These Regulations impose upon local authorities involved in free economic zones the duty: (a) to carry out assessment of the impact on the environment of activities in the zones; (b) improve the zones through land use planning; (c) specify obligations of the contracting parties in economic contracts. The local authorities may formulate local supplementary environmental standards. Article 6 requires foreign enterprises to employ environmentally friendly technology. Article 9 deals with permits for the discharge of polluting substances. (13 articles)

These Regulations set out the list of substances which are hazardous substances for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972 as amended, which requires consent for the presence at or above land of excess of a controlled quantity of a hazardous substance. It also, among other things, sets out the procedure to obtain consent and the procedure for enforcement of hazardous substances control.

This Ministerial Decision is composed of 10 articles. Coastal setbacks are defined as verges free of construction development along the Omani Coast (art. 1). Setback limits along the coasts are measured from the mean high water mark (art. 5). These limits vary according to the coastal environment: natural coasts characterized by scenic views including high cliffs and rocky peaks have a setback of 300m; sandy beaches and coves have a setback of 150m; and beaches where construction developments have limited environmental impact have a setback of 50m (art. 7).

El Reglamento consta de 12 títulos y 219 artículos.

El Reglamento consta de 288 artículos y reglamenta las normas relacionadas con el recurso agua en todos sus estados. Declara, a tenor del artículo 1º del Decreto Nº 2811/74, de 18 de diciembre de 1974, que la preservación y manejo de las aguas son de utilidad pública. La administración y manejo del recurso hídrico corresponde al Instituto Nacional de los Recursos Naturales Renovables y del Ambiente (INDERENA), salvo cuando haya sido adscrita a otras entidades.

Ce décret porte la constitution, la structure et l'organisation de la Commission Nationale d'Aménagement du Territoire (CONAT), chargée de formuler les programmes relatifs à l'aménagement du territoire, des bassins versants et de lutte contre l'érosion.

If legal instruments are not fully implemented, there is a risk they remain in the domain of virtual reality and wishful thinking.The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has come a long way since it came into force in 1996, with current membership standing at 191 Parties. 2006 was a landmark year.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment projects that the intensification of freshwater scarcity in combination with continuous water extraction from delicate dryland ecosystems is likely to exacerbate desertification, thus leading to a downward spiral of ecological deterioration and a precarious depreciation of livelihoods in many developing regions. This in turn can push people to migrate, which can have far reaching implications affecting local, regional, and even global political and economic stability.

Desertification is nowhere more serious than in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), stretching from Pakistan in the east to Morocco in the west, and from Ethiopia and Sudan in the south to Turkey in the north. Yet, many MENA countries have successfully rehabilitated large areas. Concerted efforts can indeed stop and even reverse desertification, though their long-term success will depend on how well they manage their limited water resources.

The tsunami disaster on 26 December 2004 claimed more than 200,000 lives. It triggered an unprecedented outpouring of reconstruction assistance from both private and public donors.The prompt provision of emergency relief averted the threat of epidemics and prevented major movements of refugees out of the affected regions. However,many of the reconstruction measures failed due to poor coordination between the actors involved and the lack of expertise underlying some of the interventions.The reconstruction effort was also very slow to get off the ground.

2005 was a year of natural disasters.The impacts of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, Hurricanes Katrina and Stan, and the Pakistan earthquake prompted calls for better disaster prevention and preparedness systems. Nature's power renders us impotent, but human actions and omissions are clearly worsening the impacts of disasters in some cases.This is where risk reducing measures must lock in, as the last fifteen years of international disaster risk management show.

The series of dramatic natural events is never ending. 2005 again illustrated that natural disasters are unavoidable. For disaster prevention systems to function properly, investments in raising risk awareness are key.