Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects (Srivastava)

Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects

REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTEGRATED NUTRIENT POLLUTION MANAGEMENT

Jitendra P. SrivastavaWorld Bank, Washington, DC

Ankara, TurkeyOctober 23-25, 2007

Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects

The conference is one in a series of regional discussionson nutrient reduction and management to help DanubeRiver and Black Sea Riparian countries achieve the objectives of: (i) Improving the quality of water in the water bodies(ii) Meeting National and EU requirements of the EU

Nitrates and Water Framework Directives and other national and international obligations

(iii) Achieving GEF Supported Danube River – Black Sea Strategic Partnership Program

(iv) Improving the quality of lives

Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects

Under the Danube-Black Sea Partnership Investment Program there are:

8 Projects under Implementation3 Projects expected to be approved in this fiscal year

Outside this partnership, there are several activities Aiming at improving the quality of water supported by National governments, bilateral agencies, EU, UNDP, UNEP, BSC and ICPRD

Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects

1. The projects have so far focused on:• Investments• Institutional strengthening and capacity building• Policy support• Public awareness and replication/scale up

2. Country as well as regional level actions

Black Sea-Danube Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Reduction – Progress and Prospects

These efforts cover:

• Reduction of soil and water pollution caused by agriculture, deforestation and livestock through promoting environmentally friendly practices

• Nutrient reduction through wetlands restoration and

• Nutrient reduction through waste, waste-water and sanitary systems management.

Water Quality Monitoring and Impact Assessment

• Data collection and analysis

• Interpretation and reporting• Proxies

Factors Affecting Adoption of Good Management Practices

• Profitability• Immediate and visible environmental benefits• Positive and negative incentives• Interest and support of community, NGOs and local

authorities• Availability of affordable technologies, information and

services• Policy support• Effective public awareness program• Broad stakeholder consultation in design and

implementation• Motivated staff

Looking Ahead

• Point vs. diffuse sources of pollution

• Coping with future increase in prices of agricultural commodities

Looking Ahead

1. Good progress made in last 10 years

2. Much more remains to be done – can be achieved through:

• New investments and improved implementation• Institutional strengthening and capacity building• Policy support and enforcement• Public awareness and building stakeholders support• Provision of right incentives

Looking Ahead

Imperative to manage all sources of pollution in an

integrated manner with a comprehensive

approach.

Mainstreaming, Scaling Up and Replication

• New EU members (Romania Baltic Sea Countries)

• Mediterranean Sea Partnership• Outside ECA Region

The Mediterranean Sea Partnership

• Strives to leverage reforms and catalyze investments that address transboundary pollution reduction and marine and coastal biodiversity priorities identified in the strategic action plans for the Mediterranean Basin

• It has a regional component implemented by UNEP and an investment fund managed by the World Bank

• Projects under the investment funds would focus on domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, coastal ecosystem management, integrated surface and groundwater management and biodiversity conservation

Looking Ahead

• Integrate environmental concerns in agriculture and rural development

• Any new ideas for achieving it?