The Virtual Foundation - your donation makes it happen

Trees to Benefit & Beautify Community in Brest

Region: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Eduard Antonovich/"Rostok" (organization of students-ecologists of the Brest region)
Consortium Member: ECOLOGIA Baltic Office
Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1661 Collected: $1661 Needs: $0
Result: To empower local residents by showing them that they can improve their environment and beautify their surroundings.
Donors: Chenango Forks Model United Nations Conference at Broome Community College, Binghamton New York [April 1999] with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds
Comment: This project not only addressed an environmental issue in a Belarusian city, it also encouraged citizens there to organize and participate in civic activities. Progress Report

Project Need

The city of Brest is located in the southwest part of Belarus on the border with Poland; its population comprises of some 300,000 inhabitants. In the last decade Brest has experienced extensive growth and is expanding mainly towards the east.

Lacking suitable lands for the city's development, urban planners in Brest decided to build along the Mukhavets River. Vast amounts of sand were taken from the river and totally artificial areas were created as a result. The two city districts that were built on these sandy plots (Kovalyovo and Vulka) are completely unsuitable for normal life and recreation. Due to a lack of funds, no municipal tree planting program was performed in either district. Consequently, there are almost no trees in Kovalyovo or Vulka and no grass. Sand storms are common on windy days and the 40,000 residents of the new city districts (15,000 of which are children) are forced to breathe dust. Additionally, the Kovalyovo district is crossed by major highways and railway routes, and a number of large industrial enterprises are located here. These factors are major contributors to air pollution in the district.

Taking into account the factors above, the organization "Rostok" decided to make an attempt to help the situation in Kovalyovo by planting a sufficient amount of trees in the district.

Project Goals

"Rostok" has four goals: first, to show locals that it is possible to change their immediate environment; second, to improve the aesthetic and recreational values of the Kovalyovo district; third, to improve the environmental conditions in the district by increasing the number of trees there; fourth, to create habitats for birds and insects and in this way to improve general ecological situation.

Planting trees can improve environmental quality, including air quality, due to the following effects:

1. Trees evapotranspire huge quantities of water, which cools the air and can significantly improve local microclimates;
2. Trees provide habitats for a wide range of insects and other animals and thus can improve the overall biological diversity in an area. Trees also stabilize soils, reducing erosion;
3. Trees serve as physical surfaces on which particulate air pollutants impact. This means that, literally, they filter particles from the air. This does damage the leaf surfaces - but such damage, if not too severe and protracted, can be tolerated by the tree;
4. Trees also serve not only to absorb CO2 and reduce global warming, but also to absorb primary air pollutants such as SO2, ozone, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAN), which are severe respiratory irritants.

Methods of Implementing of Project Goals

Step 1: The project will be implemented by all 20 active members of the "Rostok" organization, plus volunteers from the local residents. The total number of persons involved should reach 100 people.

Step 2: An advertisement campaign and call for volunteers will be held during the preparatory period using local media, posters, meetings with residents, etc. "Rostok" will also solicit for volunteers by bringing public attention to the environmental problems in Kovalyovo at local enterprises and schools.

Step 3: Buying equipment, saplings, fertile soil, fertilizers. Designing the planting pattern.

Step 4: Actual planting and watering, fencing, fastening.

Step 5: Post-planting supervision, protection.

Step 6: Coverage in mass media.

Expected Outcomes

• To have some 500 trees planted;
• Improvement of the local environmental situation;
• Giving an example of practical environmental work to the residents;
• Rise of public awareness about the environmental problems in the area.

Project Duration

10 days (actual planting - 6 days)

BUDGET