The main goal of my thesis is to provide an in-depth analysis of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is currently one of the significant legal tools of environmental quality protection. In case any public or private project is likely to have a significant effect on the environment, it needs to pass through the EIA proceedings. This process precedes the development consent to the project. The original EU legal regulation (Council directive 85/337/EEC amended by Directives 97/11/EC, 2003/35/EC and 2009/31/EC) is described in the first part of the thesis. The main sources of this chapter are the judicial decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Communities that reflect the incorrect transpositions of the directive into the legal order of the individual member states. The second chapter is focused on specific attributes of the Czech legal regulation that is included in the legal act no. 100/2001 Sb. modified by further amendments. The regulation is divided into two parts: The first part, the assessment, is concluded by a non-binding opinion, while the second part is concluded by development consent or refusal, as based on particular legal regulations. The most severe issue of the Czech regulation is the insufficient ensurance of participation opportunities of members of the public...

The topic of the thesis is Public participation in the environmental impact assessment proceedings (EIA). The thesis is divided into three chapters further divided into subchapters. The first chapter deals with the EIA proceedings in general including the history and legal sources of EIA. Moreover the Aarhus convention (as a principal source confirming the public participation in decision making proceedings in environmental matters) is described in detail. The following chapter examines the term of "development consent" and related term "subsequent procedure" as a fundamental conditions to ensure public participation in the appropriate extent as is set down by the directive 2011/92/EU. The third chapter is focused on the main issues related with the Czech legislation regarding the form and methods of public participation in the EIA proceedings and subsequent procedures as well as an access of a public concerned to a review procedure before a court.

This thesis aims to provide an analysis of the environmental impact assessment procedures in the Czech republic, including its international and european context, with focus on the topic of public participation in these procedures. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter provides a definition of environmental impact assessment and enumerates its fundamental principles. The second chapter deals with international, european and historical roots of EIA and SEA procedures. The next chapter describes the course of EIA procedure in the Czech republic. The fourth chapter describes the SEA procedure. The last, fifth chapter deals with the topic of public participation in environmental impact assessment. Finally, the thesis comprises a summary of contained conclusions.

The process of environmental impact assessment is a control procedure that aims to summarize and evaluate the impact of a project on the environment at the stage of project planning and thus to reduce its potential negative impacts in the future. One of the main ideas of the EIA process is to avoid since the very beginning problems and confrontation which would otherwise appear in the future in connection with the planned project. This principle is particularly important in cases of transboundary assessment where communication between countries and joint consultations on the project in its early stages of planning might prevent potential conflicts and disruption of mutual relations in the future resulting from an already implemented plan. The cornerstone of a transboundary assessment is the understanding that the harmful effects of a specific project do not stop at the borders of one state, but can reach a territory of many other countries, mutual cooperation in this subject is thus with regard to environmental protection necessary. The necessity of such a cooperation on one hand, as well as its pitfalls and difficulties on the other hand, are illustrated in the case of transboundary EIA between the Czech Republic and Austria, that is specifically in the case of the construction of the nuclear power plant...

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide and its role as a fundamental contributor to the economic sector cannot be understated. However, this growth has led to an increase in negative environmental impacts. The success of tourism rests on the quality of the natural environment where it has been developed. Therefore should the natural environment and its resources be damaged or destroyed, the very resource that attracted tourists is destroyed, and the tourism industry will eventually collapse. The worldwide drive toward sustainable development and the growth in environmental awareness has placed pressure on tourism ventures to measure and mitigate their environmental impacts. This study was initiated to investigate the current sustainable performance of two safari camps owned by Wilderness Safaris. The primary reason for selecting these specific camps, relates to the fact that they are situated on the boarder of one of the most sensitive environments on earth the Namib Desert, and therefore demand effective management in order to ensure environmental degradation is prevented. The study engaged in the development of a list of sustainable tourism issues and their associated indicators, to assess the current sustainability of the two camps. The research also aimed to formulate baseline data for future comparisons. The camp's current sustainability was determined by applying the selected sustainability indicators, to assess the camp's environmental, social and economic impacts on the surrounding biophysical and socio-economic environments. A cross-case analysis was then conducted comparing the results of each camps performance. The results were also compared to the company's group environmental minimum standards. This was done to provide Wilderness Safaris with an external verification of their camps current sustainable performance and to provide baseline data for future comparisons. The chosen set of sustainable tourism indicators provided a time and cost-effective means of assessing the current sustainable performance of the two camps. Site specific recommendations were made for each camp to improve their sustainable performance. Future studies conducted by Wilderness Safaris can use this study as a benchmark to compare the sustainable performance of their camps. In addition this study can also be used as a benchmark for comparisons by other tourism ventures in other developing countries around the world. The study contributes to the academic body of knowledge in the field of study surrounding the application of sustainable tourism indicators to measure and operationalize sustainable development of tourism ventures. Conclusions recounting the sustainable performance of the two camps are made as well as recommendations for further research.

MSc. (Geography) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The topic of my master thesis is analysis of farm biogas station in Drahobudice. It is machinery, which processes agriculture crops and garbage from animal produce. From these substrates is produced biogas and burning of this biogas arises electric and thermal energy. This system of production from renewable resources is in accordance with demands of European union on reducing emissions from burning fossil fuels. This thesis contains overview of legislation relevant to given issue, describes development of this project, technical solution and process of operation. A part of this work also covers analysis of economic efficiency this investment and considers effects on environment. The main objective of my thesis is to identify, analyze and evaluate economical and environmental aspects of biogas station in Drahobudice.

<p>Waste-derived organic products are nutrient-rich materials often applied to agricultural land as a fertilizer to enhance agricultural production and soil quality. Commercially available biosolid-based products, which are sold and distributed in bags or bulk, are rapidly gaining popularity for urban and suburban use. Although biosolid-derived products have many benefits, they may contain trace organic contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), in varying levels, depending on waste source composition. These organic compounds have been used in a variety of consumer and industrial products and are known to accumulate in biosolids due to their recalcitrance in conventional wastewater treatment processes. Thus, the application of commercially available biosolids-based products on urban and suburban gardens may lead to transfer and accumulation of organic contaminants into food crops, raising food safety concerns. Most studies to date have focused on municipal biosolids application on agricultural lands with very few studies focused on commercial products available for home and urban gardens. For the latter, the evaluations of bioavailability and subsequent plant uptake of organic contaminants from biosolids have also often been conducted by adding organic contaminants to the growing media (e.g., soil or hydroponic) at a concentration that greatly exceed environmentally relevant concentrations. Moreover, there are currently no studies evaluating leaching and plant uptake potential of contaminants from commercially available (e.g., local stores) biosolids. The research described in this dissertation 1) assessed the occurrence of PFAAs and representative PPCPs in commercially available biosolid-based products and their porewater concentrations in saturated media as a measure of bioavailability and leachability; 2) investigated how heat-treatment, composting, blending and thermal hydrolysis processes on biosolids to convert them to commercial biosolid-based products affect PFAA concentrations in the production of commercial biosolid-based product; and 3) assessed the bioavailability and plant uptake of PFAAs and targeted PPCPs by kale and turnips grown in soil-less potting media amended with Milorganite (a commercially available biosolids-based fertilizer product) at the recommended rate and four times the recommended rate.</p><p>The biosolid-based products displayed varying levels of organic contaminants. Higher PFAA concentrations were detected in biosolid-based products compared to nonbiosolid-based products. The common treatment processes used in taking biosolids to commercially available products were ineffective in reducing PFAA levels in the products except for blending with other essentially PFAA-free materials, thus served as a simple dilution. Porewater concentrations of PFAAs and PPCPs as an indicator of leachability and bioavailability were higher for the less hydrophobic compounds (e.g., short-chain PFAAs and diphenhydramine and carbamazepine with lower octanol-water partition coefficient). Leachability alone did not explain the observed plant uptake potential of PFAAs and PPCPs. With similar leachability and molecular weight/size between diphenhydramine and carbamazepine, higher uptake was observed with a positively charged compound (diphenhydramine compared to a neutral compound (carbamazepine). However, not all positively charged compounds were taken up by the plant. Azithromycin, a positively charged compound, had lower uptake than other contaminants which may be due to its large molecular size compared to diphenhydramine. Higher concentrations of miconazole, triclosan, and triclocarban were found in the biosolids-fertilizer; however, these compounds had low leachabilities and limited uptake by plants. Also, for PPCPs, the application rates of biosolid-based products did not necessarily correlate with the higher uptake and translocation of contaminants to the above-ground portion of plants. </p><p>This study provides an evaluation of commercially available waste-derived organic products under condition comparable to home and urban garden setting. Although biosolids-based products can serve as alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, they contain higher levels of trace organic contaminants than nonbiosolid-organic products. Common biosolids treatment processes are ineffective for reducing the levels of trace organic contaminants in biosolids, particularly for PFAAs. Thus, it is critical to control the sources contributing to the higher level of these contaminants in biosolids-based products. Also, regulations (e.g., triclosan and triclocarban) and replacements (e.g., longer-chain PFAAs to short-chain PFAAs) of persistent trace organic chemicals have led to a reduction in their levels in biosolids-based products. Although longer chain PFAAs are more likely to bioaccumulate and persistent than the replacement short-chain alternatives, the current study has shown that the short-chain PFAAs are more readily taken up to edible parts of plants than longer-chain PFAAs even when applying at the recommended fertilizer rate. Thus, the current movement to replace longer chain PFAAs with short chains has the potential to result in higher total PFAA concentrations being bioavailable for plant uptake, thus increasing the risk of food contamination by PFAAs. </p>

Resumo: As macrófitas, apesar da enorme importância na dinâmica do ambiente aquático, quando formam extensas e densas colonizações promovem uma série de prejuízos ao ambiente e aos usos múltiplos dos reservatórios. Nestas situações, há a necessidade de redução de seu tamanho populacional, seja reduzindo as condições favoráveis ao crescimento, seja por meio do controle direto das plantas. Dentre as macrófitas aquáticas que proporcionam estes tipos de problemas, o aguapé (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) é considerada como a mais importante. O diquat tem sido muito utilizado para o controle desta planta, devido seu baixo custo, eficácia e rapidez de controle e baixa toxicidade no ambiente aquático. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de avaliar as possíveis alterações causadas pelo controle de Eichhornia crassipes sobre algumas características de qualidade da água em mesocosmos. Para tanto, cinco situações experimentais foram estudadas: (i) CPCH - mesocosmo colonizado por aguapé o qual foi controlado pela aplicação do herbicida diquat; (ii) CPCG - mesocosmo colonizado por aguapé o qual foi morto por congelamento; (iii) CPSH - mesocosmo colonizado com aguapé, sem controle; (iv) SPCH - mesocosmo sem macrófitas e com aplicação de diquat na superfície da água e (v) SPSH - mesocosmo sem macrófitas aquáticas e sem aplicação. O herbicida diquat foi utilizado na dose de 7,0 L/ha, na formulação comercial Reward. A temperatura foi mais elevada nos mesocosmos sem plantas, devido à maior incidência de raios solares na coluna d'água. A presença da cobertura de macrófitas reduziu a concentração de diretamente na lâmina d'água não promoveu qualquer efeito significativo consistente ao longo do período experimental quando comparado com o mesocosmo sem colonização e sem aplicação... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract : Besides its high importance to the dynamic of the aquatic environment, dense colonization of aquatic plants promote several problems to the ecological equilibrium and to the multiple use of the water body. Under these conditions, control measures are required aiming to reduce the size of the macrophyte populations. Among the more important aquatic weeds, the waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) is considered as major problem and it control is necessary in several sites of the world. The herbicide diquat has been used in the waterhyacinth control due to low cost, high efficacy, quickness of action and environmental safety. Aiming to evaluate the effects of the waterhyacinth control and the diquat use on some water characteristics, a trial was carried out, under mesocosm conditions, analyzing the following experimental situations: (i) CPCH - mesocosm colonized by waterhyacinth which was controlled by diquat spraying at 7,0 L/ha of Reward®; (ii) CPCG - mesocosm colonized by waterhyacinth which was killed by freezing; (iii) CPSH - mesocosm colonized by waterhyacinth, without control; (iv) SPCH - mesocosm without aquatic weeds and spray of diquat on the water surface, and (v) SPSH - mesocosm without aquatic weeds. The water temperature was higher in the mesocosms without waterhyacinth colonization due to the radiation penetration in the water column. The waterhyacinth covering reduced the dissolved oxygen concentration, the pH and the amplitud of water temperature variation. When the waterhyacinth population started the senescence process the electric conductivity increased. The diquat application on water surface did not promoted any expressive effect on water features comparing with the water without herbicide spraying. The waterhyacinth control by diquat or by freezing promoted... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Dagoberto Martins / Coorientador: Robinson Antonio Pitelli / Banca: Fernando Tadeu de Carvalho / Banca: Mario Sergio Tomazela / Banca: Guilherme Luis Guimarães / Doutor

[pt] A região de São Pedro da Serra tem uma tradição de cultivar a terra com dois tipos manejo principalmente: o pousio, que é baseado na rotação de pequenas áreas, alternadas por um período de descanso da terra e o cultivo tradicional com a utilização de agrotóxicos. Esta pesquisa pretende entender a fixação e mobilização do herbicida ácido diclofenoxiacético (2,4-D) a partir das características do solo e seu tipo de manejo. A área de estudo foi dividida em quatro, classificadas a partir de seu uso: sistema 1 (pousio de 4-7 anos), sistema 2 (pousio de 10-12 anos), sistema 3 (plantio convencional), e sistema 4 (área de floresta). E em três profundidades que variaram de 0-10cm, 10-20cm e 25-40cm. O estudo constituiu em um comparativo entre os resultados dos ensaios de caracterização mineralógica, micromorfologia dos solos, fracionamento físico e fracionamento químico da matéria orgânica do solo e quantificação do herbicida escolhido através de cromatografia líquida. Os dados de cromatografia determinaram a presença do herbicida 2,4-D em todos os sistemas estudados. A concentração de 2,4-D teve uma correlação positiva com o teor de argila presente nos sistemas e negativo com a concentração de Al 3+ e H +. O estudo constatou ainda, que o manejo de pousio é o mais apropriado, pois regenera as propriedades físicas e químicas do solo, dando os subsídios necessários para a sua boa utilização agrícola, além de não necessitar da utilização intensa de agrotóxicos, evitando deste modo a possível contaminação dos mananciais hídricos. / [en] The São Pedro da Serra Region has two types of tillage for the sowing soil, the shifting cultivation is based on the soil area rotation and the traditional utilize high amount of agro-toxics products. The aim of this work is to study the 2,4 D herbicide fixation and mobilization from the soil characteristics and the tillage. The cultivated areas were divided depending of the sow time as: system 1 (shifting cultivation 4-7 years), system 2 (shifting cultivation 10-12 years), system 3 (traditional sow), system 4 (forest area). Three different depths were selected (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 25-40 cm). The four different systems were compared using the mineralogical characterization, the soil micro morphology, the physic and chemic fractionation for the organic material and the herbicide quantification by the HPLC technique. The semi quantitative results using the HPLC verify the 2,4- D herbicide contains for all the studied systems. The 2,4-D concentration have correlation with the amount of clay of the soil, and have correlation negative with the amount of Al3+ and H+. The relation depends on the herbicide and soil chemical characteristics. The study found that the shifting cultivation had the best 2,4-D elimination, The shifting cultivation soil management permit the better soil regeneration of the chemical and physical properties and the agro-toxic use reduction and the hydro source contamination.