Co-organised by the European Environment Bureau and Coastwatch

Public Seminar FRIDAY 26^th February 2010

Kindly hosted by the EC representation in Ireland in the

EP conference room, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2

This Public Seminar is part of an EEB Law-group meeting

Dublin 26-27 February 2010

Programme Overleaf

Aims of the Seminar:

• To pool expertise and experience in environmental planning and nature law with view to improving legislation and practise from EU to local level.
• To seek full informed public participation and access to justice on planning, nature protection, management and restoration of habitats..

This international seminar with participants from ten European countries brings together environmental lawyers, representatives of agencies which are tasked with implementing and enforcing the law and members of environmental groups and citizens who have experience and interest in nature protection and wise use of natural resources they depend on. Participants will work jointly on examining the law and practise to foster  wiser planning, better protection of nature and sustainable use of natural resources.

The seminar starts with the Environment Minister’s address and then covers linked areas:

The first session looks at Nature protection and the public’s role in that regard. Legislation and practise, especially enforcement are examined. Best practise examples will be collected.

The second session covers the relatively new SEA process and how nature protection is handled at strategic level.

The third session is seeking to contribute to the forthcoming E. Commission evaluation of the EIA Directive. (2009 Commission report available)  We are asking: What input can we give, what improvements do we want to ask for and why? Are we in favour of a revision of the directive or can we make progress with better guidance documents and better monitoring? Focus is on better nature protection

The fourth session deals with the Aarhus Convention and other mechanisms for public participation in environmental matters from international to level.

Contacts: Ireland

Karin Dubsky Coastwatch, Civil Eng, TCD Dublin 2 kdubsky@coastwatch.org , m ++ 353 (0) 86 8111 684

Contact Brussels

Regina Schneider EEB regina.schneider@eeb.org T ++32 2 289 10 95; Fax: ++32 2 289 10 99

There are no conference fees but registration is essential

For those from Ireland please register with Coastwatch. From abroad, please register with the EEB. Registration forms from either of the above

Programme Fri 26^th Feb 2010

9:00 am Registration Conf. Room EP – enter from Molesworth Street at Dawson Street corner

9.25 am Welcome Eddie Mc Veigh, Head of Political Section, EC representation Ireland

9.30 am Address John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment and Local Government

9.45 Session I: Implementation and Enforcement of Habitats and Birds Directive

Chair and introduction: The importance of good enforcement, the tools we have to improve it

John Hontelez, Secretary General, EEB

Prevent or halt damage of a protected habitat; with reference to public participation and access to justice.

• Some Irish examples. Karin Dubsky, national coordinator Coastwatch and William Walsh ACEO ERFB
• The right of access to justice for Nature in other countries tbc

Discussion

11.00 am – Coffee Break

11.20 Session II: Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Nature Protection

Strategic Environmental Assessment – a Mechanism for Mainstreaming Environmental Considerations Dr. Micheál Lehane Programme Manager  Office of Environmental Assessment, EPA , Tadhg O’Mahony Senior Scientific Officer SEA Section OEA, EPA.
Learning from the recent cross-border SEA for Lough Foyle tbc

Discussion

12.45.pm Lunch Break

2.00 pm Session III Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive

“Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive – Room for Improvement?”

Aine Ryall, Faculty of Law, University College Cork

• Case study: Evaluation of an Irish road EIA and changes needed – Tim Ryan, An Taisce
• EIA and Compensatory measures with special reference to habitat banking – Dr Patrick Buck Assistant CEO, South Western Regional Fisheries Board

Discussion

3.20 pm  Coffee

3.35 pm Session IV: The Aarhus Convention and related issues

Chair: Michael Ewing, Coordinator IEN and Environment Pillar

• Access to Justice – what are the chances to get it? John Hontelez, Sec. General, EEB

• Implementation of the Aarhus Convention, EEB Survey of 2007 – up-date and planned activities Mara Silina, Public Participation Campaign Coordinator, EEB

• Existing compliance mechanisms in UNECE – Aarhus, Espoo and Water and Health protocol –an overview and comparison of the 3 mechanisms. Magdalena Bar, Vice-President, Centrum Prawa Ekologicznego/Environmental Law Center

4.45 Close of public seminar – Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch

(Room is cleared as EEB law group stay on for follow up meeting)

ECO-UNESCO is organising a number of training course, a peer education proramme and an event to celebrate National Tree Week. Click on the links below for full details:

Training

• Introduction to Sustainable Development (FETAC Accredited Module – L5) Intensive Course: 26-27 February & 26-27 March. Please click here for further information and here for booking form.
• ECO-Choices – Drug Misuse Prevention Training for Trainers: 9 March, 10 am – 4 pm. This training explores an alternative approach to drug misuse prevention using environmental education as a resource for positive personal development of young people.  Click here for further information.ECO-Education -An introduction to Environmental Education: 23 March, 10 am – 4 pm.  Click here for further information.
• Sustain It! Becoming a sustainable youth organisation: 6th May, 10 am – 4 pm. Click here for further information.

All of the above courses will be held at ECO-UNESCO, The Greenhouse, 17 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2. For further information, please click on the above links or contact ECO-UNESCO, T: 01 6625491, E: training@ecounesco.ie, W: www.ecounesco.ie.

Peer education

ECO-UNESCO’s Youth for Sustainable Development Peer Education programme: ·      ECO-UNESCO is starting the next round of our peer education programme in March.
We are seeking 16 young people aged 15-18, living in Dublin, to join this new round of the ‘Youth for Sustainable Development’ peer education programme. Do you work with any young people who may be interested? Read more…

Events:

ECO-UNESCO’s Tree-mendous Urban Tree Safari and Tree Planting to Celebrate National Tree Week
10 March - Celebrate trees, learn about the environment and meet new people! Join in a fun-filled afternoon of games, activities, tree planting and more all in the heart of Dublin City Centre! Read more…

“Ever wished you could have a say about the future of your county?  Don’t complain after the plans are made, help to make them…now” says Abby McSherry, facilitator working with the new community-led planning project , called ‘This Place Matters’ starting in Dublin City soon.

Dublin City Council is in the process of reviewing its County Development Plan, this project will affect the way Dublin works and looks for the next half-decade.

“Does this place matter to you?” asks Abby, “Is the heritage, culture and environment of the heart of Dublin important to you” she continues. The reviews being carried out by the councils are  open and people are invited to have their say, but many people do not feel that they know enough to make their own submissions, or do not understand the way the process works.

In order to encourage people to have their say and to enable them to learn how to use the system to develop a better future for the city and county of Limerick, ‘This Place Matters’ will start in the next week with a public meeting  on the 4^th March at 7.30pm in Tailors’ Hall Back Lane Dublin 8.

The meeting is being facilitated by An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, and it is hoped that after the initial meeting most of the training and communications can be carried out by email.  This will keep the carbon-footprint of the project to a minimum, and will allow people to work from their homes at their own pace, while keeping in close contact with other volunteers and interested parties.

Any organisation is invited to send a representative to the meeting and individual members of the public are also cordially welcome to attend. It is hoped that a broad range of views about the environment, culture and heritage of Dublin can be bought together and put to the  Councils. You will, maybe for the first time, be able to contribute to the process, and have a voice which can be heard.  This will be a community- led project so that the work can be shared and people will be able to take on as little or as much as they feel able to deal with.

Further information is available by ringing Abby McSherry on 087 9598767

This place matters – A4 Poster

Earth Hour officially kicked off on February 1st in China with a major show of support from Chengdu, the first city in the country to commit to turning off its lights. Chengdu, among the world’s mega cites with over 13 million resident, is the hometown to the Giant Panda, an ancient species that has been living in Chengdu for more than 8 million years and is the symbol of WWF, who promote Earth Hour worldwide.

Earth Hour is the one hour when people across the globe turn out their lights to show how ‘by working together we can make a difference in the fight against climate change’.

In 2009, hundreds of millions of people in over 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries throughout the world turned off their lights for Earth Hour, making it the largest climate action in history.

Earth Hour was as supported last year in Ireland by Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Belfast and Dublin. Many local authorities also supported Earth Hour. The Office of Public Works darkened Irish flood-lit national monuments – including the Rock of Cashel.

Eirgrid reported a drop in consumption for that hour that equalled the lighting of 150,000 homes.

The organisers say that since then the Copenhagen Climate Change conference was ‘a depressing experience for most who watched or participated – an illustration of humanity’s inability to act.’

Friends of the Irish Environment, who promote Earth Hour here, said that ‘Earth Hour aims to give everyone a chance to be part of a powerful global call to action – to reach new audiences, outside of the traditional conservation community. We want to mobilise a broader cross-section of society, building on the growing awareness of environmental accountability for individual actions – and to make it fun at the same time.’

‘Earth Hour is even more important this year after the failure of Copenhagen – and in the light of recent scientific studies’, said Tony Lowes. ‘Time is fast running out for the serious cuts in our emissions that must be undertaken.’

The organisers are asking individuals and organisations to mark March the 27that 8.30 PM in their Diaries now and to arrange fun events that will help spread the campaign.

‘From dinners by candlelight to bicycle powered rock concerts, everyone can help.’

Website: http://www.earthhour.org