Europe - UNEP

in Russia and 17% in
Ukraine. Wetlands
account for around 36%
of the basin, of which
around 3% are
protected. Furthermore,
35 nature reserves exist,
of particular interest is
the Polessie region in
Belarus, which is
considered the only
remaining floodplain
forest within the basin
(UNDP, 2003). However,
human activities such as
land drainage and the
construction of
reservoirs mean that
these areas continue to
be depleted; thus, there
is an urgent need to
improve the
environmental
conditions of the
resources.
In 1999, the
Dnipro Basin
Environment Programme
(implemented by the
Global Environment
Facility ( GEF), and UN
Development
Programme (UNDP)) led
to a significant shift in direction within the basin.
The project is designed to develop a programme
of measures and implementation mechanisms to
promote sustainable management in the Dnieper
basin. The project has been supported by a
number of other international organisations,
including the UN Industrial Development
Organisation, the UN Environment Programme,
the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the
International Development Research Centre. Key
objectives of the programme are to develop a
transboundary management regime and
coordinating body, as well as to assist countries
in the formulation, review and endorsement of a
strategic action programme (SAP), improve the
financial, legal, and operational mechanisms for
Figure 5.1 The Dnieper (Dnipro) River Basin.
pollution reduction and sustainable resource
uses. Further objectives include the formulation of
national action plans, improving conservation of
biodiversity in the basin, enhancing
communication among stakeholders and
encouraging public awareness and involvement
as well as building capacity in order to implement
the SAP (UNDP, 1999).
To date, the project has undertaken a
transboundary diagnostic analysis of the Dnieper
basin and developed the SAP. The diagnostic
identified a number of transboundary socioeconomic
and environmental issues, including
pollution from the Chernobyl disaster, toxic
pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals as well as
untreated sewage dumped into the river on a
66 — Hydropolitical Vulnerability and Resilience along International Waters: Europe