Sandei, from UNEP, provided a general outlook on the main features of the transport system within the Carpathians, during its presentation at the SWOMM Side Event at CSD18.

Representing one of the Europe’s largest mountain ranges, the Carpathians are an area of outstanding ecological value, inhabited by 20 millions of people sharing a peculiar economic and cultural environment.

The Carpathian Convention, signed in 2003 and entered into force in 2006, has been ratified by Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine. Receiving also the support of European funds (EU INTERREG IIIB CADSES – Carpathian Project), it aims at the creation of integrated policies, strategies and instruments for enhancing the sustainable development of the region. Activities should be promoted for fostering the territory development with regards to landscape and water management, transport and infrastructure, tourism, industry and energy, while preserving biodiversity and endangered species. Cultural heritage and traditional knowledge are also assets to be respected.

For issues related to transports, the Convention states that an adequate system has to be developed to guarantee accessibility and thus economic and social development, without endangering the mountain environment specificities (Article 8). Therefore, transport policies should focus on how to minimize the harmful effects of traffic, especially in sensitive areas, needing to be preserved for present as well as for future generations. International cooperation among the involved Parties is required for developing environmentally friendly transport systems.

The Working Group on Sustainable Industry, Energy, Transport and Infrastructure of the Carpathian Convention developed detailed analysis and assessments on the Carpathians’ transport system. During his presentation, Mr Sandei spoke on the Carpathian transport system and showed graphs and maps concerning the Carpathian Network of Protected areas (CNPA), the Pan-European Roads Corridors, different typology of Transport Network (if highway, primary or secondary roads) and the linkages between the Alpine and Carpathian Corridor.

According to these analyses, transport systems within Carpathian region have an almost homogeneous aspect, though they have been developed at a different stage in the Carpathian countries. Unfortunately, they generally reveal to be quite inadequate for managing the demand. The new political order within Carpathians with its opening to the market are increasing freight and passenger traffic and, as a consequence, the role played by road systems.

Roads are not enough to face the different types of displacements (residential, working, commercial, tourist, long-and-short route). Moreover, the existing ones are not endowed with proper infrastructural capacity. As an example, tourist and natural areas are generally not easy to reach and prone to bottlenecks. Due to these reasons, road safety is still not complying with EU-15 standards.

Other weak points of the actual system are the lack of transport services’ coordination. There are newer shuttle-bus services, but local public transport are still not enough and the modal integration is being improved (road – rail and rail – inland navigation).

Supported by the European Union in the framework of TEN Corridors policy, the construction of highways resulted to be very useful for developing transnational communications (with some positive economic and social effects). However, these actions had a high environmental impact, resulting in spoiling the natural scenery, particularly in some areas near to natural parks.

By using the Carpathian Convention, countries should go on in their integrated activities, always assuring that the new infrastructure development is in line with the highest standards on sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation.

Piercarlo Sandei
Is an Associate Professional Officer of the Environmental Reference Centre (ERC) of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at UNEP. He is also part of the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, audited by UNEP in Vienna. The Carpathian Convention is a Regional MEA (Multilateral Environmental Agreement) aimed at the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathian Mountains, signed by seven countries in 2003 and effective since 2005.

http://www.swomm.info/Docs/sandei.pdf

UN Headquarters, New York
EcoSoc Conference Room
12 May 2010 from 1:15 pm to 2:45 pm.

The 18th Commission of Sustainable Development of United Nations will host the SWOMM Side Event, “Sustainable Mobility in Mountain Areas”.

The event, to be held on 12th of May 2010 from 1.15 pm to 2.45 pm, is being organized by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (FAO), with the institutional support of UNEP.

The SWOMM Side Event at the CSD18 is gathering experts of the transport sector, coming from scientific institutions from the Alps, the Carpathian region and the Nepal. They will promote discussions on the theme of sustainable mobility and transport, with a specific view to the mountain areas, presenting innovative scientific research and successful experiences.

DRAFT AGENDA
Opening and welcome:
Paola Lucarelli – Vice Director of Cabinet, Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.
Douglas McGuire – Mountain Partnership Secretariat

Speakers:
Pier Carlo Sandei – UNEP/ Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention
Mattia Poretti – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Margrethe Sagevik -International Union of Railways (UIC)
Filippo Dal Fiore – MIT Senseable Cities Lab
Luca Cetara – SWOMM Scientific Secretariat

Link to website
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_csd18.shtml