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.

EVENTS

Using existing events (Danube Day – Calarasi 2004)

Create new events (Crop Festival – Valcelele 2004)

Create contests (planting contest, clean villages – Cuza Voda 2003)

Events with children

Flopi campaign-2004

Training sessions in schools and ecological education

Albestii de Arges, June 2011

► Informative materials for the target groups

Mihaesti, Valcea County

Balta Alba, Buzau County

Balta Alba, Buzau County

Pictures extibition, 2003

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

Informational materials (2009-2010)

Informational materials (2011)

Promotional materials for

the target groups (2004)

Media campaigns

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

Participation at regional events to promote the Projects interventions

Thank you for your attention!

www.inpcp.ro