farmers and end users;
• project caravan;
• training of trainers;
• training sessions in schools and events with children;
Public Awareness and Replication Strategy
Communication activities:
Strategy and action plan based on the data obtained from a baseline social
survey and updated at mid implementation after the second survey.
► Informative materials for the target groups
Mihaesti, Valcea County
Balta Alba, Buzau County
Balta Alba, Buzau County
Media campaign :
• dedicated TV show;
• participation to national TV and radio shows;
• press releases, press conferences;
• cover stories and interviews;
• TV and Radio spots creation and distribution;
• interactive communication using Social Networking Instruments.
Public Awareness and Replication Strategy
TV campaign regarding the Nitrates Pollution
• Appearances
on news;
• Special
appearances
on different
shows;
• A dedicated
show to the
nitrates
pollution every
month.
Campaign site: http://www.inpcp-campanie.ro/
Campaign blog: http://www.blog.inpcp-campanie.ro/
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/CampaniaImpotrivaPoluariiCuNutrienti
Account PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/inpcp/
Account G+: https://plus.google.com/102100828039672637046/
Account YOUTUBE: Ape Curate (find canale)
Account TWITTER: https://twitter.com/INPCP
Interactive communication