CHARITABLE TRUST REPORT • Emma Tappin
Emma Tappin, Senior Lecturer in Rural Affairs and Environment at Harper Adams University College, used a Farmers Club Charitable Trust bursary to visit Poland and Romania to study the activities of ornithological non-government organisations (NGOs). Here is a précis of her report.
The likely impact of EU membership on birdlife species in Poland and Romania
HAVING a strong interest in non-government organisations (NGOs) working in biodiversity conservation and an increasing awareness of the rapid changes facing Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), I was delighted to receive an award from The Farmers Club Charitable Trust to look further into the activities of ornithological NGOs in two Central European countries. The Farmers Club bursary enabled me to travel to Poland and Romania to investigate the extent to which institutional and organisational strategies and structures enable conservation organisations within accession countries to interface effectively with policy makers concerned with agriculture and development. While the objective of my study clearly emphasised the word ‘enable’, my overriding impression from my time in both countries was that the institutional environment was far from ‘enabling’ at this stage of its development. Poland is home to nearly 40,000 pairs of corncrake, which are highly dependent on the farming systems considered under threat from EU agricultural policy. Whereas, in the UK, we are now attempting to reintroduce the bustard, in Eastern Europe the species continues to co-exists with farming activity.
It is evident, therefore, that influencing both national governments and the EU is of strategic importance for NGOs concerned with the conservation of such bird species. The opportunity to speak with those attempting to influence this policy was to be relished. Poland, in December, was a remarkable experience in itself. I travelled by train between Warsaw and Gdansk to meet experts who had kindly agreed to see me. Packed into a carriage compartment with condensation running down the windows and passing deserted, frosted fields and villages, I felt I was in a film scene. The cold and desolate environment of Gdansk in December was a shock, only surpassed by the icier welcome from the receptionist at the hotel on the edge of the Baltic Sea. I had been warned that the concept of customer service was very different in Poland, but I was not prepared for this. In many ways, my initial experience of Poland was important in helping me to understand some of the challenges that face new accession countries. The harsh environment - in terms of economics, politics and social history - impacts on the organisational environment in which NGOs operate. NGOs are constrained, or to some extent constrained, by past experience. Voluntary membership organisations have not long existed in CEECs, with the only legitimate conservation organisation, the League for Nature, being closely linked to Communist Party activities.
There is, though, a limited history of voluntary membership
organisations linked to a cause such as the protection of birds. Most CEECs have, therefore, only experienced such conservation membership organisations since 1989. Our own RSPB, by comparison, was formed in 1889, giving us a 100-year head start. Added to the challenge of the new cultural environment is the sheer hard struggle for the average person in emerging economies.
The battle for everyday survival is
evident as one listens to stories of the cost to replace a pair of spectacles, for example,
or simply observes the price of food in the shops. But the challenges go further, into an outdated education system and a dilapidated health system. All these challenges contrive to ensure that most people in accession states have little time for such luxuries as the environment. Organisations championing the cause of nature conservation in a rapidly changing environment, for whom the inevitable consequences of ‘progression’ are all too clear, are presented with immense frustrations, alongside the limited ability to raise funds from membership. Societies such as the Polish Ornithological Society (OTOP) and the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) are, therefore, largely dependent on foreign assistance to run their organisations and deliver activities. Long term commitment from the Birdlife International partnership has enabled these organisations to exist for more than 10 years by providing a stable core funding. While Poland in December highlighted some of challenges, Romania in July helped me to see some of the opportunities. A steamy, bustling Bucharest gave way to some of the treasures of Romania‌ the mountains of Transylvania; the forests on the Fagaras Mountains; and the delights of the old town of Brasov, contrasting so strongly with the surrounding communist blocs. The final treasure of the visit was the Danube Delta and the sight of more than 30 kingfishers in the space of three hours, as well as a soaring colony of white pelicans. The openness and warmth of the Romanians themselves helped me to glimpse insights into a past from which they had come and the place they are in today. Observations from both countries led me to believe that there were similar and yet differing priorities for conservation.
In Poland, the main concerns expressed in
relation to conservation were the impact of changes in agriculture through intensification, while in Romania conservation NGOs were more concerned with the impact of abandonment.
Both countries were deeply concerned with the impact of development projects, such as Via Baltica (the trans-European road network), on protected areas with high nature conservation value‌ a direct result of accession to the EU. Equally, both were involved in the development of listings of sites requiring protection under Natura 2000 (Birds Directive and Habitats Directive). NGOs were clearly struggling to develop working relationships with their respective governments, due mainly to lack of capacity and resources, both within the NGOs and the governments themselves. Indeed, this appeared further complicated by highly complex institutional structures which prevented transparency and led to weak implementation of legislation. There was recognition of a need to increase the impact of NGOs through coalition working in order to present a united front to government. Sadly, this was challenged by the need for NGOs to compete with each other for limited funding. The experience of my visit to Poland and Romania left me inspired by the people I met, by their dedication and efforts in the face of adversity. The younger generation inspired me most, placing high value in education and continuing to have immense hope, despite being disappointed by past promises. The opportunity to undertake this study was an invaluable opportunity, both professionally and personally. It has stimulated an interest in a new line of research which I hope to have the time and resources to maintain over a longer period, as the impact of accession becomes clearer. It has also enabled me to gain insight into the workings of conservation organisations in two central European nations, to observe the impact of historical circumstances on the development of these organisations and to gain a very rudimentary sense of the challenges facing such organisations in a very different political setting from the UK. I have deep respect for the tenacity and commitment of many of the individuals I met, who continue to battle to overcome the many challenges. Clearly, the support offered by the Birdlife Partnership, in the form of the RSPB, is of enormous importance in
assisting one of these organisations to develop its capacity to interface with the systems and structures of the EU and challenge their national governmental processes. •
Emma Tappin can be contacted at Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire TF10 7DZ, or by emailing etappin@harper-adams.ac.uk