MINSK, 20 April (BelTA) - The 6th International Water Forum will be dedicated to the Springs of Belarus theme. It will be held as part of the Ecology Expo and the 16th National Environmental Forum, head of the Water Resources Use and Protection Department at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Viktoriya Voronova said during a briefing at BelTA's press center on 20 April.
The Water Forum will take place in Minsk on 3-4 June. “On the first day the event will feature presentations by leading scientists on the use and protection of water resources. International experts and organizations from both neighboring countries and the European Union are expected to take part in the forum. The business program will be followed by a field trip to a spring in Volozhin District. The second day of the forum will include three thematic sections: Springs as the national wealth of the country, Problems and prospects for the use of water resources in a changing climate, The role and tasks of environmental education to ensure water security of the country,” said Viktoriya Voronova.
According to the specialist, the main objective of the forum is to discuss problems and develop solutions for sustainable functioning of aquatic ecosystems (including springs), improve efficiency of the use of water and related natural resources for the needs of the national economy, and protect them in the context of sustainable development principles.
“Springs are unique natural sites in terms of both their formation and their role in the preservation of landscape and biological diversity. Often springs give rise to rivers and streams, being watercourses, and also many of them have a sacred meaning for their healing water. Springs are actively used by the population of our country as non-centralized sources of water supply and are important in the development of tourism,” Viktoriya Voronova said.
The international environmental exhibition-forum Ecology Expo 2021 and the 16th National Environmental Forum “Involvement of the Civil Society in Environmental Decision-Making” will be running in Minsk on 3-5 June. The events are supported by the Council of Ministers, national bodies of state administration, the project “Civic engagement in environmental monitoring and improving environmental management at the local level” financed by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program in partnership with the Ministry of Nature Resources and Environmental Protection, as well as other stakeholders.
