Hasil untuk "Environmental law"

Ali Mashhadi

Wild animals need special attention because of their significance from the environmental,ecological, genetic, scientific, recreational, cultural, educational, social and economic points ofview. There are numerous international instruments and documents in the field of internationalwildlife law (IWL). Among them, there are three well-known instruments namely the Ramsar,Bonn, and CITES Conventions. In the present piece, these Conventions are studied comparativelyin order to find out their approaches toward the protection of wildlife. In doing so, the author,first and foremost, provides a brief overview of these Conventions. Thereafter, their approachestoward wildlife protection would be analyzed. The methodological approach of this researchincludes analysis of wildlife protection through descriptive and normative explanation of theRamsar, Bonn, and CITES Conventions. According to the findings of this study, reasonable andwise use of wetlands (the approach of the Ramsar Convention), special attention to migratorybirds (the approach of the Bonn Convention), and the regulation of international wildlifetrade (the approach of CITES) are three main and prevalent approaches in these instruments.Furthermore, it appears that CITES has played a more important and effective role in IWL andprotection of wildlife. It is due to the fact that this Convention has more operative tools and itsState Parties have undertaken more extensive and practical obligations.

Irzani Andi Abdulrahman, Satria Akbar Bachtiar

This study aims to evaluate the implementation of legal protection for coral reef ecosystems in Sawu Sea National Park, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. The research employs an empirical legal approach using a descriptive qualitative method with a case study design, focusing on how conservation laws and policies are implemented and function in practice. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with area management authorities, law enforcement officials, local government representatives, civil society organizations, and coastal communities, complemented by field observations and analysis of relevant legal and policy documents. The findings indicate that although regulatory frameworks and conservation policies are formally in place, their implementation remains ineffective. Limited supervision capacity, reflected in the insufficient number of officers, inadequate patrol facilities, and suboptimal use of marine monitoring technology, constitutes a major obstacle. Complex geographical conditions and weak inter-agency coordination further undermine law enforcement, resulting in sanctions that fail to produce a deterrent effect. Community participation in conservation efforts is also relatively low due to high dependence on marine resources, limited awareness of the impacts of overexploitation, unequal distribution of tourism benefits, and inadequate environmental education and legal outreach. Additionally, external factors such as climate change, including coral bleaching and extreme weather events, exacerbate reef degradation. This study recommends strengthening surveillance infrastructure and monitoring technology, enhancing the capacity and coordination of law enforcement institutions, promoting participatory and community-based conservation approaches, and integrating climate change adaptation strategies into coral reef protection policies to ensure ecological sustainability and more equitable socio-economic benefits for coastal communities.

Mingwei Su, Yunbo Zheng

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to understand the spatial and temporal evolution of the level of rule of law government construction in China and the mechanism of influence, in an attempt to expand the research direction of legal geography, and to provide empirical cases for how developing countries can promote the rule of law construction under unbalanced geographic, economic and institutional conditions. The study investigates the spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of law-based government construction levels in each of China’s 31 provincial administrative regions from 2015 to 2022, employing the Moran index and geographic detectors. The results show: (1) The construction level of law-based government in each provincial administrative region has exhibited a clear upward trend, shifting from predominantly “low” and “medium-low” levels to predominantly “medium-high” and “high” levels. (2) The construction level of law-based government and its development type exhibit clear spatial aggregation in each region. The spatial distribution of the four categorized types shows continuity and obvious characteristics of agglomeration. (3) The construction of a law-based government is influenced by economic, social, environmental, and political factors. The basic economic system, level of economic development, and resources per capita available to the administration have the greatest impact. The interaction between these factors significantly enhances their influence on the level of law-based government construction. The improvement of the level of rule of law government construction not only depends on the economic foundation and institutional resources, but is also affected by multiple factors such as urbanization development, demographic structure, public service provision, and institutional innovation path.

Yang Cai, Yunli Hao, Yongfang Qi

The niche situation can reflect the advantages and disadvantages of biological individuals in the ecosystem environment as well as the overall operational status of the ecosystem. However, higher-order niche systems generally exhibit complex nonlinearities and parameter uncertainties, making it difficult for traditional Type-1 fuzzy control to accurately handle their inherent fuzziness and environmental disturbances in complex environments. To address this, this paper introduces the backstepping control method based on Type-2 T-S fuzzy control, incorporating the niche situation function as the consequent of the T-S backstepping fuzzy control. The stability analysis of the system is completed by constructing a Lyapunov function, and the adaptive law for the parameters of the niche situation function is derived. This design reflects the tendency of biological individuals to always develop in a direction beneficial to themselves, highlighting the bio-inspired intelligent characteristics of the proposed method. The results of case simulations show that the Type-2 backstepping T-S fuzzy control has significantly superior comprehensive performance in dealing with the complexity and uncertainty of high-order niche situation systems compared with the traditional Type-1 control and Type-2 T-S adaptive fuzzy control. These results not only verify the adaptive and self-development capabilities of biological individuals, as well as their efficiency in environmental utilization, but also endow this control method with a solid practical foundation.

Fredua Agyemang

Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Although the goal primarily addresses urban development, its principles also extend to rural areas, but the extent to which South Africa’s legal and policy frameworks empower traditional authorities to contribute to the development of their communities, particularly towards achieving SDG11, remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates how South Africa’s national legislative frameworks on traditional leadership have been applied to support the advancement of SDG 11. It examines the legal provisions within the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, and relevant legislation to determine whether these frameworks provide a strong legal basis for promoting SDG 11 through the empowerment of traditional leadership. This study employs a desktop research methodology involving a comprehensive review of relevant laws, policies, and case law. Secondary data were gathered from case studies, journal articles, books, case laws, and credible internet sources. The findings suggest that the traditional authority system is deeply embedded within the South African Constitution, as well as legislative and policy frameworks, and has been effectively leveraged to advance SDG 11. Key insights emphasise the constitutional and legal recognition of traditional authorities and highlight the enforcement of traditional leadership roles and functions through various legal cases, and SDG 11-aligned programmes in South Africa. The areas where the role and functions of traditional leadership intersect with SDG 11 and rural development include security and safety, community participation, land management and sustainable settlements, cultural heritage and community identity, disaster management, and environmental stewardship. The empowerment of traditional leadership in South Africa has significant implications for achieving SDG 11 and rural development. These implications include enhanced local governance and service delivery, increased accountability and transparency, balanced rural-urban linkages, promotion of environmental stewardship, and the fostering of inclusive development. It also strengthens rural resilience, preserves cultural heritage, promotes sustainable resource management, and improves community engagement. However, challenges related to power dynamics, equity, and the need for policy integration and cohesion must be addressed to ensure that traditional leadership empowerment contributes effectively to sustainable development in South Africa.

Phillip J. Haubrock, Ismael Soto, Irmak Kurtul et al.

Abstract Background Long-term biomonitoring of macroinvertebrates is a popular and valuable approach for assessing the status of freshwater ecosystems, identifying the impact of stressors, and evaluating ecosystem health. Although macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring can be effective in detecting changes in distribution patterns and community trends over time, crayfish often remain undetected or unreported by biomonitoring efforts despite their importance in maintaining the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Results By analyzing a comprehensive database of long-term macroinvertebrate time series, we found that most sampling methods and assessment schemes can detect both native and non-native crayfish in running waters if sites are continuously sampled. However, native crayfish were detected to a lesser extent and by fewer methods. Kick-net sampling and assessment techniques prevailed as the most efficient methods for capturing crayfish. However, the substantial number of time series lacking crayfish data calls into question whether these methods are sufficiently comprehensive to encapsulate crayfish populations accurately. The use of other targeted methods such as baited traps or hand catching may provide a more reliable estimate of their presence. Conclusions Given the detrimental impacts of non-native crayfish and the decline in native crayfish populations, we strongly recommend that stakeholders and managers incorporate a combination of these approaches into their monitoring efforts. The use of different taxonomic levels (family vs. genus vs. species level) in estimating biological indices and biomonitoring tools can cause delays in identifying new non-native specie’s occurrences, hindering effective water quality assessment and ecosystem management by governments and stakeholders. Therefore, whenever possible, we call for standardized taxonomic levels for biomonitoring studies and management strategies to accurately address these issues and make recommendations going forward.

Andreas Kokkvoll Tveit, Jon Hovi, Øyvind Stiansen

Enforcement and management scholars alike expect that countries participating in an international agreement will more likely achieve predetermined targets than nonparticipating countries will. The management school ascribes this expected association to a constraining effect of the treaty; the enforcement school ascribes it to a screening effect. If the latter conjecture is correct, the association between participation and target achievement should significantly weaken (or even vanish) when controlling for targets' ambition level and other confounding factors. We test this hypothesis on a new dataset comprising three protocols under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). Our results suggest that the positive association between participation and target achievement is robust to controlling for confounding factors; hence, our data suggests that these CLRTAP protocols have indeed constrained participating states.

Mojtaba Pakparvar, Gholamali Nekooeian, Gholamreza Ghahari et al.

Introduction Water scarcity due to climate change and growing water demand in different consumption sectors is a major environmental crisis that drives arable lands to a state of degradation, especially in dry regions. Artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) through floodwater spreading (FWS) which is a potential measure for reversing this emerging trend is investigated in this research. Floodwater harvesting has become an increasingly important technique to improve water security and caused a renewed interest in research and implementation. According to the diverse objectives and methods of implementing artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) systems, various factors must be considered when choosing a method for quantifying recharge. Therefore, the rate of aquifer recharge is one of the most difficult items to measure in groundwater (GW) resources evaluation. In the soil water balance method (and in the Zero Flux Plane method), soil water movement is inferred by measuring the changes in water content of the soil profile by gravimetric sampling or automatic devices. These methods have not been proven satisfactory in low flow conditions, as there is often insufficient resolution to detect the movement of small quantities of water. Therefore, other methods, based on hydraulic conductivity, potential gradients, and directly calculated water fluxes for unsaturated flow were developed. The Buckingham-Darcy law can be used under the steady flow condition where water contents and fluxes change with depth but do not vary as a function of time. It has been employed in arid and semiarid conditions for recharge estimation. or for assessing the exchange flow between the surface water reservoir and GW. The method requires measurements or estimates of the vertical total head gradient and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at the ambient soil water content following the Buckingham-Darcy equation. The overall objective is to evaluate a floodwater spreading system that was installed in 1981 at the Gareh Bygone Plain, southern Iran for recharging the groundwater table.   Materials and Methods To assess the artificial recharge of groundwater through turbid floodwater spreading, three wells, ~30 m deep, were dug in a 37-year-old recharge basin in planted Acacia forest, bare soil, and pasture land uses, respectively. Soil hydraulic parameters of the vadose zone layers (30 m thickness) were measured in the field and laboratory. One well was equipped with pre-calibrated TDR sensors throughout the well profile for measuring the changes in soil water content along the vadose zone. The volumetric soil-water content was measured continuously from Sep. 2010 to Sep. 2020 with closer temporal increments after floodwater spreading events. Rainfall, ponding water depth, and duration were also measured. Recharge through the vadose zone was assessed by the soil-water balance (SWB) method, as measured in the field as well as by calibrating the Hydrus-1D (H1D) model through the inverse solution.   Results and discussion Results showed that the wetting front was interrupted at a layer with fine soil accumulation over a coarse-textured gravely layer at a depth of ~4 m. The large differences in hydraulic conductivity of the two successive layers seemed to cause the transformation of the wetting front water movement into fingering flow. The changes in downward water flux complicated TDR measurement after the depth of 4 m. However, noticeable but temporary changes in the soil water content were detected in some of the layers below the 4 m was evidence for fingering flow after the flood events. Validation of the simulated flow by the H1D model vs. the one observed by SWB (with RMSE 3.45; R2 0.994) showed that the model performed well in flux estimation. The recharge ratio was calculated for the 2010 to 2020 events as 26 to 84 average of 55 % for all events and 63 to 84 average of 75 % for large impounded floodwater in the basin, respectively.   Conclusion Although a reliable set of data is obtained for calculating recharge at the very location of this study, up-scaling of the results for the entire floodwater systems and for the other flooding events with extreme volume and flow rate needs an extended investigation period and thorough identification of the underlying layers. The determined hydraulic properties of the RLs obtained in this study will be utilized in future research works in the FWS systems in our study site. The contributions of this thesis can be summarized as a) development of approaches for application, calibration, and validation of existing models with limited available data, b) the incorporation of new concepts into the models used, c) generating a unique and robust field data set to support the modeling approaches and d) provision of new information in the context of floodwater harvesting and its impact on groundwater recharge. Floodwater harvesting, especially in the form of FWS, is an emerging issue in water management in dry regions, which needs a better understanding and evaluation of its impact on the surrounding environment. Small-scale but nature-friendly water management plans, such as FWS systems, are seriously criticized since there are numerous methods, which are more attractive in terms of investments and money return to investors. However, they are rarely investigated. This study provided quantitative evidence that proves the effectiveness of FWS systems.

Yung-Yue Chen, Ming-Zhen Ellis-Tiew, Wei-Chun Chen et al.

In this investigation, a smart collision avoidance control design, which integrates a collision avoidance navigation and a nonlinear optimal control method, is developed for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) under randomly incoming ships and fixed obstacle encounter situations. For achieving collision avoidance navigation, a fuzzy collision risk indicator and a fuzzy collision avoidance acting timing indicator are developed. These two risk indicators can offer effective pre-alarms for making the controlled USVs to perform dodge actions in time when obstacles appear. As to nonlinear optimal control law, it provides a precise trajectory tracking ability for the controlled USVs to follow a collision avoidance trajectory, which is generated via a smart collision avoidance trajectory generator. Finally, a power allocation method is used to transform the desired control law into available actuator outputs to guide the USVs to follow a desired collision avoidance trajectory. From simulation results, the proposed collision avoidance strategy reveals a promising collision avoidance performance and an accurate trajectory tracking ability with respect to fixed objects and randomly moving ships under the effect of environmental ocean disturbances.

Baine P. Kerr

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) set a cap for international aviation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at its 2020 level and established a market-based mechanism to help achieve that cap. Against that backdrop, this article identifies ICAO’s legal obligation to mitigate climate change by examining the international climate change treaties, ICAO’s constituent treaty, the Chicago Convention, and ICAO’s organizational practice. It finds that because ICAO is not a party to the climate change treaties and has a high degree of institutional autonomy, those treaties do not directly impose an obligation on ICAO. Although the Chicago Convention does not expressly mention the environment or climate change, ICAO’s member states interpreted the Convention and enlarged ICAO’s mandate under it to include the reduction or limitation of GHG emissions from international aviation so as to prevent dangerous climate change. This article finds that pursuant to Jan Klabbers’ recently developed theory of role responsibility, ICAO arguably has an obligation to carry out this important mandate, and its failure to do so, or failure to do so effectively, could constitute an internationally wrongful omission.

Sally Ashton, Elena Aydos

The Murray-Darling Basin, in south-eastern Australia, comprises 14 per cent of Australia’s geography. This paper examines some of the historical and contemporary discourses that have been deployed in the last 120 years in managing the complex challenges of the Basin. Differently to prior Indigenous practices, prevailing environmental discourses in this period have highlighted the disconnect between humans and their environment. Whilst Ecologically Sustainable Development underpins the objects of the Water Act 2007 (Cth), it is evident that, in fact, it is an economic rationalism discourse that has been deployed to regulate environmental outcomes through the marketisation of water rights.

Rodney Ehrlich, Alex Montgomery, Paula Akugizibwe et al.

Abstract Background The triple epidemic of silicosis, tuberculosis and HIV infection among migrant miners from South Africa and neighbouring countries who have worked in the South African mining industry is currently the target of regional and international control efforts. These initiatives are hampered by a lack of information on this population. Methods This study analysed the major South African mining recruitment database for the period 1973 to 2012 by calendar intervals and demographic and occupational characteristics. Changes in area of recruitment were mapped using a geographic information system. Results The database contained over 10 million contracts, reducible to 1.64 million individuals. Major trends relevant to health projection were a decline in gold mining employment, the major source of silicosis; increasing recruitment of female miners; and shifts in recruitment from foreign to South African miners, from the Eastern to the Northwestern parts of South Africa, and from company employees to contractors. Conclusions These changes portend further externalisation of the burden of mining lung disease to home communities, as miners, particularly from the gold sector, leave the industry. The implications for health, surveillance and health services of the growing number of miners hired as contractors need further research, as does the health experience of female miners. Overall, the information in this report can be used for projection of disease burden and direction of compensation, screening and treatment services for the ex-miner population throughout Southern Africa.

Roberto Muhájir Rahnemay Rabbani

O “princípio da capacidade contributiva” ou “princípio da capacidade econômica”, vem determinado no art. 145, § 1o, da Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988 (CRFB), e é um dos alicerces do Direito Tributário. Este princípio estabelece que cada cidadão deverá contribuir para os gastos públicos na medida de sua possibilidade financeira. Ao tratar de tributos ambientais, o Direito Ambiental alia-se ao Direito Tributário em prol de um objetivo comum: a proteção ambiental. Contudo, diante deste cenário, verifica-se que o “princípio da capacidade contributiva” tem seu protagonismo deslocado, cedendo lugar para o princípio ambiental do “poluidor-pagador”, conforme o art. 225 da CRFB, a Lei 6.938/81 e diversos acordos internacionais. Sem negar a aplicação dos princípios tributários, em especial o “princípio da capacidade contributiva”, a partir de revisões doutrinárias e legais, o presente estudo tem como objetivo apresentar um inovador princípio tributário-ambiental, o “princípio da capacidade poluidora”, que insere um novo paradigma no sistema tributário.

Juraj Jankuv

The presented study aims to identify and to analyse key moments of evolution, present form as well as institutional support of international regime of air space in the spirit of existing customary, treaty and non-binding soft law norms of international public law, and briefly even in the spirit of rules of the European Union. Special attention will be paid to the issue of interaction between the international airspace regime and international environmental law in the area of protection of climate. These analyses will allow us to identify the most important problems and challenges of international aircraft law as one of the important sub-sections of international public law.

Adam Lazowski

(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2017 2(3), 797-802 | Editorial | (Abstract) The political developments in Poland, which took place in course of the past two years, have brought very chilling eastern winds to Brussels. Interestingly enough the most recent episode in the polish saga is not related to any of its domestic constitutional issues but rather to a woodworm, which populates some of the Polish forests and, as it happens, it is the arch-enemy of the Poland's Minister of Environment. The latter decided to employ its strongest armoury and for months now has been proceeding with a large-scale logging of primeval Białowieża Forest, which is a UNESCO protected site and a habitat of many animals, including some of the endangered species. According to the European Commission, the actions of the Polish authorities constitute a breach of two EU environmental directives. Bearing in mind the scale of the cull and the pace of it, the European Commission filed for an interim order requesting suspension of the logging. This was entertained by the Court of Justice almost in an instant, yet on temporary basis, until the judges conduct an in-depth enquiry whether the request made by the applicant has merits. The woodworm case has exposed a number of interesting phenomena. The story of Polish woodworm games not only encapsulates the weaknesses of the EU law enforcement machinery but it also unveils, once again, a paradox. The EU's toolbox provides ammunition that can be used in case of breach of EU legislation proper. However, it leaves the EU almost toothless when it comes to cases of flagrant breaches of rule of law. To put it differently, the European Commission may take a Member State to the Court of Justice, and have the latter impose penalties for logging of a forest in breach of EU environmental law. Yet, when the Member State undermines the independence of judiciary, by making its Minister of Justice a key player in judicial appointments and dismissals and, at the same time, a chief public prosecutor, the European Commission can only trigger its Rule of Law Mechanism and adopt non-binding recommendations or reasoned opinions.

V. Naddeo, T. Zarra, G. Oliva et al.

In the modern world of wastewater treatment, control of odors has moved from an afterthought to a primary design consideration for most collection and treatment facilities. As development encroaches on our facilities and our new neighbours become less tolerant of nuisance odors, wastewater professionals have found the need to address odor as a primary concern in the design and operation of collection and treatment facilities. When facility odors affect air quality and cause citizen complaints, an investigation of those odors may require that specific odorants be measured and that odorous air be measured using standardized scientific methods. Odour intensity is one of main odour characterization parameters, and remarkably common and important sensory indicator of environmental odours. Odour intensity reflects people’s perception of odours and contributes to effective odour management. The “triangle odors bag method', which has been adopted for the offensive odors control law in Japan, and the dynamic olfactometry defined by EN 13725 has been adopted in Europe. These methods are the worldwide used for as reference methods for the sensorial measurement of odours. On these methods are also based the training of electronic nose (e.Nose). In this study odour samples were collected on municipal wastewater treatment plant located in south Italy at four different treatment units to determine the relationship between odour intensity assessed by Japanese “triangle odors bag method', odour concentration measured with dynamic olfactometry according to European standard EN13725:2003 and with odour concentration measured by a novel prototype of e.Nose patented by University of Salerno. A monthly sampling and relative measurements were carried out for consecutive 12 months at Laboratory of Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED) at University of Salerno (Italy). Results show when high odours were detected by Japanese standard, the odour concentrations measured according European standard were also high (e.g. emission from sludge line). Concentrations measured by e.Nose are strongly correlated with the measurements carried out by standard methods.

Hoffmann Jan

Cornel Grigorut, Calin Marinescu

Concerns about environmental protection and their legal expression led to the formation andaffirmation of a set of common principles of national, regional and international law. Although they knowvarious formulations and specifications in these three legal systems, their fundamental meaning remains thesame, in different situations. They arise and contribute, at the same time, from / to the assertion of theenvironment in general, as common heritage of humanity.

Keković Zoran, Milošević Mladen

The process of economic transition in Serbia has highlighted the problem of socially responsible behavior of corporations and especially the growing phenomenon of corporate crime. The consequences of corporate wrongdoing are almost everywhere and cannot be overseen. The most tremendous ones are those related to human casualties, environmental disasters, long-term negative health effects and great material budget losses on local and state levels. The fact that corporations are profiting from criminal activity which causes enormous damage to society and individuals makes public policy makers face the ultimate choice - either to devise new effective measures for reducing and controlling this phenomenon or to retain the standard model of crime control, in accordance with the principles of classical criminal law. The first choice would require one of the pillars of criminal law - the principle of individual and subjective guilt of physical persons as the exclusive grounds for imposing criminal liability - to be either modified and widened in order to be used as a base for imposing corporate criminal liability or partially changed by new criminal law categories which would introduce different grounds for imposing criminal liability on an organization. The second choice would require the decision-makers to refuse to change old and well-established principles. The criminal reality, however, has made most legislatures in Europe and around the world choose the first option and introduce different forms of corporate criminal liability. Serbian criminal legislation has been headed in the same direction since 2008, when it was changed in order to enable the imposing of liability for criminal acts on corporations. However, although corporate criminal liability is becoming the European legislative standard, one question remains - Is this the only measure of criminal politics which can be used as a means of reducing and preventing corporate crime? The authors analyze criminological, cultural and other aspects of corporate crime and point to some potentially positive effects of measures based on the understanding of the characteristics and functioning of contemporary corporations. The first part of the article highlights the concept and features of corporate crime and suggests a broad criminological definition which encompasses its numerous aspects. The authors then focus on cultural aspects of corporate crime and the role of corporate culture type in choosing the criminal behavior as a way of gaining profit. In the second part, the authors examine the concept of internal corporate security culture and analyze basic models of corporate criminal liability and their relation to the concept of corporate security culture.

Dragoljub Todić

There are several common elements of the EU policy in the field of organic farming and environmental protection. Some of them stem from joint aims and instruments and some of them are formally established. Basically speaking, the main common elements are determined by the impacts which organic farming has on environment and environmental measures on conditions for organic farming. The most important policy instruments and source of law of the EU contains provisions which illustrate various relationships between organic farming and environmental protection: European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming, the Sixth Community Environment Action Plan, the European Уnion Strategy for Sustainable Development, Strategy for soil protection, European Уnion forest strategy, Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs. Besides that, it has to be mentioned several source of law relating to the water management, waste management, chemical products and fertilizer, atmospheric pollution, and particularly protection of biodiversity. European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming defined three groups of measures: developing the market by informing consumers, making public support more effective and improving and reinforcing Community standards.