Albania's nature can be described as unique and relatively untouched. Parts of the coastal zones were protected areas or military zones, so access to them was forbidden. The flora and fauna in those zones is very diverse, containing several rare species and medicinal plants. Glacial lakes in Northern Albania, forests from Mesozoic origin, and especially the lagoons in the coastal zones are of great natural value. Albania has great natural reserves of oil, gas, coal, copper, iron, and nickel and is one of the world's largest producers of chromium. The coastal nature areas have significant potential for the development of tourism.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
The lack of modern solid waste management systems has resulted in a growing municipal waste problem. No sewage treatment plants exist, seriously endangering drinking water. Deforestation and soil erosion are also serious problems. Several hot spots were mentioned: in the town of Lac, the health situation became so bad that people are being evacuated (copper smelter). Evacuation also took place in Vlorë (PCV factory). The copper mining and treatment industries are explicitly identified as environmental threats. The petroleum industry in Albania causes severe environmental problems. The heating plants that run on petroleum and also on coal are mostly situated close to urban areas, e.g., near Kukës and Tirana.
The natural environment in Bulgaria is perhaps not damaged to the same extent as some other CEE countries. Unique Bulgarian forests, mountain areas like East Rodopy, Rila and Pirin, and the Black Sea coast provide a number of attractive tourism areas. There are many well preserved areas with exceptional biodiversity, and about 60% of the various European species can be found here, including some rare specimens. Instruments for environmental protection such as environmental impact assessments and environmental audits are being used more commonly and these may also be considered assets.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
In several areas extreme soil pollution from heavy metals produced by metalworking facilities has rendered lands unusable for agriculture. Certain stretches of rivers are considered extremely polluted and the water here is not fit to use even for irrigation. Mining activities result in serious air and water pollution. One expert reported that in some mines levels of radioactivity are higher than in the nuclear power plant. Exposure to lead from automobile exhaust is a growing threat, especially effecting children. Several hotspots posing severe environmental risks have been identified including: the Plovdiv, Pirdop, Vratsa, Ruse, Montana and Kurdzhaly regions (non-ferrous metalworks have polluted air, soil and water with lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc.); the Varna-Devnya region (polluted by a giant chemical factory); and the Burgas region (contaminated by a petroleum plant).
Croatia has very rich natural capital preserved at a high level. There are seven National Parks and six Nature Parks, some of them famous for rare habitats, with 900 species and plants protected. Some of these areas are now under occupation and are incurring damages (e.g., Plitvice, Krka, Kopacki Rit, Lonjsko Pole). The country's assets include the scenic coastal area and potential for tourism, the fertile agricultural area Slavonia, and the drinking water resources in the Karst area. There are efforts to protect wetlands and natural rivers, e.g., Lonsko Polje, a 60.000 ha wetland, the most important bird sanctuary in Europe. The Adriatic Sea along Croatia's coast is cleaner than along Italy's but vulnerable because of its shallowness.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
The most serious damages have been caused by the war in the protected areas under occupation. The areas directly affected by the war include Plitvice lakes, Kopacki rit, Lonjsko Polje, and Krka National Park. Waste materials in war zones and damages due to the bombing of chemical industrial complexes (Osijek, Vinkovci, Vukovar, Sisak, Pakrac, Lipik, Slavonski Brod, Nova Gradiska) are resulting in pollution of groundwater, soil, and rivers. Largely due to the lack of appropriate sanitary landfills, incomplete legislation and temporary military occupation of some disposal sites communal and toxic waste is causing serious environmental damages in some areas. The Sava river collects waters from many tributaries which are heavily polluted, especially those coming from Bosnia, and supplies several millions of people, industry, and agricultural areas. Acid rain is endangering about half of the woods in Gorski Kotar.
The experts mentioned that about 40% of the land in the Czech Republic is protected area. There are three National Parks and 24 Protected Landscape Regions and numerous Nature Reserves. The Government is considering at present the addition of a new national park. Nature conservation has a long tradition in Czech Republic (the first forest law was promulgated in 1754 and the first nature reserves were declared in 1838).
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
The mining districts in Northern Bohemia have been devastated mainly due to air pollution (which is the primary source for health problems); to a smaller extent, the industrial areas of Northern Moravia (black coal mining and steel production) and Prague (mainly air pollution from automobiles and industrial production, causing damage to a large portion of the population).
The planned building of a nuclear power plant in Temelin is under controversial discussion. There is a strong lobby in the Government for the construction of the plant because it will benefit many industries. An expert mentioned that Temelin is for many people a reasonable way to improve the situation in Northern Bohemia, as any other way would stabilize old technologies on sites. Northern Bohemia is producing most of the energy for the country. The Clean Air Act lays down that by 1998 when Temelin starts, emissions must be substantially reduced.
Albeit the population density in Hungary is 110 per square km, most people live concentrated in towns. Relatively undisturbed areas are ranked into national parks, protected landscapes, nature conservancy areas, totalling more than 5000 km2, or 6% of the area of the country. Among these, the area around Lake Balaton has a special importance for the tourist industry as 20 million visitor-days are spent here every summer. The eutrophication process threatening the water quality started in the 1970s. By 1990, ambitious projects stopped the deterioration, but still couldnŐt reverse the process. More than 70% of the country's surface is suitable for agricultural production.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
Open cast mines, the aluminium industry, lignite-based power plants and chemical factories were the worst polluters. Many hazardous waste deposition sites were discovered, only after health hazards were detected. Among the 300 military bases left behind by the Soviet Army many were heavily polluted by kerosene, oil and toxic heavy metals. Air pollution is comprised of industrial emissions from power plants (SOx) and the chemical industry; urban emissions from heating (low stack SOx) and transport. The pollution of subsurface aquifers is among the most serious problems in Hungary. Lack of canalization and sewage treatment as well as excessive chemical fertilization caused serious NO3 contamination of drinking waters. Quantitative problems are the dropping of the level of the water table in some carstic regions due to open-cast mining, and near the dam at Bos (Gabcikovo). Waste: there are more than 2000 inadequate and/or illegal dumping sites containing both domestic and hazardous waste.
Despite FYR Macedonia's small size the country contains important valuable natural capital. The major lakes of Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran were mentioned by nearly all of the experts as extremely valuable and in great need of special care. These lakes are home to many unique species and offer excellent opportunities for scientific research. Their great beauty provides the basis for a bustling tourism business. The value of Lake Ohrid has received special recognition, with the lake being listed by UNESCO as a site of World Heritage. The FYR Macedonia also has national parks which include many plant and animal species unique to Europe.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
Water pollution from industrial and domestic sources causes more damage than can be calculated. Plants, fish, and terrestrial animals, including humans, all suffer from it. Each year large-scale fish-kills occur, and often water supplies are unusable for livestock due to industrial pollution. Some of the rivers are considered to be dead. The situation is exacerbated by already low and decreasing water reserves. Water pollution also negatively effects the state of the major lakes, which in turn has a detrimental effect on tourism.
Air pollution from industry, homes, and automobiles was mentioned as a considerable health threat. Emissions of SO2 from coal burning power plants and heavy metals from metalworking facilities were cited as having especially dangerous impacts on human health. Automobile exhaust was also mentioned as a serious and growing problem, particularly in the city of Skopje. The city of Titov Veles was also mentioned as a hot spot because of the huge industrial facility located on its upwind edge.
The "Green Lungs" area, largely undeveloped and free from industry, contains numerous lakes, streams, forests and Poland's healthiest environment. Other valuable natural assets which were mentioned include the wilderness areas of south-east Poland, the lakes region in the north-west, areas with clean soils capable of producing healthy foods, and the many national parks and other protected areas located throughout the country.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
Threats to economic development include polluted surface waters, the dropping groundwater table, acid rain, accumulated toxic wastes and certain geographic regions or hot spots. Two geographic regions were identified as hot spots - Silesia (air, water and soil contamination from out-dated industry; low emissions from coal-burning furnaces; and water pollution and toxic wastes from mining) and the Black Triangle (devastation from acid rain caused by emissions from industrial sources in Poland and neighboring Germany and Czech Republic. Economic losses in this area have been extensive due to thousands of hectares of forest being killed and agricultural areas rendered unusable.).
Human health threats include: air emissions of NOx, SO2, and particulate matter from coal-burning home furnaces and local boilers; exposure to heavy metals; low quality drinking water; food contaminated by air and soil pollution and rapidly worsening exhaust fumes from automobiles. In city centers, emissions from low stacks, and the increasing use of automobiles are reducing the quality of life. Poor land-use planning, leads to industrial facilities being located in the middle of residential areas. Noise pollution is another a serious issue in urban areas. There is also the effect of 'landscape pollution' in the form of huge, ugly housing blocks, which separate inhabitants from the earth.
Some areas of Romania have remained largely free from pollution and the country contains many areas of great natural value. Substantial forest areas exist, and the diversity of flora and fauna is considerable. Some areas of special natural value already have protected status, with 12 National Parks having been declared The Danube River Delta, Europe's largest wetland, is another special area. In recognition of this, a Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve was established. Also the Little Island of Braila, the last part of the Danube floodplain in its natural state, has great value and should receive special protection. Traditional values and lifestyles, still common in rural areas, are also assets as they result in a kind of truly sustainable development which has occurred for centuries.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
About 25% of all forests are damaged by acid rain caused largely by pollutants coming from power plants burning low-quality coal. The damages to forests are especially harmful because deforestation results in increased soil erosion and reduced air quality. Water pollution from household, industrial and agricultural sources is another threat, effecting fish breeding, irrigation, and drinking water supplies. 18% of surface waters are of such low quality that they are not even fit for industrial use and 4000 km of rivers are considered highly polluted. A number of environmental hazard areas, or "hotspots," have also been identified, where the environmental problems are severely threatening human health. Cities such as Baia Mare, Copsa Mica, Zlatna, Onesti, and others suffer extreme contamination from nearby industrial facilities. Primary culprits include metal-working plants and fertilizer manufacturers. In all, more than 1.2 million people are directly effected by pollution in the country.
Slovakia is rich in natural beauties. National Parks and Protected Nature Areas are being adversely impacted by intensive tourism, forestry and local industries. One significant example of squandering natural capital is in the Danube Basin where the intensive cutting of natural forests is taking place. In this case, the economic value of the cut timber is of more interest to the loggers than the value of the standing forest ecosystem. The government is currently considering the Tatra National Park as a potential site for a future winter Olympics. This could have serious environmental consequences for the area. Environmental advocates contend that promoting ecotourism in these areas is a better alternative. There are ongoing activities to protect the biodiversity of Eastern Slovakian wetlands and Southwestern Slovakian fresh-water resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
Experts mentioned pollution from (heavy) industries as prominent causes of serious environmental damages, such as chemical, petrochemical, metallurgical, steel mill, cement, paper and cellulose, and Aluminium industries. The forests, water and soil are exploited for economic benefit, with little interest in sustainable use of these resources or awareness of the environmental impacts of development.
The Government's general policy for building a "strong" Slovakia includes a high level of energy use. Two huge power plants are under construction (nuclear and hydro). Both power plants will raise serious environmental issues. Environmental advocates stress that utilizing efficient energy-saving technologies would be a better solution to the energy problem, however, this alternative would depend on western financial and technical assistance. Whilst the nuclear power issue is high on the agenda of NGO's, it does not feature highly in public discussion.
Slovenia is rich in valuable natural capital. Though officially it is not a priority to take care of environmental assets, national parks (Triglav and Crkvinica) receive special attention. New law is being prepared to protect rare species, to protect large areas, like national parks, and different natural phenomena like Crkvenica in the karst area which has a disappearing lake. A law has been developed to establish several protected areas, regional and national parks, as well as the landscape in the Karst region. There is only one national park now and there are suggestions to have such a status for seven of the most important regions of rich natural values. Some of the rivers are well preserved (Soca, Krka, Kolpa. The Alpine areas could be used for water supply. Wetlands are another natural value but there is a serious problem of protecting those in the vicinity of large towns like Koper and along the Mura river.
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
Acid deposition damaging the forests in the North East caused by pollution from thermal power plants in Sostenj, Trbovlje, and others, and by transport. Transboundary pollution at the coast in the Karst region coming from Italy. Surface water is polluted due to the lack of waste treatment facilities. Ground water pollution caused by agriculture and the dumping of hazardous waste (Drasko Pole, Ptuj, Celje) endanger drinking water reserves. Slovenia has no facilities for solid and hazardous waste deposits which are currently stored at the industrial sites and presenting a major hazard for the country.
Human health is endangered by environmental pollution in areas surrounding power plants (Sostenj and others). The most serious health hazard occurred a few years ago when the river Krupa was contaminated by Polychlorinated byphenols.