COMMON PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
AND PROTECTION OF HISTORICAL MONUMENTS
AND ARCHITECTURE

The bases of the Slovak-Hungarian co-operation in the area of nature protection on the area of the Neogradiensis Euroregion are the geographically and ecologically unified areas, which are divided only by the state border. These are colourful communities of fauna and flora, preserved natural environments, protected areas. The Ipeľ basin also connects the two sides and at the same time the common state border follows its axis. Both sides of this common river contain rich natural values, which are - and can be - the objects of common protection. The common interest of both sides is the common effective and practical protection of natural values and the monitoring and removing of the negative impacts of the environmental pollution.
In the interest of developing good relations we need to solve the co-ordination of co-operation in all areas of environmental and nature protection. This sphere of tasks could be performed by competent professional institutions and authorities operating in this field (e.g. in the case of co-operation in the field of nature protection: State Nature Protection - SR, the Management of the Bukové Hory National Park, or the Management of the Dunaj-Ipeľ National Park and other partner organisations on both sides of the state border), while civic associations could take part in organising support activities and conferences.

The most important protected areas in the area of the Neogradiensis Euroregion form the largest natural values and the object of mutual co-operation in the area of natural values protection. These are:

• In the district of Lučenec:
  Cerova vrchovina, Pohanský hrad and the Šomoška National Nature Reserve Nature reserves: Dálovský swamp, Kerčík, Pobrežie Ružinej, Ružinské jelšiny and also the natural monumets of Belín rocks, Čakanovský profile, Kriváň creek, Lipovianske sandstones, Soví castle.
• In the district of Poltár:
  The "Hrabovo" Nature Reserve.
• In the district of Veľký Krtíš: Čebovská forest steppe, Kiarovksý swamp, Modrokamenská forest steppe, Seleštianska hillside, Ipeľské hony, Hradište. Declared natural monuments: Stone Woman, Kosihovská Rock Mountain, Krehora.
• In the county of Nógrád:
  Dunaj-Ipeľ National Park, the protected areas in the mountains of Börzsöny and Mátra, Hollókő as a part of the world heritage, Karancs-Medves, East-Cserhát Protected Area as well as the protected area with primeval fossils in the area of Ipolytarnóc, which was awarded the European Diploma.

Two-thirds of the Ipeľ basin can be found on the area of Slovakia, only one third is on Hungarian territory. The integration of both states into the European Union therefore assumes the mutual and common solving of the maintenance of the river basin. There are program proposals solving this problem on both sides (e.g. the Ipeľ river revival plan). These documents state, that both countries see waste-water treatment and the sustainable water management as a key question. The above mentioned possibilities can be expanded also on the protection of historic monuments - castles, strongholds, churches, buildings and folk architecture. On the one hand, the current social-economic situation positively influenced the environmental protection especially because the industrial production sharply decreases and the obsolete technologies did not allow quality cleaning of waste-waters or the liquidation of industrial waste. It also limited the use of chemical fertilisers in the agriculture. These fertilisers had a negative impact on the environment. On the other hand, the lack of financial sources cause an insufficient protection and thus further pollution of the environment. The human intervention threatens mainly the surface waters (sink water, degradation of fertile soil, waste), animals and wildlife in the nature, air pollution which has a negative impact on the health of the inhabitants. This is further amplified by the global environmental pollution, warming, which threatens not only the future of the environment, but the future of life. Therefore, the cross-border co-operation in the area of environment has to be aimed at compensating the inequities between the economic interests of the region and the need for environmental protection.
The environmental and nature protection, as well as the common protection of monuments and of the original architecture in the area of the Euroregion creates a premise for a sustainable development. It creates conditions for the healthy life of its inhabitants and joins their needs with the needs of the nature.