CCD supports to join eco-NGOs of Lithuania, Belarus and Russia for protection Neman river basin.

During the Baltic04 Conference and Annual Meeting in Estonia, May 2004 Lithuanian and Belorussian environmentalists made a decision to do anything useful for nature protection of Neman River basin. There were Rimantas Brazulis leader of the Lithuanian Green Movement (Kaunas City) and Nina Polutskaya represented the initiative group Neman Environment from Grodno (the author of this article). Later the NGO “Ecodefense” from Kaliningrad (Russia) had enjoined us. Because Neman is a transboundary river, it was very reasonable to create the big poster with basin map and mane “hot” spots placed on the Neman basin from Belarus through Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast to the Baltic See.

Our project was supported by CCB. In the beginning of 2005 this joint Belarus-Lithuania-Russia project had been complete successfully. As a result 1500 copes of poster “Hot Spots of the Neman River Basin” were issued and currently disseminated on the schools, environment departments, NGOs of three countries. It is firstly. The secondary we got a good experience of active NGOs international communication.

But now I want to focus a reader attention on the third important thing of project success. CCB supported project was precisely important for Belarus and become as an impact to unit people who are interesting on nature protection of Neman basin.

Vladimir Zuev leader of NGO “Nerush” from Baranovychy City have agreed willingly to send the information. Everything concerning River Schara one of the Neman tributaries was received from “Nerush”. I have the information about Grodno part of Neman. But it was lack of dates about the Rive Vilia (Neris) basin. Meanwhile the Vilia (Neris) is the second big waterway after Neman in it basin. I just decided to go down there.

It was the most significance event of the poster creation process. The aim of journey was not only a gathering of information to poster, but else discussions joint activity possibilities with local NGOs. The main part of river Vilia and tributaries are north of Grodno region. It is far enough from Grodno, about 300 km. Igor Malevich ichthyologist from Grodno and scientist from Minsk Vadim Ermolaev sheared my trip. Vadim has same publications about the Atlantic salmon and grayling of Belarus. I have to say that I couldn’t learn and watch such a lot of interesting and important things if I was without their.

The Smorgon city was the first stop of our trip. It is not so far from Vileysky reservoir. The dam was built in 1973 to provide water to the Belarus capital city of Minsk. It is necessary. I agree. But...The Vileskaya Dam brought a big damage to Vilia river. Due to the altered water temperature regime and changes to water chemistry caused by intensive blue-green algal bloom in the reservoir water quality downstream the dam is not favorite for salmon, grayling and trout. Because the dam didn’t have any fish ladders installed it cut the migrating salmon species from their spawning grounds upstream. Drop in water discharges from Vileysky Reservoir during dry seasons leading to a significant reduction in the river flow downstream. It makes an adverse impact on the river ecology downstream and causes water shortages in the Vilnius area.
However the Vilia (before the dam) together with same tributaries are unique river, which are spawning routs for Atlantic salmons – Salmo trutta and Salmo salar.

It is amazingly there are so many rivers of Neman basin, especially Vilia’s part, can be classified as “mountain rivers”. They are shallow and speed streaming. They have a pure water and sandy-gravels river bed. For example the river Tartak is the Vilia’s small tributary about 3-4 km of length. This is an appropriate place of spawning grounds of salmons. Specialists calculate here more then 10 “nests” of brown trout (Salmo trutta). According to some information the salmons (Salmo Salar) are entering into Tartak as well. Unfortunately it hasn’t managed yet to fix the members of really spawned up salmons. A big fish such as a salmon can be easy bag for poachers in such small rivers.

The Stracha river was the next object of our journey. The Stracha is the nature waterway of migration for salmons as well as Tartak. But some years ago the dam was built on the Stracha. Due to construction of dam without any fish-passes the anadromous salmons can’t enter to this river. Local fisheries told they didn’t watch this kind of fish approached the dam during last 8 years.

The opinion of local citizens is that the nature salmon population had been damage in a huge scale by poachers with electric fishing-rods and explosions in 60-70th. By the way the using of electric fishing rods is currently continues.

After two days trip through the Vilia basin region I have back to Grodno having the information for poster and a lot of photos. But it was something more important. It means the really network of Belarus Neman basin part NGOs was created to communicate in the Neman nature protection issues. This is a certain triangle content Grodno on the Neman, Smorgon on the Vilia and Baranovichy on the Schara. We decided to join under logo Neman Environment. We have plans to communicate within Belarus part on Neman basin and with Lithuanian and Russian NGOs.

Many thanks indeed to CCB and Gunnar Noren again.

Nina Polutskaya co-ornater of joint project,
Grodno, 20.03.2005