Ecological security of water areas in the Northern Europe is discussed in PetrSU

International seminar ‘Ecological Security of Water Areas in the Northern Europe’ took place in PetrSU.

The seminar was conducted within the framework of the ‘Establishing the EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia’ project, implemented with the financial support of the EU.

Representatives of Directorate for Rosprirodnadzor on the Republic of Karelia, Saint-Petersburg University, University of Helsinki, University of Toronto, Karelian Scientific Centre of RAS, Karelian Association of Greens, Kola Ecological Centre, Karelian Society for the Defense of Animals and other social and research organizations participated in the seminar.

Students and postgraduate students of PetrSU and Institute of Water Problems of the North KaRC RAN also took part in the seminar.

Victor Vasiljev, rector of PetrSU, welcomed the participants of the seminar.

“Project is a logical prolongation of projects that were conducted by PetrSU in the past 20-25 years, especially in cooperation with our colleagues – scientists from Finland. Due to these projects PetrSU has become a well-known university in the Northern Europe’, - stressed Viktor Nikolaevich. He wished success and fruitful discussions to the participants of the seminar.

Lyudmila Kulikovskaya, director of the ‘Establishing of the EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia’ project, head of the Directorate for International Cooperation opened the seminar.

‘Today’s seminar is conducted within the framework of the ‘Establishing of the EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia’ project. This project is supported by the European Commission. Such centres have already been established in 6 Russian universities: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal

University, Kazan Federal University, Southern Federal University, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, European University of Saint-Petersburg and Petrozavodsk State University’, - said Lyudmila Yuryevna. The project will last for 3 years, until the year of 2014. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and knowledge of different categories of citizens of the Barents Region about the EU matters, such as its politics, economics, law, issues of European integration, and EU- Russia relations.

Lyudmila Yuryevna mentioned that the topic of the seminar was significant and actual, and wished successful and fruitful work, and interesting exchange of opinions to the participants. During the seminar the reports on the following topics were presented:

‘Federal state control for usage and protection of water objects on the territory of the Republic of Karelia’, ‘The problems of application of large hydraulic structures on the cross-border water objects by the example of Narvskaya water power station’, ‘The features of Karelian water ecosystems’, ‘Catchments areas and water ecosystems of urban and adjacent territories: problems and solutions”, ‘Ecological problems of water bodies of Arctic seas basins’, ‘The influence of climate changes on water objects. The issues of adoption to climate changes’, ‘Man-made and natural changes of lakes. The issue of invaders’, ‘Continental and naval foreign policies’, ‘Water governance and law in the North’.

Thus problems of ecological security of water areas in the Northern Europe were considered from the point of view of various approaches and according to the examples of various parts of the world.

Within the framework of the roundtable both experts and students discussed possible solutions to existing problems.

Practical measures were claimed to be highly important. Participation of researchers and NGOs is very critical in discussing budget, cooperation and establishment of mutual platform for socialization and exchange of information and results of conducted research, detailed research of current situation in the area of modern water intake structure and establishment of additional points of delivery of drinking water. The seminar served as a foundation for establishment of links between social, research and state organizations.