ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the historical legacies, regulatory arrangements, policy regimes and spatial patterns associated with the governance of environmental issues and nature protection in Central and Eastern Europe. It surveys the main environmental legacies of socialist planning, consequently highlighting the mechanisms through which the economic and political logics of communist central planning affected the functioning of a range of different ecosystems. The chapter highlights the important role of environmental Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in bringing about democratic change across many Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) states. It explores the relationship between the positionality and organization of territorial government, on the one hand, and the institutional character of policies aimed at managing natural resources and amenities. The discussion is situated within wider considerations of the political and social construction of nature during socialism. The chapter discusses the role of dynamics of territorial path-dependency, political fragmentation and economic neoliberalization on efforts aimed at protecting nature, and national parks.
