Information & Meetings
	Conferences & Events
	New Coastal Publications

Environment
	Coastal areas hard hit by floods and drought, EEA report states
	World Bank launched environmental indicators website

Policy
	EC warns member states to implement Habitats and Wild Birds Directives

Events recently announded

Please note:
The overview of the Coastal Guide conference and event  meeting list can be found at http://www.coastalguide.org/meetings/
 

New Coastal Publications
 
 

Economic and Social Committee commented on environmental policies Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC" (Aarhus Convention) To be downloaded from http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2001/c_221/c_22120010807en00650067.pdf Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Community Environment Action Programme 2001-2010" To be downloaded from http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2001/c_221/c_22120010807en00800085.pdf Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on "The situation of nature and nature conservation in Europe" To be downloaded from http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2001/c_221/c_22120010807en01300137.pdf Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the "Preparation of a European Union strategy for Sustainable Development" To be downloaded from http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2001/c_221/c_22120010807en01690177.pdf

Coastal areas hard hit by floods and drought, EEA report states

The European Environment Agency (EEA) published a new report "Sustainable water use in Europe, Part 3: Extreme hydrological events: floods and droughts". Its goal is to help policy- and decision-makers in preventing and managing floods and droughts, the most common and most expensive type of natural disasters in Europe (the estimation for flood damage costs from 1991 to 1995 is EUR 99 billion). The report is based on information and experience gathered from countries across western and central Europe. The main areas prone to frequent floods include the Mediterranean coast, the dyked areas of the Netherlands, the north German coastal plains and some coastal areas of Portugal. There is an increase in the application of non-structural measures in support of the structural, since they enhance the development of communities which are made safer with both measures in place. The main pressures that intensify floods are climate change, land sealing, changes in catchments and floodplain land use, population growth, urbanisation and increasing settlement, roads and railways, and hydraulic engineering measures. For droughts the increase in water demand by tourism is one of the main pressures, especially when these areas already have problems of water shortages. Examples are the Mediterranean islands, the Canary islands and many coastal areas of southern countries. For the moment there is hardly any technical guidance for water management in drought situations although an adequate management of the water resource system would be required, the report concludes. It provides also detailed examples of flood protection and alleviation measures applied in Europe.
To download the report, visit: http://reports.eea.eu.int/Environmental_Issues_No_21/en/
 

World Bank launched environmental indicators website

The World Bank has launched a website with interactive maps that illustrate new international estimates of pollution damage, natural resource degradation, genuine savings, pressure on water resources, threats to biodiversity, and World Bank project responses. A special section deals with the coastal and marine environment. The purpose is to assist colleagues in addressing critical environmental problems at the global, national and sub-national levels. The maps integrate data provided by colleagues in other institutions with information from World Bank sources. They also reflect the World Bank's focus on links between poverty and the environment. These maps don't represent a definitive view, and will expand when new information comes available. The World Bank welcomes your feedback as it continue this work. Please send your comments, suggestions and questions to enviroindicators@worldbank.org http://www.worldbank.org/nipr/Atrium/mapping.html (Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher)
 

 EC warns member states to implement Habitats and Wild Birds Directives

The European Commission sent Reasoned Opinions (second warning letters) to the Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany for failing to implement the EU's Habitat Directive in national legislation and delaying the establishment of Natura 2000. Portugal, Finland, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are also warned for not respecting the EU Wild Birds Directive. This concerns mostly cases of hunting during a prohibited period (breeding or migrating season) or a prohibited hunting method, like hunting with lime. Portugal is even referred to the European Court of Justice as national legislation allows hunting on fourteen migratory bird species during their period of reproduction. More information: http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/ (fill in IP/01/1192 under "reference")

Deadline for submitting contributions to Coastal Guide News No 17:
5th of September,  2001

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) with financial support of Stichting DOEN, the foundation of the Dutch lottery "Postcode Loterij" and the Department of International Nature Affairs of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. For free subscriptions, comments or contributions to this newsletter, please contact news@coastalguide.org. 

Members of the Coastal Guide News editorial team: Hanna-Maria Baerlund, Erik Devilee, Irene Lucius, Hanneke Mesters, Albert Salman.
 

Established in 1989, the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) is an association involving the largest coastal network in Europe with 750 members and member organisations in 40 countries. For more information please contact EUCC International Secretariat, POB 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl
 

© European Union for Coastal Conservation