PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Police statistics show that there are between 5 000 to 10 000 infractions of nature protection law in Poland each year. The annual material losses from these are estimated at between 120 000 and 550 000. There are some 400 police prosecutions per year for nature crime in Poland, but only 50-60 of these result in a conviction. Similarly, of the 404 cases prepared by the Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection since 2010, only 13 people have been convicted of causing environmental damage. Thus, there is a demonstrable need to improve enforcement of nature protection legislation through training for legal professional and relevant public agencies.
OBJECTIVES
The main goal of the LIFEJustice for Nature project was to increase the efficiency of the implementation of national and EU legislation on nature protection (mainly the Habitats and Birds directives) as well as to facilitate law enforcement in the field of nature protection (by improving coordination between different bodies - the judicial authorities, law enforcement authorities and regional directorates of environmental protection) through pilot educational activities for all stakeholders involved in the nature conservation process.
The specific goals of the project included:
- Raising the level of awareness and knowledge of nature protection of judicial and law enforcement authorities and conducting pilot educational activities to facilitate enforcement of nature crimes;
- Building public awareness of and support for the need to prosecute nature crimes and building general competence in the field of legal protection of nature;
- Improving local cooperation between the judicial authorities (criminal and administrative), law enforcement authorities (police, prosecutors and inspectors from the Regional Directorates of State Forests) and regional directorates of environmental protection; and
- Raising awareness of the legal aspects of nature protection in Natura 2000 network sites.
The project would contribute directly to implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, specifically point 3c under Target 1 that encourages the EU to facilitate enforcement of the nature directives by providing specific training programmes on Natura 2000 for judges and public prosecutors, and by developing better compliance and promotion of capacities.
RESULTS
The LIFEJustice for Nature project increased the efficiency of the implementation of national and EU legislation on nature protection, as well as facilitating the enforcement of environmental law. It furthermore raised awareness and knowledge of the judicial authorities (criminal and administrative) and the law enforcement agencies (police, prosecutors and inspectors) on nature protection and environmental crime.
Its training activities attracted more than 10 000 participants by the end of the project. These included 37 workshops aimed at police officers, prosecutors, and judges, attracting 1 034 participants. Courses for specific target groups are available on the project website, enabling continued e-learning after the project. The specialist training platform of the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution will also be continued.
The project also distributed a glossary of environmental definitions for aiding judicial and administrative jurisdiction to 1 578 stakeholders. Additionally, 26 interns completed environment-focused internships in the Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection, contributing around 12 278 working hours. Four of the interns are now permanently employed by the institutions. A series of three sessions trained 34 NGO representatives on evidence collection and prosecution procedures, while good practice guidelines were drawn up based on 36 court rulings.
Finally, the project improved cooperation between the competent environmental authorities and law enforcement agencies at the regional level through the signing of agreements that emphasise more frequent and long-term contacts. An ex-post study and the monitoring of cases and court rulings showed an increase in the number of prosecuted cases resulting in satisfactory judgments during the project. The positive trend is expected to continue over the coming years.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
