Project Idea

Fundación Global Nature Some has organized international meetings before, but every seminar was based on 4.3 Action (Youth support systems).

In Spain there are lots of problems closely related with environment and rural development. Since 60´s, people have emigrated from the villages to the cities, in order to lack of employements, resources and new iniciatives. Moreover, the emigration of people from one place to another is causing the environment more and more damage. For this reason we can find more degradated rural and natural places.

In this way, we have asked ourselves if in other European countries the same problems exist. If the answer were affirmative, maybe we were going to be able to find global solutions, and if the answer was to be negative, we could have known what policy decitions or successful managements were carried out.

The project idea was developed with different European associations, directly related with the rural and environmental development. All the contacts were made by e-mail.

Project Planning

Finally, 5 associations were selected:

•     Association Tsiolkovsky
•     Estonian UNESCO Youth Association
•     Fiskardo´s Nautical and Environmental Club
•     Organization for Deveolpment and Rural Areas
•     Youth centre of Dravinja valley

After establishing contacts, the plan was introduced and approved by the Spanish National Agency and all the countries started to work around the seminar, looking for participants and organizating travels and presentations.

Results

At the end of the seminar, we analyzed different problems and conclusions about the environmental and rural conditions in each country.

Main environmental problems:

Spain:

•     Property speculation in protected areas
•     Agricultural system, based on single-crop farming
•     Environment accidents (Prestige, forestry fires...)

Poland:

•     Lakes and aquiferous pollution: lack of toxic waste management system in factories.
•     Lack of sewers system in rural areas

Estonia :

•     Lack of sewers system in rural areas
•     Big mountains created because of mining residues which are producing environment pollution, ground instability, water pollution, etc.

Bulgaria:

•     The local businesses try to build inside the natural parks. This results in destroying the natural habitats of different animals and plants. Many young people in the region just do not care enough to do anything.
•     The government give permissions to different construction companies to build ski resorts, without making environmental research first.

Slovenia:

•     Atmospheric pollution, caused by the means of transportation, especially freight transport. Lack of laws about freight transport.

Main rural problems:

The problems of young people in rural areas are very similar in all the countries. However, these problems are not so big in the countries where there aren´t big cities, and where citizen services are more spread.

•     Lack of opportunities and services, especially means of transportation, communication and education access.
•     Lack of information about governmental rural grants.
•     Lack of diversity of jobs. Educated young people prefer to go to the cities and to look for different job possibilities.
•     Companies in the rural areas are closing down because of the low rent ability.

Possible solutions to rural problems:

•     To increase support for the companies, based on craftwork, free time or tourism.
•     To guarantee a better quality of life, opportunities and jobs for rural citizens.
•     To protect ecosystems, to avoid new companies could damage them.

Conclusions about environment problems:

•     Try to look for solutions with the help of different organizations, because their influence is bigger.

There are many different problems in every country, so it seems impossible to find a global solution, based on European policy