Evaluation of implementation of the environmental crime directive in relation to wildlife crime

Wildlife crime is one of main threats to biodiversity. It is often committed by organized criminal groups and generates them significant sums of money. Despite these facts, it remains underestimated by authorities that are responsible for enforcement of rules on environmental crimes. Efforts to adopt a common international legal framework within the Council of Europe have failed, also the EU’s Environmental Crime Directive is being implemented in a very limited way. On the basis of various studies, the article provides evaluation of this implementation, describes main shortcomings and indicates also several recommendations for further steps. © 2019, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of State and Law. All rights reserved

Legal issues of the protection of biodiversity

Legal problems of biodiversity conservation, dissertation JUDr. Ji í Zicha, supervisor: prof. JUDr. Milan Damohorský, DrSc. Charles University, Faculty of Law, Department of Environemntal Law Prague, September 2010 The aim of the dissertation is to confront legal and institutional framework of conservation of biodiversity with its biological principles and most serious current threats, and assess to which extend are these systems and phenomenons in conformity and where eventually exist gaps and shortages. As a method of this confrontation was chosen an overview and analysis of relevant sources of law and other related information in the context of each level of biodiversity, and further in the context of several substantive and legal connections. With respect to characteristics of biodiversity which, similarly as other components of environment, does not respect borders created artificially by man, international law of global and regional scope plays a crucial role. It is valid almost without any reservation for nearly homogenous marine environment, in case of terrestrial environment some physical and geographical framgmentation can be observed and the role of particular state with its internal legal regime is more important. Individual issues are therefore primarily discussed from the point of..

Wilderness protection in the Czech Republic

Introduction As in many European countries there has been considerable debate in the Czech Republic throughout the past decade over wilderness sensu lato and non-intervention management in protected areas. Critics may describe this as following a fashion, but they cannot fully dispel the fact that there are several strong motivating factors behind the pursuit of such a policy. From an ecological point of view it is obvious that severe natural disturbances have occurred in Europe (e.g., cyclones and windstorms, such as Lothar, Vivian and Kyrill, insect outbreaks, large fires and floods) resulting in discussions about appropriate ways of managing ecosystems, including whether it is acceptable to use non-intervention management in protected areas. In addition, there are also sociological and cultural aspects to the wilderness discussion. After the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the re-opening of previously closed frontiers, people were able to travel more readily and visit new places, during which they were exposed to new ideas. This has helped to inspire new regulatory approaches, including calls for the implementation of new concepts of nature conservation and ecosystem management. In addition, the development of information technologies has offered new channels for sharing ideas, including the promotion of a greater degree of global responsibility and care for our common natural heritage. The idea of wilderness attracts a broad audience and is widely debated. Some people have personally experienced the wilderness, while others have just a romantic notion of something they have never experienced, whereas others strongly reject the notion that wild nature or wilderness should be protected. In the Czech Republic, the ecological and social changes that have occurred over the last decade have stimulated an increasing interest in wilderness, although the prevailing regulatory conservativism has meant that new ideas have not been adopted easily. Wilderness is still more about emotions than serious arguments, legal definitions and protective legislation. This chapter accordingly provides a concise overview of the nature conservation policy and legislation in the Czech Republic and outlines milestones in the Czech implementation of the European wilderness concept (Section 3). As a case study, the Europe’s Wild Heart project is examined, alongside the importance of a powerful legislative framework for wilderness protection (Section 4). © Cambridge University Press 2016

Water policy and legislative responses to climate change in the Czech Republic

The recurring floods and droughts in the Czech Republic show that climate change requires far-reaching changes in water management. We analyse the responses already reflected in Czech water policy and legislation at three levels: strategic, statutory and constitutional. We first describe the substantial changes that have been satisfactorily introduced into the Czech government's policies. We then trace the far less successful developments in the law, which have so far essentially been limited to drought plans and restrictions on water extraction during droughts. At the core, we concentrate on the political attempts to constitutionalize water protection

Management of municipal waste in the EU Member States: Best practices

Publikace poskytuje přehled o právním a institucionálním rámci nakládání s komunálním odpadem v členských zemích EU a prezentuje analýzu a hodnocení jednotlivých aspektů a tohoto nákládání a jeho fází.The publication provides an overview of the legal and institutional framework of waste management in the European Union and its Member States and presents an analysis and evaluation of individual aspects of such management and its phases. Although it mainly deals with solid municipal waste, it also provides broader perspectives and includes additional elements of waste management. Furthermore, it brings a description and analysis of financial tools used mainly within the Cohesion Policy for contribution to effective implementation of waste management. It also collects examples of best practices in the field of solid municipal waste management