The Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic Department of Environment and Agriculture

1. The Supreme Audit Office of the Czech RepublicDepartment of Environment and Agriculture Biological Diversity as an Audit Subject for the Supreme Audit Office Prague14. 10.2004

2. Why continue to audit biodiversity ?What to focus on ? Theanswer: Alarming biodiversity numbers in the Czech Republic and in OECD Europe OECD Czech Republic Threatened species mammals 3 – 71%33% birds 8 – 56% 56% amphibians 20 -100% 95% Source: OECD data 2004

3. Other Indicators Related to Biodiversity in the Czech Republic Water water withdrawal 12% of gross annual availability percentage of population connected to public WWTP 70% Protected areas total area 16% (2% national parks, 13% landscape protected areas, 1% small protected areas) Build up area more than 10% the whole area

4. Agriculture nitrogenous fertilisers use 9,2 t/sq km of agricultural land pesticides use 0,11 t/sq km Source: OECD data 2004 increase of organic farming during last 10 years from 0,4% to 5.5% of agricultural land % GDP had increased to 2,4% in 1997 but have been decreasing since then. Now it is below 2% Source: Czech Statistical Office data 2004 International commitments CR has ratified majority of multilateral agreements

5. Ways of dealing with indicated problems CR has updated the State environmental policy connected with: • the 6th Action Programme for the Environment of the EU • the OECD environmental strategy for the first decade of the 21. century • the EU Strategy for Sustainable Development Accession to the EU forced CR to take necessary measures required by Acquis Communautaire in all sectors

6. Preserving Biodiversity The targets of the updated State policy in the area of biodiversity are divided into two groups: • Land ecosystems • Aquatic ecosystems

7. Landecosystems Negative impacts: • Intensive agricultural and forestry production • Abandoning of traditionalagricultural areas • Unsuitable urbanisation • Invasive species of flora and fauna • Unsuitable structure of selected wood species

8. Objectives • Declaration of locations of the NATURA 2000 • Implementation of rescue programs • Improvement of the territorial system of ecological stability • Creation of bio-corridors

9. Aquatic ecosystems and their restoration Negative impacts: • Regulation of river courses • Construction of new waterways and dams • Pollution caused by intensive agriculture production • Intensive fish breeding

10. Objectives • Implement protection and sustainable use of water sources and wetlands in the context of economic pressures and global changes • Adopt the principle of sustainable management in the area of water policy with incorporation into sectoral policies • Adopt a methodology for selection of aquatic biotopes suitable for renewal

12. Initial Audit Experience Concerning Biodiversity The audit State budget funds earmarked for environmental protection was included in annual plan 2001 basic areas: • State program of Care for the Landscape • NATURA 2000 system (both of regularity and performance audit)

13. State Program of Care for the Landscape • Project of conservation and improvement of natural values in protected territories and with maintenance of ecological balance • Total sum 14 mil. Euro /conversion from CZK/ for 2 years • Audit´s findings – suitable preconditions were not created for effective and economic use of budgetary means • Positive outcome – significant increase in the activities of the intersectoral commission lead to a complex approach to dealing with the individual locations

14. Audit of the NATURA 2000 system • Specification of target species and types of natural habitatsand provisions for their mutual interconnection • Preparation of a national list of territories of special protection as a part of system of protected territories of the EU - 15% of the area of the Czech Republic • Audit´s findings – part of allocated financial means were utilized for other projects different from NATURA system • Positive outcome – adjustment of budgetary expenditures in the following years

15. The Current approach to Biodiversity Audits • The projects of aquatic ecosystems and renewal of aquatic biotopes were dominated, among audit topics, on the base of evaluating information • Two audits were included in the annual plans 2003 and 2004 : • The River System Restoration Program • Ecological Projects and Measures in the River Basin of the Dyje (Thaya) River

16. The River System Restoration Program • Program is concerned with renewal of the natural environment disturbed by human activity (started in 1992) • Main goal is to improve the water regime in the landscape and systematically increase biological diversity The audit was intended to: • assess economy and effectiveness of use of the financial means • find out whether a complex evaluation of the individual stages of the Program was achieved Final report was completed in October 2004

17. Audit findings Audit findings Programme formation and its execution (6 sub-programmes) Programme priorities and their financing Programme management Assessment of specific sub-programmes Assessment of the recipients

18. Necessary measures Ministry of Environment State clear objectives corresponding with the individual stages of the Programme Finance sub-programmes according to the Programme priorities Assess the ecological effect of individual projects Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the CR Improve the use of river-restoration studies Continue to monitor specific projects after their completion Recipients Supply complete cost reportsthroughout the whole process Transparent tender selection

19. Ecological Projects and Measures in the Dyje River Basin • Projects are focused mainly on improvement of water quality and biodiversity, e.g. waste water treatment plants, sewage systems, bio-corridors and nature conservation • The basic audit target consisted of evaluation of the usefulness and economy of the use of financial meansin the Dyje watershed • The audit, which was carried out as a concurrent audit with SAI Austria, included these topics: • Water protection • Nature conservation • Bilateral cooperation between the Czech Republic and Austria

20. Scope of Audit • Water protection – audit of monitoring of water quality, evaluation of the usefulness and economy of measures, compliance with relevant EU Directives • Nature conservation - audit of 3 E of means spent for nature conservation,fulfilment ofinternational agreements related to biodiversity, management of the National park • Bilateral cooperation – audit of usefulness of the work of the Commission for water management on boundary water courses Final national report was completed in September 2004, joint Czech-Austrian report is expected in June 2005

21. A typical view on Dyje meander

22. Audit findings State Landscape Programmes – formation, execution, assessment State Environmental Fund – 682 projects financed Natura 2000 – mapping, completion of the national list Cooperation between ministries (Environment and Agriculture)– water dam Nove mlyny Austrian co-financing – waste water treatment plants Bilateral cooperation–Czech-Austrian Commission for Border Waters –Czech-Austrian Commission for the National Park Podyjí-Thayathal

23. Necessary measures Ministry ofEnvironment Evaluate ecological effects Finish mapping and declare the National list of NATURA 2000 to fulfillthe National Development Plan 2004-2006 Harmonize internal regulations of both ministries in the area of watermanagement Increase its responsibility for all projects financed in the framework of cross- border regional cooperation State Environmental Fund Check sufficiently contracts between recipients and their suppliers Specify precisely ecological objectives in contracts with recipients

24. Thank you for your attention For the purpose of 3rd meeting of the EUROSAI WGEA Miroslav Kruchina Jana Koznarova Head ofDepartment of Environment Auditor from Department of and AgricultureEnvironmentand Agriculture SAO of the Czech Republic