The decision for the editing and publishing of the current journal was taken on the 1st Balkan Conference “Education and Research within the Frame of Sustainable Development”, 19-21 November, 1998, Thessaloniki, Greece and 2nd Balkan Conference on Industrial Pollution, 19-21 November, 1999, Sofia, Bulgaria of the representatives of the Balkan countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. The Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology is devoted to the fundamental, technological, social, political and other research, discussions, and new ideas for protection of environment and sustainable development of the region. The main topics of interest are: air pollution; water pollution; soil pollution; agricultural pollution; industrial pollution; risk assessment; natural and technological hazards; ecology; marine ecology; solid waste management; environmental protection and sustainable development; biochemicaland bio-protection; clean technologies; environmental radioactivity; environmental legislation; environmental management; environmental informatics; computer applications on environmental information system; environmental education and training; science and ethics-bioethics; public health-environmental medicine; wetlands-animal welfare-reserved areas protection; geoinformatics and environment; geotechnology-civil engineering impact and environment; environmental economics.