Who we are 

Arnika Association 2004 Annual Report

Content

• Foreword
• Our mission
• Toxics and Waste Programme
• Centre for Citizens' Support Programme
• Protection of Nature Programme
• Arnika's branches, clubs, and contact places
• Arnika Děčín
• Arnika Ostrava
• Arnika Prague
• Arnika České Budějovice
• Bořena Team
• Arnika Vrchlabí
• Arnika Broumov
• Arnika Vyškov
• Arnika Chomutov
• Nature needs your help
• Acknowledgements and co-operation
• Budget
• Download the document

The most important event of 2004, also from the point of view of protection of the environment, was accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union. This accession means that, in the future, majority of environmental legislation will be created on European level - some Member States, such as, for example, Italy, do not have even any original environmental legislation, but only transposed directives and regulations of the EU, nowadays. In the Czech Republic, this obviously will not be the case for a long time yet, but, still, our legislation will be more and more in harmony with the European one.

This influenced also work of Arnika in this year already. We have substantially participated in promotion of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 in the Czech Republic, we have tried intensely to influence the future form of the European policy on chemicals. In the case of amendment of the Act on Inland Navigation, we succeeded in prevention of the provision which was in contradiction with European directives on protection of nature.

In the time of establishment of Arnika three years ago, we had vision to be a bridge between the world of European directives of the Brussels policy and the specific problems of Czech citizens, municipalities and regions in the field of the environment. We have fulfilled this conception in surprisingly broad spectrum of cases and campaigns - from Dolní Lutyně, where we have helped the citizens in resistance against an industrial zone planned in the area that should be incorporated into Natura 2000, through help to citizens of Nové Heřminovy municipality that is to be flooded by a dam (also in the area meeting criteria for incorporation into the Natura 2000 network), up to the cases such as problems of Mr. and Mrs. Rychtaříkovi in Klatovy area, to whom only money from the EU will probably help to decontaminate the restituted property contaminated by poisons, the cleaning of which none of guilty parties and responsible authorities intends to carry out.

Accession to the European Union have changed many things, but not attitude of Czech politicians towards protection of nature and the environment. Again and again, they intensify their attacks on the right of citizens associations to take part in administrative proceedings, on the right of citizens to information concerning the environment, and on the field of protection of nature as a whole. It is always more difficult to repel these attacks and if the result of the next elections will be as expected, hard times await us probably. Will there finally occur, as one of the officials of the Ministry of the Environment says, that, similarly as many other Member States of the EU, we must destroy our nature at first and only then we will start to esteem its remains?

Arnika, together with other organisations, tries, and will try, to prevent this. However, it will need your support in its effort more and more. Today, we are finally in the family of rich states. It means, apart from other things, that we are expected to finance organisations of benefit to the public, including environmental ones, ourselves. Therefore, we cannot rely on help from abroad any more. Inland sources for these purposes are, and for a long time still will be, insufficient, and, moreover, rather for the "good and harmless" organisations, among which Arnika does not, and will not, belong.

It means that the new year is still more pressing opportunity to thank you all for support in the past year, and to beg you to maintain our organisation in your favour also in the future. After all, we do not protect nature and the environment for ourselves only, but for all of us.

Vlastimil Karlík, MSc, chairman of Arnika

Arnika's mission is improvement of the state of the environment, and protection of nature. We concentrate, in particular, on protection against pollution by toxic substances, and on conservation and restoration of rivers and wetlands, both on the territory of the Czech Republic, and in the European context.

The aim of the programme is to reduce amounts of toxic substances released into the environment, and to promote stricter laws and introduction of so-called "cleaner production" or thorough waste recycling. We support right of citizens to information on toxic substances in the environment, which is not a matter of course in the Czech Republic yet.

• Also thanks to Arnika's campaign Environmentally Friendly Use of Paper, use of recycled paper spread to further offices (Liberec, Pardubice, Tábor ...). The number of members of Coalition for Recycled Paper reached 33.

• On the basis of Arnika's action, the GEMEC Union company stopped depositing toxic fly ashes from waste incinerators into the mine Jan Šverma in Žacléř area.
• The Toxics and Waste Programme of Arnika Association became the regional centre of the international network IPEN for central Europe and the Balkans. It started its co?ordination activity by an international conference attended by 45 experts and environmental activists from 14 European countries and the USA.
• We called in question the intention of the ICKM company with the landfill in Pozďátky: The Regional Authority Vysočina did not incorporate the landfill into the Regional Waste Management Plan, the Ministry of the Environment returned EIA documentation to the company.
• The petition Toxics Free Future II, requiring stricter measures against releases of toxic substances, has been signed, since July 1, by approximately 8,000 people, including a number of municipal, town, and regional representatives.
• Together with other NGOs from the Czech Republic, we submitted observations to the draft National Implementation Plan for Stockholm Convention Implementation, and we succeeded in putting through a part of them as a part of the revised version of the document.
• We have arranged for testing of the content of toxic substances in blood of the Minister of the Environment, Libor Ambrozek (the analysis itself was carried out by Worldwide Fund for Nature WWF).
• We joined the appeal of other NGOs requiring the Prague representatives to disagree with construction of a new waste incinerator for incineration of waste water treatment sludge on Císařský ostrov finally, the Prague Council did not approve construction of the incinerator.
• Press conference on problems of brominated flame retardants organised by the Toxics and Waste Programme on November 23, 2004, started discussion on ban of these substances in the Czech Republic.

Centre for Citizens' Support supports citizens associations, helps to establish new ones, and offers its services also to municipalities. The aim is to widen expert abilities of the individual groups, make their work more effective on local level, and to build links among them.

• In total, the Centre worked at 67 different cases of endangering of nature or damaging of the environment on the territory of the whole Czech Republic, and at further 38 cases of felling of trees, in 2004. The Centre contributed directly to establishment of seven new citizens associations.
• We have started a new campaign entitled "Save the Trees". Its aim is to prevent unnecessary and unsubstantiated felling of trees and shrubs, especially in town parks and avenues of trees. In a number of cases, its efforts were successful (we succeeded in saving of tens of trees, for example, in Ječná and Jeseniova streets in Prague, in Husinec municipality or in Ostrava area).
• In OstravaPoruba, we succeeded in stopping a project according to which a car park for more than 50 cars should have been formed directly on the place of sport playing fields near the elementary school in Komenského street. Under pressure of the public, the town hall abandoned its application for permission to build the car park.
• In OstravaSvinov, we succeeded in stopping a plan of a private company to build a highcapacity car park on the place of recently completed park near Svinov railway station. The park, as well as urbanistic character of the historical place, were maintained.
• Together with the citizens association Pod Rovněmi, we succeeded in cancelling permission of exploratory mining of garnets in the valleys of Ždírnický, Kalenský and Bukovinský streams near Giant Mountains. The municipalities and their citizens are afraid of destruction of the villages, landscape, as well as tourism. Even the former president Václav Havel communicated his sympathy with protection of nature of Giant Mountains to the citizens.
• Arnika, in cooperation with local citizens, succeeded in instigating pressure of the city on the Spolchemie company. Its plant is the source of unbearable smell in Kralupy nad Vltavou. In 2004, we succeeded in stopping one of the production lines.
• We succeeded in cancellation of territorial decisions concerning construction of new roads on Pankrác plain and also of permission of placing a giant shopping centre Arkády. The skyscrapers and shopping centres would choke the city with further cars, and damage the skyline of Prague. The Centre cooperates in this campaign with associations Občanská iniciativa Pankráce (Citizens Initiative of Pankrác) and Ateliér pro životní prostředí (Studio for the Environment).

• Úvaly u Prahy - illegal operation of car parts pressing shop of the ESSA Czech company.
• Illegal development of a quarry Předhradí in Chrudim area.
• Damaging of nature by illegal motocross near Lomnice nad Popelkou.
• Environmental impact of the planned landfill Volfartice in Liberec area.
• Illegal manipulation with toxic mud in Holovousy in Hradec Králové area.
• Contamination of watercourses by waste waters from the waste water treatment plant of the Mileta company in Černý Důl.
• Environmental impacts of new sand mining near the Dolní Bousov municipality in Mladá Boleslav area.

The Protection of Nature Programme concentrates, in particular, on protection of the richest ecosystems of the central Europe concerning the number of species - watercourses and wetlands. It seeks and promotes the alternatives of management and use of watercourses which lead up to harmonisation of requirements of protection of nature with flood protection and with economic use of watercourses and the landscape around them. Further important activity of the Protection of Nature Programme is preservation of vanishing species of plants and animals in their original biotopes, and conservation of the natural landscape balance.

• We succeeded in preventing incorporation of a provision, cancelling validity of the Nature Protection Act for updating the ElbeVltava waterway, into the amendment of the Act on Inland Navigation.
• We contributed to the fact that the government, in the case of Elbe weirs, did not adopt a resolution on superiority of public interest of development of waterway over the interest of protection of nature, and to the fact that the Ministry of the Environment refused to grant an exception from the Nature and Landscape Protection Act for construction of the weirs.
• We contributed to the fact that the government approved the draft of sites of European importance and majority of the proposed bird areas already before the end of 2004.
• Thanks to our activities, opinions of NGOs concerning financing of the Natura 2000 network, and, especially, concerning the future programme LIFE+, were supported by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic on meetings of the EU Council of Ministers.
• Third year of the Elbe Celebration took place on 8 places of the Czech Republic, and, in spite of inclement weather, it was attended by 3,500 people in total.
• Arnika (the Protection of Nature Programme) was selected by the European Rivers Network organisation as coordinator of the European day of river bathing in 2005 for the Czech Republic. In December, we organised a successful conference on flood protection in Ostrava, and we opened a touring exhibition of Natura 2000.
• In 2004, the first year of the Owls into Schools project of environmental education finished, and its second year started. The project enabled 8,200 Prague pupils to meet live owls.

• We organised, in cooperation with Děčín Coalition for Walking and Cycling Transport, a collection on the children traffic playground. It succeeded in collecting 39,575 CZK.
• We organised a petition action with the aim to force the Děčín city to fulfil its promise and allocate ca 13 million CZK each year to construction of new bicycle lanes. The result of the petition action was negotiation with the mayor of Děčín who promised that the city would do everything for obtaining the necessary funds.
• We took part in organising the cultural festival Olešská Kramle.
• We organised Elbe Celebration in Děčín.
• Together with Děčín Coalition for Walking and Cycling Transport, we organised happening "Bicycle riding for 13 millions" on the Day without Cars.

CONTACT: ARNIKA Děčín, Kamil Repeš, Hudečkova 1, 405 01 Děčín I, phone/fax: 412 510 650, e-mail: decin@arnika.org

• In the campaign "For Preservation of Opava River", the aim of which is to prevent construction of a dam that would flood Nové Heřminovy municipality, we contributed to preparation of a study on alternative flood protection measures.
• In order to support the citizens of Nové Heřminovy, we organised, in addition to several exhibitions, the "March of Water Sprites for Preservation of Nové Heřminovy", connected with handing the petition "For Preservation of Nové Heřminovy" over to the Minister of Agriculture.
• The petition "For Preservation of Nové Heřminovy" was signed by ca 4,000 people.
• Representatives of more than 20 municipalities sent an appeal to the government of the Czech Republic, requiring preservation of Nové Heřminovy.
• We organised a big CzechGerman conference "Flood Protection and Protection of Nature the Common Way". The conference presented German experiences and principles of flood protection and information concerning possibilities of obtaining support for these measures from the EU funds.
• We issued the book "Life with Floods". Its aim is to inform the general public on possibilities of flood protection.
• We helped with preventing unauthorised felling of trees in Ostrava.
• We joined the initiative against construction of an industrial zone in Dolní Lutyně. The zone would destroy an important bird area incorporated into Natura 2000.
• We organised action for cleaning Ostrava of litter.
• We organised a contest for children entitled "My Life with the River".

CONTACT: ARNIKA Ostrava, Helena Váňová, Bohumínská 63, 710 00 Ostrava 2, e-mail: ostrava@arnika.org

• We organised two petition information stalls in Prague. One of them concerned Nové Heřminovy, and the second the problems of construction of weirs on Elbe.
• We organised an exhibition "Paper as a Raw Material" on Anděl in Prague, and an anti?advertising march through Prague, concentrating on problems connected with so?called mailbox advertising.
• We organise regular meetings with interesting guests (the sociologist professor Hana Librová, author of books "Colourful and Green" and "Indifferent and Half-hearted"; photographer and journalist Lenka Kučerová ...).

CONTACT: Arnika Prague, Martin Volf, Chlumova 17, 130 00 Prague 3, phone/fax:222 781 471, e-mail: praha@arnika.org

• We influenced the final version of the Waste Management Plan of the Region of South Bohemia, where important measures contributing to better environmental protection were successfully incorporated.
• We asked the Regional Authority of the Region of South Bohemia to support the Coalition for Recycled Paper. The appeal was sent also to mayors of Prachatice, Strakonice and Český Krumlov cities.

CONTACT: Arnika České Budějovice, Věra Horská, MB, Fráni Šrámka 35, 370 04 České Budějovice, phone 608 942 030, e-mail: ceskebudejovice@arnika.org

• In 2004, we celebrated 25 years of existence.
• We continue in protection of nature in western part of České středohoří. It worked, in particular, at care of sites hosting protected and endangered plant species.

CONTACT: Arnika -Bořena Team, Kamil Repeš, Hudečkova 1, 405 01 Děčín I, phone/fax: 412 510 650, e-mail: kamil.repes@arnika.org

• We involved 105 children from Trutnov and Semily area into the contest "My Life with the River". In 2004, this branch was dissolved.

• We organised an all-day action oriented on separation of wastes for pupils of the local elementary school in Martínkovice.
• We ensured so-called "Frog crossing" across a road.
• We joined petition actions "Stop the Danger from Spolana" and "Toxics Free Future II".
• Within the framework of the "Owls into Schools" project, we ensured lectures on Masarykova Elementary School in Broumov.
• - On the secondary school in Broumov, we organised discussions on the environment and involvement of volunteers, and on Natura 2000.
• We informed the public on risks of incineration of waste in households.
• Within the framework of the "Save the Trees" campaign, we drew attention to illegal felling of trees in Broumov area.

CONTACT: Arnika Broumov, Kateřina Szaffnerová, Martínkovice 260, 549 73 Martínkovice, phone: 721 272 095, e-mail: broumov@arnika.org

• We repeatedly warned about the fact that the hazardous waste incinerator Ekotermex Vyškov pollutes air by dioxins and chlorine compounds in the long term.
• We organised celebrations of the Earth Day, during which we organised cleaning of the city park, cultural programme, exhibition of children's drawings and photographs, and playing-educational programme for elementary school pupils. The returns of all the actions were then handed over to the University Hospital at Saint Anna in Brno for purchase of hospital equipment without PVC.
• We involved ca 100 children from elementary and secondary schools in Vyškov into the art contest "My Life with the River"

CONTACT: Arnika Vyškov, Radka Štěpánová, Polní 10, 682 01 Vyškov, phone: 607 617 653, e-mail: vyskov@arnika.org

• We organised a commemoration action at the opportunity of an anniversary of felling a one-hundred-year-old lime tree in the vicinity of LIDL supermarket. During the happening, 10 new trees were planted.
• We organised an exhibition within the framework of Environmentally Friendly Use of Paper campaign.

CONTACT: Arnika Chomutov, Iveta Houfová, Blatno 113, 430 01 Chomutov, phone: 603 563 675, e-mail: chomutov@arnika.org

In order that the Arnika activity be professionally well-founded, useful, and effective, we carry out, for example, analyses of contaminated soil and food, expert studies, we organise exhibitions, happenings, we print and distribute information materials. All this work costs not only a lot of time and human energy, but also money. If you like what Arnika does for our common environment, be sure that your financial and moral support will help us in our work a lot.

Through membership: To be a member of Arnika means to be a part of a trustworthy and notable organisation which takes part in environmental protection and influences life around it markedly. Through your membership, you express the approach that you are not indifferent to the fate of the environment where you live. You may take an active part in our campaigns, and participate in decision making and further formation of the organisation. You will be regularly informed on activities of Arnika by means of a quarterly newsletter, and you will also obtain the Annual Report. The recommended membership contribution amounts to 200 CZK per year.

Through contributorship: You can support the Arnika's activities by any financial amount. If you send us a contribution of 200 CZK or higher, you will automatically obtain the same rights and possibilities as in the case of membership. The recommended yearly contribution is 365 CZK, i.e. 1 CZK daily. You can also establish a standing bank order and support activity of our association in the long term. This form of help is very important for us within the framework of building of long-term relations with the donors. In the case of donation of 1000 CZK or higher, we will state your name in the Annual Report. On request, we will send you a donation certificate for the purposes of tax deduction.

Through voluntary work: You need not send money, but still you can help us. If you work voluntarily in your free time, you can be involved in exhibitions, music festivals, and further cultural events, press conferences or happenings with Arnika. You will get acquainted with people who, similarly as you, want to protect the nature, you will enjoy a lot of fun and adventure, and your help will be a big benefit to us.

Arnika understands that an individual - as well as an individual organisation - has much lower prospect of achieving the set goal than a team. Because of that, we highly appreciate co?operation of tens of Czech, as well as foreign, organisations, and help of individuals, without whose aid our way to the common goal would be much more difficult. Arnika thanks, in particular, the following organisations and individuals:

Ateliér pro životní prostředí (Studio for the Environment) … Česká společnost ornitologická (Czech Ornithological Society) … Českomoravská energetika (Czech-Moravian Energy) … DOEN Stichting … Ekologický právní servis (Environmental Legal Service) … European Union … Fors company … Health Care Without Harm … ChemicalReaction (Greenpeace, EEB and Friends of the Earth) … IPEN (International POP's Elimination Network) … Jedlička Institute … Klub ochrany dravců a sov (Club for Protection of Birds of Prey and Owls) … KOSA (Koalice spotřebitelských aktivit; Coalition of Consumer Activities) … Lesy ČR (Forests of the Czech Republic) … Prague City Council … City Part Prague 1 … City Part Prague 13 … City Part Prague 3 … City Part Prague 6 … Děčín City Council … Vyškov City Council … Milieukontakt Oost-Europa … Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic … Mitchell Kapor Foundation … Museum of the Police of the Czech Republic … Nadace na ochranu zvířat (Animal Protection Foundation) … Partnership Foundation … Veronica Foundation … VIA Foundation … New World Foundation … the Netherlands Kingdom - Matra … NNS Brno … NROS - Nadace rozvoje občanské společnosti (Foundation for Development of Civic Society) … Plazy municipality … Lampertice Municipal Authority … Profiterm Morava, limited company … REC - Dunajský regionální projekt (Danube Regional Project) UNDP/GEF … Sluníčko … Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain … Schools participating in the project Owls into Schools … UNIDO … WWF … Zelený kruh (Green Circle) … Zlatá loď, limited company … Zlatá Praha, limited company … ZOO Prague

Bayer Martin … Bendová Ludmila … Blaha Martin … Bregantová Polana … Cach Josef … Celer Josef … Černý Jaroslav … Dejmal Ivan … Dubský Jakub … Fajkus Tomáš … Fisherová Táňa … Fojtík Zdeněk … Formánek Jiří … Fürstová Jana … Gattermayer Ondřej … Gregar Miloš … Habrman René … Hakr Tomáš … Havel Milan … Hlavatá Marie …Hotzká Lenka … Hrdinka Čestmír … Kaňka Pavel … Kárská Marie … Kellner Michal … Kohoutek Jiří … Korda Bohumír … Kovtun Emil … Krejzlík Václav … Kudrna Jan … Mádrová Marta … Mácha Přemysl … Malátková Věra … Málek František … Marenčák Karol … Marschhausenová Marie … Mašková Lenka … Mazánek Jan … Nahodil Jiří … Nosek Jindřich … Ožvald Robert … Pantálková Dagmar … Pastrňák Jiří … Pěkný Jan … Pekšová Margarite … Petrlík Jindřich … Podpěrová Milada … Popelová Zora … Přechová Irena … Rataj Jiří … Rechtík Zdeněk … Rudl Emil … Růžičková Karolína … Řeháková Olga … Slejška Antonín … Srbková Jana … Staník Karel … Stibral Zdeněk … Strmiska Čestmír … Suchá Radka … Svitáková Karin … Svoboda Lukáš … Ševela Kamil … Škopek Jaroslav … Šulc Miroslav … Tůma Vlastimil … Vojíř Václav … Voldřichová Veronika … Volfovi (Eva a Martin) … Vraný Pavel … Vrbata Zdeněk … Wünsch Marek … Žáček Roman

Budget on the date of December 31, 2004

In accordance with its statutes, Arnika establishes its organisation units that have territorial or thematic competence. All entities are guided by the same statutes registered by the Ministry of Interior under number VS/1-1/48279/01-R dated October 16, 2002.

All entities (with the exception of Bořena Team and Arnika Vyškov) kept double-entry accounting in 2004.

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