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Purpose – This study aims to evaluate the effects of the synergy between monitoring technologies and deforestation control policies promoted by the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm) during its initial stage. Design/methodology/approach – The triple difference method is employed to explore the differences between the non-metropolitan municipalities with Indigenous lands and other regional municipalities. Findings – The findings indicate a reduction of approximately 16.1 km² per municipality between 2004 and 2007. This reduction corresponds to a decrease of 10,293 km² in the area of deforestation and a total of 498 million tons of CO2. To ensure the robustness of the results, placebo tests, event study and flexibility in the composition of the groups were conducted. The robustness tests substantiate the findings. Practical implications – These results emphasize the significance of remote monitoring policies for controlling deforestation in isolated regions and Indigenous lands. Additionally, such results indicate that the policy was cost-effective. Originality/value – This study innovates by examining the causal impact of the initial phase of the PPCDAm before 2008, a period not focused on existing literature. Further, employing the triple difference method innovates methodologically to assess PPCDAm's effect on deforestation in isolated Amazon areas.

The study examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape anthropization in the Kiziba-Baluba Hunting Domain (KBHD), near Lubumbashi in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, facing increasing human threats. It assesses these dynamics from 1989 to 2023 using remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and landscape ecology principles. The results reveal a significant decrease in forest cover, declining from 70.33 % in 1989 to 26.22 % in 2023, with an annual deforestation rate of -1.84 %. This deforestation has led to the expansion of savannas (63.93 %), agriculture (5.76 %), and built-up and bare soil (0.93 %) through patch creation and aggregation. The level of landscape disturbance has increased sixfold over 34 years, from 0.42 in 1989 to 2.81 in 2023. The reduction in the size of the largest forest patch and increased spatial isolation show rising fragmentation and dissection, often followed by the attrition of residual patches. These findings highlight the inefficiency of current conservation measures in KBHD, indicating a need for restructuring management, redefining protected area boundaries, developing a suitable management plan, implementing reforestation programs, strengthening enforcement of environmental laws, and actively involving local communities.

Abstract In many countries, complex environmental problems such as biodiversity decline are regulated at the national level by a disparate range of laws and nonstatutory policy instruments variously described by terms including plans, strategies, guidelines, statements of intent, and/or incentives. Such instruments are often grouped together by conservation policymakers and scientists under the umbrella term “policy.” However, from a legal perspective, there are critical differences between these so‐called policy instruments. In this paper, we focus on what we consider to be the critical difference: whether a policy instrument is binding, and therefore whether an administrative decision (e.g., about a development proposal) can be legally challenged due to noncompliance with that policy instrument. Drawing from international examples, the aim of this paper is to give conservation policymakers and scientists the guidance needed to critically differentiate between laws and nonstatutory policy, assess current or proposed policies, and determine whether a nonstatutory instrument gives rise to binding obligations, thus allowing for decisions to be challenged before a court. In doing so, we encourage conservation scientists, policymakers, activists, and practitioners to reflect critically on what is possible and not possible when nonstatutory “policy” instruments are designed and implemented.

Relevance. The need for timely control of the state of water basins and prevention of their catastrophic pollution due to the processes of handling bottom sediments. Aim. To generalize normative and published data devoted to the problem of assessment of bottom sediments pollution and application of modern technologies of remediation of sediments contaminated with heavy metals. Results and conclusions. The article shows that the most significant transformations in the composition and properties of bottom sediments naturally occur in the conditions of the highest load, typical for historically industrialized and urbanized regions. The authors have carried out a review of regulatory support for the assessment and remediation of contaminated bottom sediments. The paper highlights the gaps in the existing regulatory framework applied in Russia related to the lack of requirements for safe concentrations of toxic metals in bottom sediments. Systematization and analysis of applied technologies for bottom sediments remediation are carried out. The main directions of such works include application of physical, physico-chemical, chemical and biological methods of bottom sediments remediation and purification. These methods can be implemented either in situ or ex situ. The advantage of the first option is the lower cost of the works, while the remediation of sediments outside the water body allows achieving a higher degree of purification from heavy metals. The review shown the prospect of using hybrid remediation technologies with the selection of a set of methods that meet the requirements for treatment efficiency and economic feasibility, as well as the possibility of using contaminated sludge for the production of marketable products.

The transportation of radioactive material involves a set of procedures as varied as they are complex, justifying its strong standardization. This article aims to demonstrate that the collaborative effort between two Brazilian licensing agencies, which resulted in the elaboration of a Joint Technical Note, was justified considering the legislative process. By consolidating various norms and procedures – from the configurations of packages containing radioactive material to the training program for drivers responsible for transportation, including environmental safety of routes – it proves to be a facilitator of the work for everyone involved in this activity. In conclusion, it is shown that there is strong standardization of this activity in Brazil and that the legislative process is dynamic, reflecting natural improvements in technical and legal aspects inherent to the nature of the material involved.

ABSTRACT: The environmental regulation of continental fish farming in Brazil is closely linked to land occupation and use. Areas used for this activity are mostly located in permanent preservation areas (PPA), close to rivers and springs, demonstrating the necessity of regulating this activity for its compliance with public policy. Santa Catarina is a leading state in fish farming and one of the first to regulate the use of PPAs. The feasibility of a proposal for environmental compensation to regularize the use of PPAs in Santa Catarina for fish farming; was therefore, assessed. The results showed that 74% of the fish farms analyzed need to regularize the occupation of production structures in PPAs. Regarding the proposed index of compensation for use in PPAs, the environmental compensation factor (ECF), through evaluation of the individual maps and subsequent integrated evaluation, all the fish farms identified with environmental liabilities in occupation had ratios of 1:2 and 1:3, and this index is a viable alternative for environmental regularization of the activity. It was further proposed that ECF be applied to small fish farms of up to four fiscal modules and that they have a standard minimum occupancy profile in relation to the total area of the property, as assessed in the present study.

In order to prevent environmental pollution and to utilize natural resources more efficiently, environmentally friendly policies have been developed in our country in accordance with international developments. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulation, which came into effect for the first time in 1993, was introduced in Turkey in accordance with Law No. 2872 published in 1983. Within the scope of this study, the statistical analysis of EIA applications in Amasya province has been conducted since 2000 in accordance with the EIA Regulations in force, and an evaluation of the current situation has been presented. Additionally, investments decided within the scope of the EIA Regulation were evaluated in relation to gross domestic product (GDP) national calculations [GDP (in thousand TL), GDP per capita ($), and GDP per capita (TL)] using data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) for the years 2004-2022. Investments planned within the borders of Amasya province resulted in a total of 396 (100%), of which 37 (9%) listed as EIA Positive belonged to EIA Regulation Appendix-1 investments, and 359 (91%) listed as EIA Not Required belonged to EIA Regulation Appendix-2 investments between 2000-2023. According to the analysis based on decision numbers, it was evaluated that investments defined within the scope of Appendix-2 of the EIA Regulation were significantly high within the borders of Amasya province.

The Atlantic Forest is a global biodiversity hotspot and a significant provider of ecosystem services to 65% of the Brazilian population. Due to being highly threatened, it is protected by federal law 11,428/2006, which establishes forest use restrictions based on native vegetation successional stages in the Atlantic Forest, with more advanced stages receiving more protection. The classification parameters are established at the state level. However, the parameters employed to classify forest fragments in different successional stages are subjective and imprecise, negatively impacting environmental permitting and related offset policies. Here, we critically assessed the major limitations in applying the 11,428/2006 law and presented alternatives for establishing a more transparent, applicable, legally safe, and effective protocol for identifying the conservation value of forest fragments. We also highlight problems related to sampling, indicators, and methodologies and present guidelines for revising the parameters for applying the Atlantic Forest law and associated state-level resolutions. We suggest an inclusive two-step analysis based on vegetation structure, forest cover history, biodiversity, ecosystem services (social), and landscape indicators. By employing a more technological approach and transferring part of the assessment responsibility to the state-level environmental agencies instead of allowing self-declared reports by landowners, our proposal focuses on the potential for evaluating ecological integrity among different successional classes by forest types. As nearly 90% of the remaining Brazilian Atlantic Forest is located within private lands, improving this legal instrument is essential for protecting the vulnerable biodiversity of this unique and threatened biome.

Environmental protection is close related with environmental education. Environmental education is as necessary in the educational system as outside it. The present study, starting from the perception of the representatives of the local rural public administration and the citizens of the rural communities on environmental protection issues: (i) highlights the need for information and education in the field of environmental protection, especially with regard to environmental legislation and waste management; (ii) demonstrates the usefulness of environmental educational projects and the use of open educational resources, as resources that can be easily adapted to the real needs of education and information.

The Mexican Caribbean coastal dune is protected by national and international environmental legislation. However, through permits, concessions and authorizations for changes in land use, the coastal dune has been fragmented or suppressed, mainly for touristic activities, causing a decline in protective and ecological ecosystem services. In this study, we evaluated the strength and weakness of Mexican legislation to protect the Caribbean coastal dune ecosystem and estimated the historical and current effects on coastal dune vegetation and dune geomorphology, associated with legal allowances of land use change in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (SKBR). Legislation at the federal, state and local level were critically reviewed, and with remote sensing techniques and the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), we conducted a case study in the SKBR to estimate coastal dune vegetation alteration trends during the period 2011–2020 and modifications on the dune geomorphology associated with land use change allowances. At the federal (four laws), state (eight laws) and local (nine Local and Territorial Planning Programs (POEL and POET) levels, we found a lack of consensus and alignment between regulations, starting with a lack of definition of ecosystems subject to protection. For coastal dunes, none of them consider topography, ecological function and a way to identify it in the field, making the surveillance highly complex and favoring land use changes, the removal of vegetation and dune geomorphology alteration. Remote sensing techniques showed that areas with land use authorizations exhibit negative vegetation cover trends (Mann–Kendall

Compared to pristine ecosystems, urban protected areas (PAs) are exposed to intensified pressure and deterioration due to rapid population growth and entangled stakeholders’ interests. At the same time, these valuable ecosystems provide cities with ecosystem services, including cultural ones, and enhance the quality of life. Spatial analysis of PAs’ transformations in the context of the multidisciplinary approach contributes to the detection and safeguarding of vulnerable ecosystems. The study object is the protected areas of Moscow megapolis (within boundaries until 2012), whereas the study subject is the spatial and temporal PA’s transformations established by legislative acts. The research question is to devise a model of transformations designated by law within urban PAs and affecting their borders, land use, and rate of ecosystem deterioration. To achieve the research question, three goals were set: to gather spatial data on PAs’ transformations within Moscow designated by legislative acts; to design a comprehensive and exhaustive classification of PAs’ transformations established by legislative acts; to model spatial and temporal trends in transformations of Moscow PAs (1985-2022), according to the classification devised. The 3-compound framework for the analysis of legislative transformations (downgrading, downsizing, degazettment of protected areas) was coupled by content analysis of transformation events, GIS mapping, and spatial analysis of urban vegetation through NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) estimations and raster computations in QGIS and GDAL software. The originality of our study derives from: the analysis of the 4th transformations’ compound (design failures of new PAs); spatial comparison with positive transformations, strengthening nature conservation; uncovering detailed subtypes and levels of transformations; applying this approach to the local scale of megapolis. Our study is based on: 1985-2022 legislative acts with text and map representations of PAs’ borders, zones and land-use designated by regional government and national ministries; national and Moscow open-access spatial data hubs; Moscow online news; 2001-2021 Landsat imageries and Global Forest Change data on Moscow region. Adverse transformations affected a larger area than positive ones (53.8% of a total PA area compared to 22.6%). Positive transformations contributed by PAs’ design (49.5%) mostly, while adverse ones – by easing of restrictions on land use (60.3%) and failures in the design of new PAs (22.8%). Adverse transformations are mainly reflected in the downsizing of zones with the strictest prohibitions on land use (-68% on average) and a low share of designed PAs (54%) through the period 1985-2022. Woodland plantations dramatically expanded (+86.5%), replacing seminatural urban forests (2005-2021). Hence, PA’s ability to supply ecosystem services has been considerably diminished. In regard to Moscow, considerable adverse trends in nature protection were revealed, generally hidden from the public. The analyzed typology of Moscow PAs’ transformations is quite conventional and may be improved through comparisons with other megapolises abundant in natural heritage to advance the model devised and elicit threats to nature conservation.

The present study aims to analyze the records of the inhalable particulate matter PM10 from 2002 to 2018 in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre (Brazil), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Buenos Aires (Argentina), verifying if they were within the established limits and if the air quality reports, produced in each city, were contextualizing air pollution with relevant legislation and geographic factors. For this, we downloaded the air quality reports from websites of environmental agencies that, in accordance with their laws, are obligated to publish them. After reading, it was pointed out: the publication formats, if geographic factors were addressed in air quality analyses, the legal bases for the diagnosis, as well as which of them were more tolerant with air pollution, and the frequency they published their data and their justifications. Next, a comparison of the annual average and maximum in 24 hours PM10 records was performed. Therefore, we found that São Paulo presented the most complete document and Buenos Aires the least comprehensive. Rio de Janeiro exceeded PM10 tolerance limits several times, and Montevideo has the least polluted air quality. Only Buenos Aires did not address geographic factors as a form of analysis or suggestions. Finally, it is suggested that Porto Alegre and Buenos Aires should increase their data collection networks. The poor performance of some cities make it difficult to accomplish the task to transform them in more sustainable and healthy places.

Environmental law has long been an area of concern in terms of correct implementation and enforcement. In this context, the Commission’s enforcement focus has been on “systemic” breaches of environmental law (that is, breaches that form part of a pattern of individual breaches that, taken together, because of their repeated or widespread nature, have a significant effect on the environment). Proving the existence of such breaches in environmental law presents a number of peculiar features, because of the scientifically–loaded questions which underlie environmental legislation. The aim of this article is to relate the established approach of the CJEU towards scientific uncertainty to the specific situation in which the Commission asserts that a breach of EU environmental law has a systemic nature. It will show that, while the CJEU has been sensitive to the systemic nature of the claims brought forward by the Commission by using some of the procedural tools at its disposal, its general reticence to engage with the substantive claims at stake might have the potential to reduce the effectiveness of the infringement proceedings as a tool to adequately pursue systemic breaches of EU environmental legislation.

Abstract The integrated management paradigm proposes dealing with a resource, such as water, considering its interrelationships with other environmental components. This vision has been adopted as a policy in several countries, including Colombia, but its results have not been satisfactory. This article studies the “integrative” approach in previous regulatory arrangements, making a historical review of them to understand how the perception and management of the environment by societies in Colombia have evolved. We show how the notion of a complex and integrated environment is not exclusive from current policies but has been present in the laws for several centuries, so its consideration does not guarantee success. Strategies are proposed to improve the results of recent regulatory arrangements.

Abstract The article reviews Brazilian environmental policy, observing its central mechanisms, arguing that these are based on a conception of shared responsibility in the care for nature that has recently been undermined. From three approaches of political theory that discuss the problems of coordination of action, deliberation, and environmental justice, we analyze the institutional mechanisms of responsibility as protection, participation, and control, observing their relevance and justification for environmental policy. The article uses empirical documentary data to reflect on the potentials of the environmental policy model in the face of the possible implications of its deformation, concluding that the shared character of responsibility in environmental policy is the central focus of the changes that have been occurring, which puts an important democratic dimension at risk

ABSTRACT Most Brazilian municipalities do not have regulated areas for solid waste disposal in civil construction. Usually, residues are disposed of vacant lots and dumps, posing risks to the population health and the environment. Soils are the primary means for the disposal or recycling of waste, highlighting the importance of well-characterized soils and their respective landscape. This study aimed to establish a land suitability system for solid residues in civil construction and apply such information in a case study in Southeastern Brazil. An unprecedented digital soil map with a resolution of 30 m was created using the random forest classifier algorithm and soil field prospection information. A guide listing favorable soil-landscape attributes that most prevent soil erosion, water bodies or water table contamination was elaborated and discussed. Thus, such information was linked through a suitability system to classify areas with potential for receiving waste on a daily volume basis as follows: large size: >500 m³ day-1, medium size: >100 m³ day-1 and

Purpose. The purpose of the research is to identify the shortcomings of the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories, as well as to provide proposals for possible ways to overcome them. Methodology. The methodology includes a comprehensive analysis and generalization of the available scientific and theoretical material and the formulation of relevant conclusions and proposals. During the writing of the article, both general scientific methods of scientific knowledge and special-legal ones were used, including formal-legal, structural-functional, systemic and other methods. Results: in the process of research, it was established that the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories contains norms of a local nature, which determine the legal regime of the territories affected by the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At the same time, radioactively contaminated territories in Ukraine are the territories of former uranium mining and processing plants, tailings storage facilities (Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions). Based on this, the expediency of supplementing the Law of Ukraine "On the Use of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety" with the section "Radioactively Contaminated Territories" was determined, the effect of which would extend to the entire territory of Ukraine. In addition, the article proposes to give the land plots on which uranium production waste storage sites, buildings and structures contaminated with natural radioactive substances, which due to their ecological danger cannot be used in economic activities, the legal status of those that are not subject to taxation, as well as to establish additional subsidies from the State Budget of Ukraine for the relevant local budgets in order to compensate for the loss of revenues of local budgets as a result of the exemption from taxation of land plots that are radioactively contaminated. Originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the possibility of using the obtained results for further scientific developments in the field of legal regulation of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories. Practical significance. The results of the research can be used in law-making activities with the aim of improving the provisions of the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories.

Abstract Environmental risk communication comprises an essential step in contaminated sites management, being one of its basic principles. However, there are few studies and technical guidelines on how to perform risk communication. This research aimed to identify the main factors that can contribute to efficient risk communication from the stakeholders’ perspective: those affected or potentially affected by the risks, representatives of institutions responsible for risk communication, environmental agencies, and consultants. To achieve that, the Q technique, a methodology specialized in the study of people and their subjectivities, was applied to 24 individuals. Five factors representing the stakeholders’ perspectives were identified: 1 - Trust; 2 - Secure communication; 3 - Dialogue; 4 - Partnership; and 5 - Health, in addition to a set of consensual information between all groups. Concern for the health of those involved was the most important point of view for most participants.

In our opinion, environmental and legal culture can be with compliance of environmentally important activities with legal norms it should be understood as the state of individual and public consciousness that is characterized. This is the quality of norms, their knowledge in society, concept and interpretation, and also the environmental rights of a person in all legal ways protection of environmental tasks in everyday life and professional activities level of willingness to perform sustainable environmental and legal culture it depends on the level. Environmental education, education in the field of the environment one of the main and necessary conditions for sustainable development in the transmission system acts as a. When determining the goals of this issue, the most first, using scientific data in the local context and at the same time, paying special attention to professional training in this area, problems of education, the environment for all segments of the population development and development of the environment and implementation of concepts in the field of development in all curricula attention is paid to ensuring the needs of the population. Thus, environmental education is an immanent component of sustainable development all its basic provisions are clear or secretly introduces, as one of the most important tools to achieve the goal it is divided into two parts.

This article discusses current theoretical issues of ecological legal order in the RK. The authors claims that the rule of law is a particularly effective mechanism for increasing the level of environmental awareness of citizens, forcing nature users to comply with the established level of ecological legal order. The scientific novelty of this study is determined by the fact that the paper clarifies and details certain understudied aspects of the concept “ecological legal order”, and also considers ecological legal order as the main ecological and legal institution. The article analyzes that legal order of rational nature management is established under the influence of legislative and other requirements of environmental law. The authors also note that ecological legal order is established on the basis of legal liability. The general trend in developing ecological legal order is to increase social significance of environmental legislation, further modernization of material norms and improving protective forms of their implementation. The purpose of the work is to create a general theoretical and practical concept of ecological legal order in modern Kazakhstan. The authors sets the task to determine the ecological legal order, analyze its place in the field of law, consider the relationship of environmental law and legal responsibility, determine the relationship of environmental legal awareness, education, culture and law and order. The preparation of the work required analysis of prominent research papers, which significantly contributed to development of environmental and legal science.

At present, the spontaneous development of relations with nature endangers the existence of not only individual objects, territories, countries, but also of all mankind. This is explained by the fact that a person is closely connected with wildlife through its material and spiritual needs, that is, humanity as a whole develops and creates a cultural environment on earth, passing on its labor and spiritual experience from generation to generation. In our current conditions, this education should cover a large part of society through general environmental education of people from school walls to university walls. The uniqueness of environmental education lies in its new setting of educational goals, a new approach. In this regard, the most important goal of environmental education is the formation of an ecological culture of a person and society. During the work on the project, the conceptual method, statistical and comparative methods, the historical and legal method, the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of using "big data" were applied. The formation of ecological consciousness is closely connected with ecological education. The growing number of environmental problems, whether they are regional or international in nature or affect the international industry as a whole, require greater cooperation between states and action in the interests of international organizations. The level of environmental and legal culture determines the quality of legal norms, their knowledge, understanding and interpretation in society, as well as the degree of readiness to protect human environmental rights by all legal means, to consistently fulfill environmental tasks in everyday life and professional activities. It is concluded that programs and laws on environmental protection are meaningless until the population has a developed environmental legal awareness and does not participate in the process of implementing the law. Greater public participation can go a long way towards addressing environmental management issues. The dissemination of information is critical to enabling citizens to participate.

In this short communication, we review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law of India from the 1994 to 2020 amendments. Our study shows that the EIA system of India is undergoing a transitional period. In the 1994 EIA Notification, public hearings are included that ensure the voice of the general people in decision-making for sustainable development. A reverse scenario has been seen in the EIA Notification of 2006 and 2020, respectively, where public participation is almost overlooked, and the high interests of the proponents are taken into consideration. Issues like post-facto clearance and limiting public consultations regarding the proposed projects are the biggest obstacles in EIA Notification 2020. Our study also reveals that although the recent amendment quickens obtaining the Environmental Clearance (EC), it brings forth other problems like corruption, lack of transparency, false and fabricated data, poor monitoring etc that hinder the way of effective EIA system in India.

Wetlands are ecosystems at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic environments, subject to flooding by shallow waters or with temporarily to permanently waterlogged soils and specialized biota. Despite their great importance at global and local scales, these ecosystems have not been effectively protected in Brazil. The Cerrado wetlands are particularly neglected and misunderstood due to their distinctive hydrological functioning, imprecise maps, and multiplicity of vegetation types (e.g., wet grassland, vereda, palm grove, wet forest, gallery forest) that form complex and dynamic mosaics. Regional denominations of these wetlands often have subtle differences or redundancy, hindering their objective differentiation even by specialists. Regardless of vegetation differences, however, all Cerrado wetlands store and filter excess rainwater from the entire watershed, releasing it throughout the year to feed perennial streams and, ultimately, all of the main Brazilian rivers. Therefore, we argue that: (i) all wetlands in the Cerrado shall be unified in the legend of official large-scale maps that support environmental legislation; (ii) all vegetation types in Cerrado wetlands shall receive a unified treatment in the legislation, aligned with other wetlands in Brazil; (iii) the delimitation of wetlands for law compliance must be done on site, using objective indicators (hydrological, edaphic and botanical). We propose that all areas where the maximum elevation of the water table is less than 50 cm deep shall be mapped and protected as wetlands. That is the critical factor determining the hydromorphic soils and the specialized flora that differentiates these wetlands from the surrounding vegetation types in the Cerrado.

The article-review reveals the main provisions of the monograph, assesses its content and contribution of the authors to solving topical issues of modern envi-ronmental law. The importance of theoretical-methodological and institutional-legal characteristics of environmental law in the XXI century and the conceptual positions of the authors regarding the emergence of new concepts, sub-sectors and institutions of environmental law, as well as importance of the greening of the constitution in international and national dimensions are emphasized.

The article analyzes the provisions of the domestic legal framework and legal doctrine on the controversial issues of legal regulation of state support of environmental entrepreneurship in the Russian Federation. The opinions and approaches of domestic and foreign researchers are studied, the vector of development of legal regulation in the above mentioned sphere is outlined, theoretical and applied problems are presented, as well as ways of their neutralization in the foreseeable future. Theoretical and practical significance of the achieved results consists in the possibility of their use in the course of further scientific development on the issues of normative-legal provision of state support of environmental entrepreneurship, as well as in the development of educational and methodological materials on the disciplines of the public-law cycle. The formulated results of the study embody the author's subjective view of the stated problems, which does not diminish the axiology of the research results of other authors.

Abstract Restoration and rewilding are both relevant conservation approaches to addressing the current nature, health and climate crises. Here, we discuss the benefits of integrating restoration and rewilding in conservation projects. We highlight how such integration could increase the amount of space available for nature recovery; boost knowledge exchange and raise nature recovery ambitions; enhance landscape heterogeneity and dynamics and improve large‐scale connectivity. In particular, the two approaches may be deployed to exploit synergisms. We argue that developing a portfolio of integrated approaches that capitalise on the strengths of both restoration and rewilding and target different scales and socio‐ecological contexts is the best way to jointly address the biodiversity and climate crises. We call for major policy platforms and international funding agencies to support the emergence of infrastructures and frameworks that facilitate the coordination and integration of the restoration and rewilding agendas. Such a step would benefit biodiversity and support broader efforts to integrate different conservation strategies into whole landscape approaches.

Abstract The parameter for delimiting Areas of Permanent Preservation (APPs) in the 2012 Forest Code is the edge of the regular stream bed, not its highest level. The objective of this study is to evaluate the loss of protected areas, framed the category of water APPs in the 2012 Forest Code, in the Cabaçal River. By means of spatial technologies, maps of vegetation cover and land use from 2012 and 2018 were prepared. The change in the Forest Code in 2012 caused the loss of 90% of the area previously protected by the 1965 Code, corresponding to the major waterbed of the Cabaçal River, especially in the lower course, located in the Pantanal plain of Mato Grosso. It was concluded that the vegetation cover in the Areas of Permanent Preservation was suppressed so that urban and agricultural uses could be implanted, characterizing them as conflict areas due to the flexibilization of the environmental legislation.

This article aims to develop a methodological proposal for the application of the proportionality test as a conflict resolution mechanism in the new environmental damage declaration procedure in Ecuador, based on the systematization of theoretical conceptions and legal and administrative procedures, and constitutional principles that regulate economic activities with criteria of environmental sustainability, and the recognition of the rights of nature. Consequently, the research allowed us to extract the main results: (a) to conceive proportionality as a methodological criterion and legal construction; (b) the proportionality test becomes a mechanism at the service of the judge that seeks to provide solutions to adequately resolve conflicts, subject to the principles that govern the rights of nature and economic activities, directly established in the Constitution; and, (c) the proportionality test can be a tool for the motivation of administrative resolutions of declaration of environmental damage, as it will be useful to determine: 1) whether a fact can be considered environmental damage, 2) the amount of the fine imposed, 3) the minimum measures to approve remediation or environmental reparation plan, and 4) the amount of compensation to the victims of the environmental damage. Because of these results, it can be concluded that the normative vacuum in this matter lends itself to the discretion and arbitrary interpretation of the authority, justifying, therefore, the present methodological proposal of the proportionality test for the declaration of environmental damage.

The paper is aimed to analyze the penal proportionality in Indonesia’s environmental legislation. Primary data were collected from statutes in Indonesia’s environmental legislation. The result showed that penal proportionality relies on the idea that the severity of criminal sanction needs to be proportionate to both the crime seriousness and culpability of the actor. The more serious the offense, the heavier the punishment. The environmental legislation failed to meet penal proportionality due to its inability to reckon the crime seriousness in determining the scale/weight of criminal sanction. To set penal proportionality, offenses in environmental legislation need to be organized based on their seriousness which requires a corollary of rank-ordering, where less serious offenses do not need to be sentenced with greater severity than the more serious ones. The models of criminalization-based environmental damage meet this principle, hence spacing of criminal sanction among the offenses rank need to be formulated to ensure the application of penal proportionality.

Environment protection legislation is often inadequate and poorly implemented in Africa even though literature shows that it is important for environmental protection. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies which examine the catalytic role of legislation in the building infrastructure sustainability agenda. Therefore, to bridge that knowledge gap, this study examined the adequacy of environment protection legislation for building infrastructure projects in Zambia and their associated challenges and solutions. The study used an exploratory qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders on environment protection. The study theorises that environment protection legislation in Zambia is fairly adequate but with inadequacies in its implementation, some with omitted content, and poor understanding of the importance of environment protection. Solutions include increasing the level of implementation of the legislation and championing awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. The findings have implications for sustainability transitioning in Africa.

The article is dedicated to the 35th anniversary of publication of the first edition of the Green Data Book of Ukraine. This publication was a notable event in the 100-year history of research activity in the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where the scientific and methodological principles of the Green Data Books originated. The outcomes of the history and preconditions for development of a concept of the phytocenodiversity conservation are summarized. Problematic and disputable issues of the Green Data Book are discussed and some future tasks are outlined. Methodological approaches to conservation of natural units and areas are analyzed. It is emphasized that modern methods of biodiversity conservation are based on populational and ecosystemic approaches, while the main mode of conservation of plants is based on conservation of plant communities, which form a phytocenotic matrix for plant cenopopulations. Implementation of scientific principles of the Green Data Book of Ukraine in legislation and regulatory documents of Ukraine. A critical analysis of syntaxonomy of the protected plant communities in Ukraine is provided; 983 associations of 104 formations will form the basis for a new edition of the Green Data Book of Ukraine. The importance of wide public awareness among the general public, public organizations, and international bodies regarding the Green Data Book of Ukraine is emphasized.

This work describes the results of sound pressure measurements carried out in the vicinity of ten high voltage electrical substations operating in areas of considerable urban density in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The work was motivated as a strategy to guide the proposition of an acoustic attenuation solution to meet the imposition of the Public Prosecutor's office, which interposed a civil action in the name of dissatisfied residents of the neighbourhood of one of the substations studied. Based on the acoustic limits imposed by the applicable environmental legislation, the study evaluated the acoustic noise level at different points in the neighbourhood of ten urban substations in the city of Rio de Janeiro, studying in depth the acoustic noise in the internal and external environments of the substation subject to the civil action brought. Although it is not possible to eliminate the acoustic noise generated by high voltage transformers since it results from the natural phenomenon of magnetostriction, which is intrinsic to the operation of any high-power electrical transformer, there are alternatives to mitigate the sound pressure level. As part of the strategy, the work recommends, as a first action, eliminating any tonal component associated with the acoustic noise, as its presence in the frequency spectrum causes discomfort to the human ear and penalizes measured levels by +5 dB. The work also shows that it is not trivial to discuss the impact of acoustic noise generated by substations installed in urban communities, whose acoustic noise commonly exceeds regulated limits. In conclusion, the work confirms that most electrical substations operate on the boundary line of the permissible noise limits.

Urbanization occurs now more rapidly than before, due to the development of compact cities or urban sprawl, threatening quasi-natural areas, especially those protected within/near built-up ones. Europe lacks laws dedicated to natural protected areas within built-up areas, which are subject to the same provisions as natural protected ones, or a legislative vacuum. This research aimed to find the best planning approach for resiliently conserving and developing these areas and establishing grounds for a new tool used for planning the proximity of natural areas within cities. The methodology involved selecting two groups of countries, Nordic and eastern European, and treating these areas differently. The choice was based on specific political history. The study analyzed the legislative and planning framework and compared the approaches of 11 analyzed countries to pinpoint the basic aspects accounted for and applied to other European territories, in order to preserve the characteristics of urban morpho-typology and the particularities of local landscapes. The comparison results suggest solutions such as adopting specific regulations for urban protected areas and their adjacent zones through legal documents, completing/detailing environmental legislation in Nordic countries, adopting laws dedicated to protected natural areas within and/or close to built areas, and changing the approach to protecting natural areas with urban planning or land use tools.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of environmental diplomacy of the European Union. Today environmental diplomacy has become an important way for states to promote their course of environmental diplomacy, to protect their environmental rights and interests, to promote their own economic and environmental development. The most striking example of the application of green diplomacy on a regional and global scale is the environmental policy implemented by EU member states. Within the EU there is a huge number of environmental programs for the development of renewable energy sources, protection of flora and fauna, as well as combating pollution of water and land resources. To implement its own environmental diplomacy, the EU has adopted a number of important regulations, which are analyzed in the article. The most thorough legal act in the field of environmental diplomacy was Council Directive 85/337 / EEC of 1985 on the assessment of the effects of public and private projects on the environment. This directive reflects the EU’s desire to draw the attention of government agencies and the public to environmental issues and to encourage their collective solution. EU environmental diplomacy is carried out through diplomatic missions, missions, delegations, as well as at the individual level. It involves European politicians and officials who are able to influence international public opinion, employees of foreign ministries and diplomatic missions. The EU also involves third countries as partners to discuss the most pressing environmental issues and their future solutions: climate change, biodiversity conservation, soil depletion, forest and water resources, and renewable energy. Environmental protection is one of the priority areas for European integration. States wishing to join the EU must meet its environmental standards and implement key principles of environmental legislation. It is noted that the EU countries are trying to transfer the economy to clean technologies and diplomatically encourage others to take measures to improve the environmental situation.

City parks, public green areas, tree lines and other areas with conserved vegetation are invaluable for the inhabitants of urban areas. For that reason, it is necessary to conserve all these areas as much as possible, primarily by establishing a system of green areas of the city. The ultimate goal is to improve the planned system of green areas into "green infrastructure", by integrating with other areas close to nature. Particularly valuable elements of the city's green infrastructure system are protected areas that meet additional criteria evaluated in the process of acquiring the protection status. The first legal protection of natural areas on the territory of Belgrade was implemented in 1949, when the protection included 41 trees as a rare specimen of a plant and a rare specimen of an allochthonous species. Over time, the protection has expanded both towards the protection of individual natural rarities and towards the protection of the areas. This paper presents the protection of nature and natural values in the city of Belgrade from the very beginning until today, with the aim of informing the general public about protection in this area over time, but also about opportunities for establishing new protected areas, since harmonizing the need to conserve biodiversity and generally natural values on the one hand, and ensuring social prosperity on the other, nowadays represents a special challenge and goal to be pursued.

Background: Human exposure to infrasound is increasing due to man-made factors, such as occupational conditions, wind farms and transportation. The concern among the public regarding the safety of infrasound exposure is growing. Aims: To evaluate whether exposure to infrasound interferes directly with human cardiac function and contributes to pathological processes. Setting: The University Hospital of Mainz, Germany. Methods: Human myocardial tissues, obtained from patients undergoing cardiac surgery, were prepared in small muscle samples and stimulated electrically in-vitro for a period of almost two hours under physiological conditions to induce continuous pulsatile contractions and simulating a working human heart. Two samples were obtained from each donor: one was subjected to infrasound for 60 min and the other served as a control. Their contraction forces (CF) and durations (CD) were measured before and after each testing period and their relative changes (CF% and CD%) were calculated and introduced in a multilinear regression model. The following three infrasound levels of exposure were used in this study: 100, 110 and 120 dBz. Results: The measured CF% corresponded negatively with the infrasound level measured in dBz (R2 = 0.631; P = 0.018). The decrease measured almost −11% at 110 dBz and −18% at 120 dBz, after correction for control. The CD on the other hand remained unchanged. Conclusions: Exposure to high levels of infrasound (more than 100 dBz) interferes with cardiac muscle contractile ability, as early as one hour after exposure. There are numerous additional studies which support this conclusion. These results should be taken into account when considering environmental regulations.

The Europeanization process, conceived as harmonisation of national regulations with EU legislation, is a complex process which is marked by various socioeconomic and political conditions. For more than nine years, the Republic of Serbia (RS) has been a European Union (EU) candidate country. In response to the defined objectives, the process of preparing and adopting regulations has been partly changed in the RS. However, the procedure still does not provide full perception and consideration of the specific conditions and possibilities of the RS economy and the society. In addition, the harmonization and implementation process has been facing a number of other challenges. Taking the example of environmental legislation of the RS and evaluating the conditions under which environmental laws were prepared and implemented, the paper explains the effects and limitations of the Europeanization process. The data show that there are some results in the harmonization and implementation of regulations that are in line with EU regulations. Almost all key environmental laws have been adopted, as well as a large number of bylaws. However, the huge implementation costs represent one of the long-term obstacles to achieving the goals of Europeanization.

Economic and legal measures to stimulate rational environmental management and environmental protection on the basis of the current legislation of Russia are considered, their concept is given. The problems of calculating and collecting fees for negative environmental impacts are disclosed. The question of the necessity of dividing objects that have a negative impact on the environment into categories continues to remain debatable. The bill is analyzed on the introduction of the chapter “Environmental tax” in the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. Considerable attention is paid to state support of economic and other activities carried out in order to protect the environment, as well as economic measures to stimulate the rational use of natural resources and environmental protection of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The Author comes to the conclusion environmental protection and rational nature management can be ensured only by taking a set of organizational, legal and economic measures aimed at reducing the level of negative impact of human activity.

The pandemic is one of those contemporary world challenges that today poses a global deadly threat to all mankind. Addressing the pandemic and ensuring human health through the lens of legal environmental safety seems to be timely. Adverse sanitary and epidemiological conditions, among other reasons, may arise out of the lack of a well-founded legal framework supporting the realization of the constitutional right of citizens to a favourable environment. The purpose of this article is to show the role of environmental security in preventing the sanitary and epidemiological crisis and ensuring public health. The article tried to analyse how environmental norms, rules of food and household hygiene were justified in the oldest monument of the Tajik people - Avesta, how the Zoroastrian religion explained the need to ensure sanitary and epidemiological safety of society and human health. Currently legal regulation of environmental protection and safeguarding public health attaches particular importance to such categories as health , life and safety . The last concept is increasingly filled with medical content worldwide. This is due to the fact that the category security is generally universal, and its application in legislation, obviously, implies certain reasons and consequences. The article briefly analyses the legal policy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of environmental legislation and public health. Mechanisms and directions for improving the current legislation in the field of environmental protection have been studied, and legal decisions on ensuring public health have been considered.

The role of legislation and state policy in minimizing the impact of threats to environmental safety in the field of automobile transport has been studied. The main directions of the development of state policy and legislation in the field of reducing the negative impact of motor vehicles on the environment and public health have been defined. The main problems of reducing the negative impact of motor vehicles on the environment and public health, as well as the development of state and legal mechanisms to overcome them have been determined. The main environmental problems faced by governments are the use of internal combustion engines and fuel quality indicators. Many EU countries are refusing to further impose more strict requirements on the operation of motor fuel engines, instead introducing mechanisms to completely abandon such vehicle propulsion systems. However, such a refusal raises another problem of greening of road transport – the problem of electrification of transport, in the process of which it is necessary to solve the problems of transport energy and disposal of used batteries of electric vehicles. The authors have emphasized on inexpediency that to be limited in the long run only to mechanisms for setting more strict emission requirements for cars. The authors have indicated the need for a comprehensive approach to solving environmental problems to prevent the emergence of new significant difficulties – the accumulation of used batteries of electric cars, the depletion of non-renewable resources for their manufacture, etc. It has been offered to join Ukraine to the pan-European initiative of electrification of road transport, to develop the state program for the transformation of the motor transport industry with clear deadlines for the introduction of restrictions on the use of internal combustion engines, to introduce mechanisms to financially stimulate the transition from internal combustion engines to electric combustion engines.

The paper considers the concept of sustainable development that has been shaped under the influence of the planetary ecological crisis associated with the increasing anthropogenic impact on the environment and awareness of progressive mankind of the need for developing a new, non-anthropocentric, approach to environmental management and nature in general. The authors perform a historical review of the origin and development of the concept of sustainable development as it appears in the international regulatory documents that reverberate the decisions on changing the course of the entire world community from technogenic to sustainable development. The study highlights the contribution of proposals to the legislation of the Russian Federation to take joint actions in order to promote the “green economy” with the Constitution of the Russian Federation dwelling upon the environmental articles, e.g. the major legislation of the environmental law On Environmental Protection adopted recently, and a number of codes to ensure nature management scoping the regulations for environmental and legal responsibility. According to the Russian experts, the transition to sustainable development in each country and in the same country throughout history may have different priorities, which is reflected in the legislation. In particular, the Government has approved the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Rural Areas of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030. Currently, the legislation dwells upon the prevailing anthropocentric trends, but when the idea of sustainable development reaches the critical mass, a transition from the consumer worldview to a respectful and friendly attitude of humans to nature where they belong seems hopeful.

On the grounds of the comprehensive analysis of the views of scientists, the article explores the principle of the ecosystem approach in environmental law. It is substantiated that in the modern environmental legal doctrine there is no clear and unambiguous understanding of the essence of this principle and its place among other principles of environmental law, because scientists, considering this principle an independent principle, simultaneously recognize it as a sign of rational use of natural resources, identify it with the complex and sustainable use of natural resources or generally see it in the vast majority of principles of environmental law. Given the novelty, extreme intricacy and unconventionality of the principle of the ecosystem approach, it is proposed to consider it as a quintessential principle of environmental law, which, found on the objective conditions of nature’s existence, denoted by the interdependence and interconditionality of all natural processes and phenomena, “permeates” all principles of environmental law and at the same time serves as their backbone, the essence. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to rethink environmental law and its principles on the basis of the ecosystem approach.

A análise de áreas de preservação permanente (APPs) é um passo importante para o desenho de alternativas tecnológicas e locacionais para a avaliação ambiental das empresas, bem como para apoiar a emissão de licenças ambientais. Nesse contexto, este trabalho objetivou apresentar o método desenvolvido para avaliação ambiental de empreendimentos com influência direta ou indireta em APP e em suas funções ambientais. Cinco etapas são propostas para essa análise: a conceituação da feição protegida na forma de APP por meio de revisão bibliográfica; visita técnica à área de estudo; análise das funções ambientais de APP presentes; representação cartográfica da APP; e avaliação dos projetos e os usos propostos na área. O método aqui proposto se mostrou válido e eficiente nos estudos de caso apresentados, pois permitiu recomendar ajustes no projeto elaborado pelo empreendedor e subsidiou tecnicamente a definição da alternativa locacional mais viável frente às exigências da legislação ambiental.

Based on the concept of the environmental legal status of an individual, a historical and legal analysis of the experience of the Republic of Belarus in legalizing human and civil rights in the field of environmental protection was performed. Attention was drawn to the fact that ensuring and protecting the environmental citizens’ rights at the international and national levels is an important area of state environmental policy. It was shown that the environmental legal status is considered in Belarusian legal science as a system-forming category and a comprehensive institution of environmental law, in which the central element is the constitutional human right to a healthy environment, as well as citizens’ powers necessary for the implementation and protection of this right. The recognition by the Republic of Belarus of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus) has led to the active development of national environmental legislation in terms of securing the rights, which are needed for the right to a healthy environment. The Republic of Belarus has accumulated a constructive experience in implementing the provisions of the Aarhus Convention, but there is also a certain inconsistency in the reforms that have failed to fully contribute to ensuring the citizens’ right to a healthy environment.

The issue of determining the objects of environmental law ofUkrainefrom the very beginning of the formation of this branch of law doesn’t lose its relevance. Numerous monographs, scientific articles, abstracts and other publications appear that study the scientific and methodological aspects of the development of the doctrine of objects of environmental law, analyze the theoretical approaches to their understanding, substantiate the position about the need to highlight new objects of environmental legal regulation etc. Supporting the position expressed by many environmental lawyers about the need to rethink traditional ideas about environmental law and taking into account the latest trends in the development of international environmental law, primarily related to the implementation of the concept of sustainable development and the ecosystem approach, the author believes that the study of environmental law in Ukraine from just that angle view deserves special attention. Given this, the purpose of the article is to analyze the legislative and scientific foundations of understanding the objects of environmental law ofUkrainein the context of the implementation and realization of the ecosystem approach. The ecosystem approach, which is being actively developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, is defined as a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that ensures their conservation and sustainable use on an equitable basis. By analogy with the ecologization of law and legislation, which in general terms represents the process of implementation environmental legal principles and norms into all branches of law and the relevant legislation regulating human activities related to environmental impact, the process of implementation the ecosystem approach into the legal regulation of environmental relations it is proposed to call the «ecosystemization» of environmental law and legislation. In the author’s opinion, the necessary condition for the implementation and realization of the ecosystem approach in environmental law and legislation of Ukraine is not so much recognition of the ecosystem as a separate object on an equal basis with others, but understanding of all objects of environmental and legal regulation and the environment as a whole in the ecosystem context. Indeed, it is obvious that the use of natural resources, as a certain useful property of natural objects, on the basis of the ecosystem approach, can be discussed only if the natural objects themselves are «ecosystemized». That is, when designating natural objects in environmental legislation and their study in the environmental legal doctrine, their ecosystem characteristics must be taken into account. Based on a thorough analysis of regulatory legal acts and the views of scientists, a tendency to gradual «ecosystemization» of objects of environmental law of Ukraine was identified and it was assumed that this tendency will continue and intensify, and in the distant, but foreseeable future, all natural objects and the environment as a whole will be studied by scientists and determined in environmental legislation precisely in the ecosystem context. According to the author, this approach will allow to overcome the fragmentation of environmental law ofUkraineand create a holistic legal basis for the qualitative regulation of social environmental relations.

Abstract Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the world's most biodiverse regions, but this diversity is threatened by the overexploitation of natural resources and internal social conflicts. In 2018, 33 LAC countries were invited to sign and ratify the landmark Escazú Agreement, which is the first legally binding environmental agreement to explicitly integrate human rights with environmental matters. The agreement outlines an approach to enhance the protection of environmental defenders, increase public participation in environmental decision‐making, and foster cooperation among countries for biodiversity conservation. However, clear mechanisms to implement the ideals of the Agreement are currently lacking. We identify the key provisions of the Agreement and link these to tangible mechanisms which aim to integrate human rights and nature conservation. These mechanisms include technological (e.g., free online data), human‐based (e.g., legal advice from multidisciplinary teams), and nature‐based solutions (e.g., transboundary species management). As environmental assets––and threats to them––span national boundaries, the collaborative and participatory provisions of the agreement could catalyze coordinated transboundary environmental management. Because of the importance of this Agreement for the LAC region, we added a Spanish version of this manuscript in the Supplementary Material (versión del artículo en español en el material suplementario).

This manuscript studies the sound pressure levels resulting from the operation of electrical substations in areas of considerable urban density. Although it is not possible to completely eliminate the acoustic noise generated by high voltage transformers, since it results from the natural phenomenon of magnetostriction, which is intrinsic to the operation of any transformer, the work shows that it is possible to adjust the sound pressure level to the limits imposed by the environmental legislation. As part of the strategy, the work recommends, as a first action, to eliminate the tonal component of the noise, since its presence in the frequency spectrum causes discomfort to the human ear and penalizes the measured levels by + 5 dB. The work also shows that it is not trivial to discuss the impact of the acoustic noise generated by substations in urban communities that generate their own noises, even with a higher intensity.

The present paper is devoted to the problems of legal regulation of protecting biological diversity from the harmful effects of invasive alien species (hereinafter, IAS) with regards to climate change. Taking into consideration the fact that one of the main principles of environmental protection is the preservation of spatial and species diversity, legal understanding of the interconnectedness between climate change and harmful biological influences, is of great scientific and practical significance. Notably, the protection of the environment from the adverse effects of IAS and climate change is interconnected with the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, as stated by the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) and its protocols and decisions. Thus, one should acknowledge that climate change and invasive alien species are not only two of the key threats to biodiversity, but are directly interrelated and can act synergistically, presenting additional pressure for conservation and sustainability. Meanwhile, current legal regulation of both, climate change and IAS is relatively new to Ukrainian legislation, mostly done by means of international legal instruments. The existing national legal acts are generally of a strategic nature and address these issues separately with few legal provisions mentioning their interconnection. The paper substantiates the need to acknowledge and legally define the interrelation between climate change and invasive alien species. Thus, the development of appropriate regulatory framework for prevention and control of IAS should be carried out with consideration of climate change issues. In turn, national environmental legislation, in particular national framework law ‘On Environmental Protection’ as well climate change policy and laws should be complemented by provisions incorporating IAS management as a tool for reducing pressure on ecological services and enhancing ecosystem resilience.

Mineland rehabilitation is performed to reduce the overall impacts of mining operations. Thus, statistically validated and easily measurable indicators are necessary to monitor the environmental status along time, enhance the rehabilitation process, and increase institutional tractability. The objective of this study is to derive an effective indicator to assess the environmental quality of iron mining waste piles undergoing rehabilitation in the Carajás National Forest, eastern Amazon, Brazil, from a curated set of field-surveyed environmental variables related to vegetation structure, invertebrate and vegetation compositions, diversity, and ecological processes. Data were collected from a chronosequence that included non-revegetated areas, areas in different rehabilitation stages and natural reference sites. All variables were integrated to produce a single estimate of rehabilitation status using a multivariate approach. Individual variables largely differed in their response ratios; nevertheless, the data integration showed that more than 50% of the predisturbance ecosystem structure, diversity and functioning were restituted after only seven years, which highlights the potential of rehabilitation activities to effectively reduce mining impacts. Among all 27 variables, the Shannon index of tree diversity had the highest predictive power for overall rehabilitation status, qualifying this metric as the most effective indicator for the use in future comprehensive monitoring activities in waste piles undergoing rehabilitation in the Carajás National Forest. The positive relationship between tree diversity and mineland rehabilitation status in the examined areas emphasizes the importance of diverse tree communities in increasing rehabilitation success and ecosystem and soil functioning over short time periods.

This article discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of the international sources of environmental law and their impact on the development of the national legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These days Kazakhstan is directly involved in the process of international legal cooperation in the field of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources. In this regard, the issues of recognition and adoption at the domestic level of the norms and principles of international environmen-tal and legal cooperation, as well as determining their place in the system of sources of national environ-mental law, are of particular importance. In the current interconnected and interdependent world, the special role of inter-state regulation of the most pressing problems of mankind is becoming increasingly clear; among these problems directly and indisputably are, first of all, the problems of environmental protection and its preservation for the benefit of present and future generations. The rules developed in the process of such interaction of states, united in an international agreement, cannot act in isola-tion without interacting with the rules of domestic law. Moreover, such interaction is demonstrated in the allocation of a special category of sources (normative legal acts) of an international character in the general system of sources of domestic law; and the constitutional and legal perception of international agreement norms can be characterized by the recognition of a separate, special preferential position of such norms over the norms of national laws. In conclusion, the author presents theoretical statements, as well as practical recommendations on improving the existing environmental legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.