Government know these are real data the lab generated and not something they diddled with/' EPA's Fields points out that less than 5% of the Superfund sample analyses are suspect. Both he and Fisk stress EPA has tightened its
procedures to minimize the chances of such problems recurring. "We have become aware we had a problem that no one in their wildest dreams expected," Fisk says. "We never dreamed it would happen in a community of chemists." D
European areas targeted for conservation Much has been written about the legacy of environmental devastation bequeathed to the newly emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. But another legacy exists: ecologically rich regions protected for the past 45 years by the military, minefields, and fences. Now that these no-man's-lands are no longer needed for national security, 50 European environmental and citizens organizations, half from east of the former Iron Curtain, are banding together to promote their protection. These groups have formed an alliance for the initiative "Ecological Bricks for our Common House of Europe," spearheaded by World Wildlife-Austria and the Global Challenge Network, a group of concerned scientists from many different disciplines. The initiative has identified 24 ecologically rich areas for protection. The hope is that these 24 nearly untouched remnants of Europe's natural heritage will form the nucle-
us of a network undergirding a new European economic system based on sustainable development. "Europe's natural heritage is now under threat of being destroyed by the wrong economic development," explains World Wildlife spokesman Alexander Zinke. With proper care and careful development the 24 areas could s e r v e as " e c o l o g i c a l bricks" in rebuilding and protecting Europe's natural diversity. To achieve its goals the alliance "is striving to develop into a European ecological movement," one that can persuade governments to adopt the initiative, Zinke says. The alliance has been heavily promoting the initiative in recent months to various government ministries and to the public. At the moment, those government ministries familiar with the proposal have lauded it. But they have not yet moved to translate words into laws and regulations needed to implement it. The initiative calls for a two-year
These 24 "ecological bricks" are needed to preserve Europe's natural diversity 1. Finnish-Russian woodland area Biebrza marshes Bialowieza virgin forest Schorfheide/Chorin area Spreewald Sächsische Schweiz Karkonosze area Tatra area Pieninyarea Bieszczady region Slovakian Karst Floodplain areas of the Danube, Thaya, and March 13. Thaya valley 14. Trebonsko Pond region 15. Bavarian Forest, Bohemian Forest area 16. Lake of Neusiedel 17. Mur floodplain 18. International Karst Park 19. Lower reaches of the Drau and Kopacki-Rit 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
Sava floodplain Danube delta Lake Scutari Prespaarea Rhodope Mountains, Nestos delta, and adjoining areas
moratorium on development, time which governments can use to inventory and study the former militarily protected areas. After such surveys, governments could strive to preserve the most ecologically valuable regions, and foster sustainable development in the others. "At a minimum, any proposals for private development should be subject to complete environmental impact assessments," says Richard Liroff of the U.S.-based Conservation Foundation. The alliance's primary initial thrust, the first ecological brick, is protection of the central Danube area. "A floodplain of this size and ecological quality is unique in Europe," says Zinke. The Danube River and its March and Thaya tributaries form a floodplain complex of about 80,000 hectares. Within this floodplain are extensive mixed forests and about 5000 species of animals. Industry has also been attracted to the central Danube area. Among the most controversial of industrial endeavors has been the construction of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros dam on the Danube (C&EN, April 16, 1990, page 13). Further economic exploitation of this area could threaten its rich ecological diversity, say the environmental activist groups. To counter this threat, conservation and citizens groups from Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary have signed a "Danube Charter." The charter calls for the creation of a trilateral national park overlapping the three frontiers. And it also calls for sustainable development of the less ecologically valuable regions of the central Danube area. Such development would allow light industry, and moderate forestry, agriculture, and tourism. Zinke says the alliance has received "good signals from all three countries. They seem ready to create, to some extent, a protection zone." Negotiations between the various nongovernmental groups of the alliance and the three governments continue. Protection of the central Danube area "could be the turning point for the future of development and the ecology for the new Europe," Zinke maintains. Lois Ember
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February 25, 1991 C&EN
