B - Convention on Biological Diversity

promote and provide information on these aspects. The State Environmental Fund supports CEPA throughits subsidy programmes and projects. A clearly important potential is in zoological gardens, which graduallyestablish information and educational centres. Information centres are also gradually being established at theadministrations of Protected Landscape Areas and National Parks. In recent years, there has been an increasein the importance of public discussion of the extent of Specially Protected Areas, their management andmanagement plans.A network of centres for injured and disabled animals has been established through non-governmentalorganizations, such as the Czech Union for Nature Conservation. The promotional activities of these centres actlocally on important target groups – farmers, foresters, gamekeepers, children and adolescents. An importantrole is played by campaigns carried out, e.g., by some nongovernmental organizations, which explain to thepublic how to coexist with large carnivores, the importance of natural floodplain forests and the profits andbenefits that natural species diversity provides for human beings through ecosystem services.There are a number of nongovernmental organizations in the CR that actively participate in informing the publicof biodiversity conservation. The greatest part of the work of environmental consulting centres in the STEPnetwork (Environmental Consulting Centre Network - ECCN) focus on pro-active environmental managementand in support to cooperation and communication between the key sectors in society - local administration,scientific research, the public and the business. Environmental consulting is intended to provide the public withobjective and comprehensive information on the environment, on environmental problems and their resolution,on products and their impact on the environment. Environmental consulting thus contributes to the formationof the environmental awareness in the population and establishment of civic structures that act as a counterbalanceto one-sided political or economic decision-making.Children and students are an important target group; a wide range of educational programmes and hobbyleisure groups have been established for them and thus the subject of biodiversity conservation is slowlyentering education programmes. The largest organizations include the PAVUČINA (Spider‘s Web) Associationof Environmental Education Centres and the Environmental Education Club. Their activities include not onlyeducation among children, but also development and support to the network of teachers and lecturers, schoolsand other institutions dealing with CEPA issue. According to these associations, the objective of environmentaleducation is to awaken and reinforce a harmonic relationship between humans and the environment, all livingbeings and other people, and thus find a pathway to oneself. Direct contact with nature and natural materials isan important component in this respect.AI.II.III.IV.V.VI.VII.VIII.IX.X.XI.XII.Museums have a long history in the Czech Republic and have traditionally been concerned with education inenvironmental management and nature conservation. However, museums do not only contribute to CEPA directly,i.e. through their natural science institutions, but especially through the fact that they present a changing worldin its various forms and interconnections.III. Problem Issues1. Decreasing interest of the general public in the environment, low biodiversity knowledge, lack of consciousnessof the importance of biological diversity for human beings, the position of man in the environment.2. Inadequately elaborated procedure for promotion and “advertising” in nature conservation. The area is notattractive for sponsoring and investments. There are no adequate and suitable opportunities in the public mass69