Moldova: Environmental Organizations

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MoldovaEnvironmental Organizations

• By Nicole Degner

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Geography of Moldova

• Many people are unaware of the small country
  known as Moldova
  
• Source www.mldnet.com/moldova/

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Geography of Moldova

• Moldova is located in Eastern Europe between
  Romania and Ukraine
  

Source www.tiscali.co.uk/.../countryfacts/
moldova_map.html Source www.soros.org/natfound
/ moldova/
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Geography of Moldova

• About the size of Maryland
• Landlocked
• Closest large body of water is the Black Sea
  which is to the south
  

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Geography of Moldova

• Few rivers which are important
• Dniester River
• Important transportation route for agricultural
  products and lumber
  
• Prut River
• Raut River
• Underground water reserve
• 200 million cubic meters
• Source of drinking water

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Geography of Moldova

• The topography varies from rolling hills,
  mountainous areas, and plains
  
• Moderately continental
• Mild and dry winters (25 degrees F)
• Long and warm summers (68 degrees F)
• Moderate rainfall

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Geography of Moldova

• Soils in Moldova allow for massive agriculture
• Agricultural products include
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Wine
• Sugar beets
• Sunflower seed and oil
• Tobacco
• Grain
• Beef
• Milk

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Agriculture of Moldova

• Economy depends a lot on the agricultural sector
• Over ¼ of Moldovas GDP is from agriculture

Source CIA, 2003
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Agriculture of Moldova

• Chernozem soil, which is the most fertile soil in
  the world
  
• 75 of the land is covered in this black soil

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Moldova is experiencing environmental
  degradation
  
• Concerns
• Soil erosion
• Chemical fertilizers and pesticides
• Intensive exploitation of land, water, and
  forest
  
• Deforestation
• Non-treated waste and sewage waters
• Reservoirs and wetlands

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Soil Erosion
• Due to poor farming methods
• Another poor farming method is to clear forested
  regions to support vineyards

www.us-history.info/ forest-clear-cut5B15D.jpg
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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Chemical fertilizers and pesticides
• In the early 1990s, per hectare use of
  pesticides in Moldova averaged approximately
  twenty times that of other former Soviet
  republics and Western nations.
• Library of Congress
• Chemicals have not only polluted the soil, but
  they have also leached into the groundwater
  supply that is the source of drinking water
  

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http//www.claybennett.com/images/archivetoons/pes
ticides.jpg
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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Air Pollution
• No rules or laws controlling emissions from
  factories during Soviet rule
  
• Air pollution Moldovan factories and other
  neighboring countries factories
  
• Air pollution today is from transportation
  processes

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Non-treated waste and sewage waters
• Dam collapsed in 1983 on the Dniester River
• Hazardous wastes from a fertilizer plant were
  discarded into the Dniester River
  
• Fish and organisms were killed and Moldovans who
  relied on the river were endangered
  

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Deforestation
• Mass timber-cutting
• State Department for Environmental and Natural
  Resources Protection has started to conserve
  forest lands
  
• Project is aiming to make Moldovans aware of the
  resources that are quickly decreasing

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Civil War in the eastern part of the country
  (Transdnistria) has also plagued the environment
  
• Human beings have contributed to the damage of
  forests and aquatic environments in that part of
  the country
  
• Overall, there has been a drastic reduction in
  biodiversity
  

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Environmental Problems and Concerns

• Many have taken action now that they are aware of
  problems
  
• NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) have been
  working towards building an infrastructure for
  the Moldovan environmental community
  
• Moldova seems to be taking more control over the
  environmental problems that plague the region

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Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Many, if not all, of the NGOs in Moldova rely on
  donations
  
• The organizations are also independent

http//www.ngo.clubromania.ro/images/ngo.jpg
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Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Ecological Society BIOTICA
• Scientists, experts, teachers, and students
  working to conserve biodiversity, develop
  national environmental legislation, and promote
  public participation in decisions related to
  environmental protection.

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Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Ecological Society BIOTICA
• Registered with Moldova in 1993
• Organized field studies on the Dniester
  Riverconcerning conservation of the endangered
  species and habitats
  
• Mainly concerned with the Dniester River area and
  biodiversity
  

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Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Ecological Movement of Moldova
• Mission is to restore the natural balance between
  the population and the environment

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Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Regional Environmental Center
• Established in 1998
• Assist in solving environmental problems
• Goal is to increase public participation and
  awareness in environmental decision making
  processes
  
• Also looking into pollution control and waste
  management

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Other Moldovan Environmental Organizations

• Ecological Movement of Moldova
• Sustainable Ecosystems Institute
• Ecosfera

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European Environmental Assistance

• Milieukontakt Oost-Europa
• Cooperate with NGOs in Moldova and other Central
  and Eastern European countries
  
• Give support, train, and advise
• Support ecological sustainability
• One main idea of Milieukontakt Oost-Europa is to
  promote public awareness of environmental issues

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European Environmental Assistance

• Milieukontakt Oost-Europa
• Not only helps with the physical environment, but
  also helps groups with technology
  
• Set up communications between other NGOs
• Through helping Moldova become more technological
  environmentally, they are helping the issues
  become more public

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Conclusion

• Although Moldova has been independent since 1991,
  it is still dealing with many issues that
  happened during its time under Soviet rule
  
• Moldovans are now paying environmentally for
  mistakes that were out of their control
  

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Conclusion

• Many of the Non-Governmental Organizations in
  Moldova are working towards the same goal
  
• To make all citizens of Moldova aware of the
  environmental issues
  
• Educating the citizens to make environmentally
  safe decisions

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Conclusion

• With NGOs help, the environment of Moldova can
  become more pleasant to live in
  
• The underground water supply may be spared from
  pesticides and fertilizers
  
• Moldova has a long way to go, but with the number
  of NGOs (about 100), Moldova can recover and
  learn from the past.

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Bibliography

• BIOTICA. BIOTICA Ecological Society.
  http//www.biotica-moldova.org/. (April 13,
  2003).
  
• CIA. The World FactBook 2002.
  http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index
  .html.
  
• February 15, 2003.
• Ecological Monitoring Centre of the National
  Institute of Ecology. SUMMARY  ENVIRONMENT 
  STATE  IN
  
• THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA. http//www.grida.no/en
  rin/htmls/moldova/soe/index.htm. (April 13,
  2003).
  
• Karsten, Margaret, ed. Economic Review Moldova.
  (Washington D.C. International
  
• Monetary Fund, 1992).
• Library of Congress. Moldova A Country Study.
  
  
• http//memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/mdtoc.html.
  (February 13, 2003).
  
• Milieukontakt Oost-Europa. Milieukontakt
  Oost-Europa.
  
• http//www.milieukontakt.nl/?shownewscountry_id
  0. (February 19, 2003).
  
• National Biological Information Infrastructure.
  Moldova Biological Organizations and
  Resources.
  
• http//www.nbii.gov/geographic/international/MD.ht
  ml. (April 13, 2003).
  
• Rodgers, Mary M., Streissguth, Tom, Sexton,
  Colleen, ed. Moldova. (Minneapolis
  
• Lerner Publications Company, 1993).
• Sheehan, Patricia. Cultures of the World
  Moldova. (New York Marshall Cavendish,
  
• 2000).