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IUCN South-Eastern European e-Bulletin
Issue 14 • September 2007
Dear Readers,
We have the pleasure to present you with the 14th issue of the IUCN South-Eastern European e-Bulletin that follows an inte-resting summer regarding nature conservation. Changes in species distribution due to climate change were communicated more frequently in the media, forest fires reminded us of the need to challenge unsound and unsustainable land-use and reports of ongoing reduction of the world‘s biodiversity has brought us back to the aims of the Convention for Biological Diversity and activities within initiatives such as Countdown 2010.
The coming months will be no less quiet, and since the end of the year is a favoured time for meetings, conferences and workshops, we encourage you to bring up the topics of nature conservation and sustainability in all sectors of land-use and development. IUCN is currently preparing for the Environment for Europe Conference in Belgrade, where a number of stakeholders will meet. Should you be present, we will be looking forward to meeting you there. All other readers of this bulletin we hope to stay in touch with via our ever increasing communication network.
We are happy to see that the news and events posted for this issue as always cover a broad variety of themes and topics in South-Eastern Europe. Many thanks to all of you who have contributed with articles and pictures. The next bulletin will be issued in December this year – the guidelines for submitting articles for the IUCN SEE e-bulletin can be found on the last page of this issue.
Wishing you a pleasant reading,
Aleksandra Nesic and Katharina Diehl IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe
Editorial
The Sixth Ministerial Conference „Environment for Europe“
The Sixth Ministerial Conference „Environment for Europe“ will be held in Belgrade (Serbia) from 10 to 12 October 2007. It is expected that environment ministers and high level government officials from 56
countries of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region, including Canada and USA, will participate at the Belgrade Conference.
The “Environment for Europe” process is a unique partnership of the member states within the UNECE region, organizations of the United Nations system repre-sented in the region, other intergovernmental organizations, regional environment centres, non-governmental organizations and other major groups. The United Na-tions Economic Commission for Europe, which has been closely associated with the “Environment for Europe” process since the beginning, serves as secretariat to the process.
The first Ministerial Conference took place near Prague, at Dobris Castle, on 21-23 June 1991. Four more conferences followed before the Belgrade Conference: the Lucerne (Switzerland) Conference, on 28-30 April 1993; the Sofia (Bulgaria) Conference, on 23-25 October 1995; the Aarhus (Denmark) Conference, on 23-25 June 1998; and the Kiev (Ukraine) Conference, on 21-23 May 2003.
During the 6th Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” IUCN – The World Conservation Union and its members invite you to visit the IUCN Biodiversity Lounge and to take part in two official side events on the stand, focused on the following topics:
Countdown 2010
Save Biodiversity – CD2010 Readiness Assessment
(Wednesday, 10th October 13-1430)
European Green Belt
Borders separate – Nature unites (Thursday, 11th October 19-2000)
IUCN kindly invites you to experience more about the potential of these initiatives, to discuss your ideas with representatives of the growing Green Belt and CD2010 community, and to debate project opportunities for the upcoming years. IUCN SEE would also like to welcome participants to the Dinaric Arc Initiative (DAI) side event, scheduled on October 11, 19:00-21:00 in the Japanese Salon, officially titled Engaging international institutions at the regional level: The case of DAI – The Dinaric Arc Initiative – in South East Europe.
Programme Office for South Eastern Europe
How is your country doing on its way to the 2010 biodiversity target?
Do it yourself: Rate your country’s performance on biodiversity!
Countdown 2010‘s Readiness Assessment is a rapid analysis of the basic steps that countries have to take to meet the 2010 biodiversity target. It identifies whe-ther countries have made public statements on the 2010 biodiversity target, whe-ther they have assessed the requirements of meeting it and whether the necessary actions have been identified and implemented. The results of the assessment will be published during the 6th Ministerial Conference Environment for Europe, to be held in Belgrade in October.
The Assessment will include data from a variety of sources, including desk studies and consultations. In addition to that, we would like to ask for your help and expertise. The Countdown 2010 Secretariat has prepared a short on-line questionnaire to this end.
Please take three minutes and share your opinion with us! The answers given will form an integral part of our work. Andras Krolopp, [email protected] and Wiebke Herding, [email protected].
Sava Centre in Belgrade
Children in Curitiba during CBD COP 8
Content
NEWS1 Forest Biodiversity Assessment of Prespa NP2 Awards for valorous performance of duty3 Working for Nature – Nature for Working4 Environmental Education Films5 Supporting the local environmental planning for the communities around Prespa Lakes 6 Study and protection of the endangered submediterranean „sibleac” habitats7 Canalisation of Natural Drava River Bed continous!8 Final Decision: No Drava Dam9 The Balkan Peace Park Project secures nomination for tourism award10 Two bears equipped with GPS-GSM transmitters11 Marine protection in Croatia12 Living Neretva Project13 Gornje Podunavlje Study Trip to Lonjsko Polje14 New candidates for the EUROPARC Transboundary Parks – Following Nature’s Design certificate
EVENTS1 Summer Camp in Hutovo Blato and Trebižat2 Day of Shkodra Lake 3 Transboundary component of the UNDP GEF Prespa Park Project launched4 Tamiš River Basin - Landscape Stewardship Exchange5 Million-euro boat expedition to test Danube pollution6 New Visitors’Centres at National Park Skadar Lake 7 Regional Workshop on “Harmonization of World Heritage Tentative Lists in South-Eastern Europe – Cultural Landscapes, Terrestrial and Fresh-water Ecosystems”8 Nature – Bridging Borders
COMMUNICATION & PUBLICATIONS1 Red List Release2 Trading Wildlife3 Bulletin of the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) 4 Global Warming and Turkish Agriculture Policy5 Start fighting next years fires now!
1 Forest Biodiversity Assessment of Prespa NP
Albania: In the frame of the ongoing Prespa NP’s UNDP Project (period June-Au-gust 2007) a re-assessment of forests and forest ecosystems, agriculture, water and fishery was developed for the integrated Prespa basin. The goal of the assessment is to mainstream ecosystem health priorities into Prespa integrated NP manage-ment.
This study identified the existing regulatory frame, sectorial specificities and plan-ning instruments as well as potential conflicts. The expert groups have already ela-borated the assessments and provided the relevant recommendations.
The Prespa NP lies in the south-aastern region of Albania and is one of the unique examples of the Albanian Protected Areas Network and has the potential for being a “Biosphere reserve” in future. It covers an area of 27,750 ha including forests or scrublands, pastures, natural and semi-natural meadows, aquatic areas as well as cultivated lands and settlements. The bedrock of the area is mostly composed of limestone, which has created the cave-phenomenon and dropping down the water to Ohrid Lake and creating problem of the lack of water-springs.
Forest areas in Prespa mainly consist of oak forests (63%) and beech stands (15%). Lack of alternative heating resources set a high pressure on forests that are used for firewood production for communities living within and in some areas around the Prespa National Park. In addition, fodder production and forest grazing are damaging the forests area. Some forest areas (3,721 ha) are transferred to communal use and are managed by the Forest Users Association of Liqenas while ca 380 ha are privately owned forests.
The forests are found on an altitude range from the lake level of 850 m up to the beginning of the alpine meadows zone at about 1,900 m above sea level. They are composed of some 70 tree and shrub species, of which the most important are grouped in two forest belts.
In more details the assessments were focused on: Identification of crosscutting legal bases of the regulatory frame (water, fo-rest, agriculture and fishery) with the need for maintenance and conservation of ecosystem health, agencies and institutions responsible for performing and enforcing this frame (with focus/impact in Prespa Basin), public and stakeholder involvement in this process (access to information), relevance to other sectoral policies and actions.
And further on they have already identified the main problems and issues regarding planning and management with relevance to the Prespa ecosystem ./watershed, legal/regulatory forecast and projections for the future sector development in an inte-grated watershed management perspective, insight and recommendations also for the human and financial resources which affect the enforcement and control at site level as well as the ownership aspects, how sectoral reg. frame could incorporate maximization of ecosystem services, resources needs assessment and identification of target groups (equipments, capaci-ties, knowledge) and assessment of /commentary on advantages and gaps.
Finally as a result of comparison the following required recommendations were set up:
1. Support to Prespa NP restoration and management by promoting a sustainable forestry system within the NP.
2. Restructure Prespa NP administration with associated new staffing to elaborate a planning framework for Integrated Con-servation Management.
3. Develop a dialogue among stakeholders and introduce other disciplines to take part in NP management.
4. Develop the legal and regulatory framework for building-up an autonomous park administration.
5. Develop a combined highly comprehensive intervention for the improvement of the park management capacity and the reduction of pressure on forest resources. This would directly contribute to the conservation of forest-based biotopes and indirectly to the protection of water resources.
6. Demand-driven NP staff trainings on: PAs/NPs management, bi-odiversity, integrated NRs management, NP-Zoning, Forest Conser-vation and Management, Wetlands Management etc. in the field of provision of knowledge for the protected areas in general (what is a PA, management categories, IUCN-system, what is the PAs-network in Albania, their procedure of designation/declaration, legal frame-work, etc.).
For more information on this assessment, please contact Mehmet Meta, [email protected] and Stavri Pllaha, [email protected].
News
Forest species breakdown (High Forest, 863 ha)
2 Awards for valorous performance of duty
Bulgaria: Two reserves in the Central Balkan National Park have been saved from complete destructive fire.
The scorching wave of fires in Bulgaria didn’t pass the Central Bal-kan National Park. There were 9 fires. It took 12 full days including night shifts to contain the fiercest one – on the northern and north-eastern slopes of the Kosista Peak, at immediate proximity with the oldest reserve in park- the Boatin Reserve. The fire started on 21st July, at a hard to reach area, at 1500-2000m above sea level, and a one hour drive from the nearest town after an hour and a half hike on a trail. 55 employees from all 8 directorate offices took shifts attempting to put out the fire at its center. Bringing water by hand and on horses, climbing the steep gorges two to three hours away from the fire, employing all available tools – shovels, spades, pickaxes, sprayers. Taking 24 hour shifts to stamp out the smolde-ring fire centers that kept starting anew by the violent winds,.All by themselves the employees managed to contain the fire within the 150 acres of forestless land without the fire spreading to the Boatin reserve, putting enormous effort to the task. The rain came to the rescue and extinguished the fire.
At the same time, to the north of the town of Karlovo, a fire starts. The flames approached the Park and the near Reserve. Emplo-yees of the park contained the fire within the park boundaries thus saving the Stara Reka Reserve.
The employees demonstrated outstanding selflessness and dedi-cation. 23 of them spent between 6 and 12 full 24 shifts. 27 park employees are awarded for valorous performance of duty in the fire fight. Diana Terzieva, Central Balkan National Park Directorate, www.centralbalkannationalpark.org.
3 Working for Nature – Nature for Working
Europarc Federation: The call for applications on 12 pilot internships in 12 different European protected areas has ended. In the framework of the project ‘Working for Nature – Nature for Working’ EUROPARC was searching for motivated young people interested in nature conservation to realise a three month internship from May to July 2008. The applicants were selected by EUROPARC in co-operation with the protected areas, according to the needs and requirements of the protected areas and the qualification and motivation of the applicant. The pilot interns come from France, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Colombia and are qualified in the subjects of Environmental Management and Science, World Heritage Management, Geography, Biology and Ecology.
All protected areas presented diversified internship offers. In some parks the focus lies on activities in the area of public relations and tourism, as for example assisting at customer service points, looking after foreign visitors, developing offers for tourists or preparing different types of educational and information material. In others, field work, such as monitoring of biodiversity, research in flora-fauna-habitats, assessment or technical assistance, is part of the activities included in the internship offers.
For further information please contact Project Co-ordinator Petra Dippold on [email protected].
Since the end of July ten new NatuRegio trainees from Romania and Bulgaria participating in the second project round have been confirmed. In the course of the project the trainees will participate in five training seminars in Germany, Romania and Bul-garia on the themes of Natura 2000, sustainable tourism, envi-ronmental education, regional development, project management, communications and EU funding instruments. Later on they will complete a three-month traineeship in protected areas and nature conservation organisations in Germany and develop a project in line with the needs of their home institution. The successful Natu-Regio project carried out by the Alfred Toepfer Academy for Nature Conservation (D), the EUROPARC Federation (D), the University of Lüneburg (D) and Euronatur (D) is now in its second year. For further information please contact EUROPARC Director Eva Pon-gratz on [email protected] or view the project website at www.naturegio-bg-ro.de.
5 Supporting the local environmental planning for the communities around Prespa Lakes
Lake Prespa, Albania: The three Communes around the Albanian part of Prespa Lakes in cooperation with the communities in FYR Macedonia and Greece are working on the preparation of Local Environmental Ac-tion Plans. The Regional Environmental Center (REC), Albania, is suppor-ting local communities to draw a sound environmental development plan of the region in the frame of “Integrated management of the ecosystems of Prespa Lakes Basins of Albania, FYR Macedonia and Greece” project in partnership with GEF/UNDP Albania.
Many local authorities, specialists and inhabitants are engaged in this development on preparing a community based Action Plan during year 2007, to shape the future development of this region.
Professionals are working in different topics and issues with high im-portance for this natural reserve with a very rich biodiversity and trans-boundary water balance importance. Together with the local community the local authorities are drafting the models of development of this trans-boundary region in meetings, debates, direct involvement, awareness campaigns for concrete and sound development models.
During this autumn-winter season, all actors are invited to be part of this development and to participate in numerous activities and workshops planned to be organized on the local level. For more information on this development, please contact Mr. Eduart Cani, Project Manager in the Regional Environmental Center, Albania, [email protected].
4 Environmental Education Films
Ecolibri - Bionet, Serbia: The Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development “Ecolibri – Bionet”, an IUCN-member NGO in Serbia, has been licensed by the Institute for Education Enhancement to conduct its program «UN Millennium Development Goals – Environment and Sustainable Development Challenges» as the basis for primary school teachers’ education. Through the workshops teachers will be introduced to the protected natural areas issue, their rich biodiversity and how to manage it. The lecturers – carried out by experts for natural protection and sustainable development – will also provide the metho-dology how to transfer environment and sustainable development issue to the pupils.
In order to give a particular contribution to the «Environment for Europe» Belgrade Ministerial Conference, Center for Biodi-versity Conservation and Sustainable Development, Ecolibri – Bionet has finished two and has just started shooting the third environmental education film, designed for youngsters (10 to 15 years) in primarily schools. Both already finished films, the first one about global water problems «our Essential Water« and the second one about waste management and recycling «The Hidden Treasure» together with the third one about the sustainable use of the natural assets «The Testament for the Fu-ture», are aimed to be the very first environmental education films and TV productions ever within the education system in Serbia. As a member of IUCN, “Ecolibri-Bionet” is going to present those films at the IUCN biodiversity lounge on Belgrade Mi-nisterial Conference. For more information, please contact Ecolibri - Bionet, [email protected].
6 Study and protection of the endangered submediterranean „sibleac” habitats
Semenic-Carasului Gorges NP, Romania: The study and protection project of the endangered submediterranean „sibleac“ habitats, that took place on 37000 ha surface in the area of the Semenic-Carasului Gorges National Park and Natura 2000 site in 2006-2007 has came to it’s end. The project was coordinated by the Speleological Association Exploratorii and financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality through the MATRA / KNIP Program.
The objective of the project was to evaluate the status of the National Park and to implement a set of conservation measures in order to protect the fragile sibleac habitats and the resident animal and plant species in the Park area. 138 habitats sur-faces of community importance were identified , “rocky slopes with chasmophitic vegetation” situated in Carasului Gorges, Garlistei Gorges, Sodol and Poneasca.
The habitats were mapped for the first time, offering a real and complex image of localization, surface and conservation statuses. The field activities carried out by volunteers for habitats and species identification, inventory and mapping were concluded into a scientific report, a monitoring plan and a measures plan. The results obtained were the base for informational materials realized in the project (albums, posters) and their distribution in the area in order to increase the sensibility of the inhabitants and the mu-nicipalities. For more details please contact Raluca Crista, the Project Coordinator, or Bogdan Badescu, the ASE President at [email protected] or visit the website www.exploratorii.ro.
7 Canalisation of Natural Drava River Bed continous!
Croatia: This year Croatian Waters has continued destroying the natural river stretch of the Stara Drava between Varazdin and the Slovenian border, a future Natura 2000 site in Croatia of about 3000 ha. Massive river regulation and gravel extraction works hea-vily impact the home of European protected species such as otter, pond turtle, king-fisher and black stork and priority habitats such as floodplain forests. In June 2007 NGOs have called upon the European Commission, both Commissioner Stavros Dimas and Commissioner Olli Rehn as well as the Croatian Minister of Cul-ture, Mr Bozo Biskupic in an attempt to help to stop these illegal destructive works.
The resuming of the old plan for large-scale river regulation and gravel extraction along the “Stara Drava” cause irreversible deteri-oration of the current ecological values of the Drava River and are clearly contradicting EU environmental law, respectively the Water Framework Directive, the Habitat and Birds Directives and the En-vironmental Impact Assessment Directive. Furthermore, these ac-tivities are clearly against the recent efforts of the Croatian Ministry of Culture to protect the Drava and Mura Rivers as a Regional Park and Natura 2000 site as part of a future transboundary protected area (proposed UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) together with Hun-gary and Slovenia.
Read more on this issue on www.sterna-albifrons.net or contact Arno Mohl, [email protected] and Martin Schneider-Jacoby, [email protected].
8 Final Decision: No Drava Dam
Croatia: The assembly of Koprivnica-Krizevci county has finally voted for the exclusion of the HE Novo Virje from the county spati-al plan. This important change was reported by Helena Hecimovic, Drava Liga, to all national and international partners as WWF and Euronatur in July 2007. All local communities in the county as well as the relevant ministries (environment, energy, economy etc.) had approved the change on 12th July 2007.
Since the end of the eighties foresters and ecologists questioned the building of a further dam along the Drava. The Croatian plan-ners spent over 10 Million € and continued with the project until now – although Hungary had already established the Danube-Drava National Park. Euronatur assisted preservation of the Drava since 1990 immediately after the fall of the Iron Curtain. In coope-ration with the EECONET Action Fund the NP Danube Drava could buy an area of 368,25 ha in 1999 and 2000 directly below the planned dam.
For more information, visit www.fluvius.com/Komponenten/European%20Life%20Line1.pdf and www.sterna-albifrons.net or contact Martin Schneider-Jacoby, [email protected].
European Life Line Drava-Mura (HR/HU): Location of the Novo Virje Dam was in the centre of the image.
9 The Balkan Peace Park Project secures nomination for tourism award
BPPP: The British Guild of Travel Writers have nominated the BPPP for their ‘best overseas tourism project’ award. The Guild numbers among its members many of Britain’s most accomplished travel journalists and authors. Previous winners in the ‘best overseas tourism project’ category have included a national park in Madagascar, an eco-tourism initiative in Gambia and a clinic caring for elephants in Thailand. The criteria are simple: the project must be genuinely innovative, it must be sensitive to environmental and ecological concerns, and it must make a positive social contribution.
Nicky Gardner, editor of hidden europe magazine, advanced the BPPP’s nomination noting that the BPPP unites communi-ties that have hitherto been divided by common borders, makes a stand against environmental degradation and promotes the effective protection of a region that has mountain landscapes and rural lifestyles un-replicated elsewhere in Europe. Having been included in a list of candidates is a far cry from actually securing an award, but even getting this far is a mark of recognition for the work of the BPPP and our local partners. For an update, please contact Antonia Young, [email protected].
Fatos Lajci
10 Two bears equipped with GPS-GSM transmitters
Serbia: Two brown bears were captured at the locality Gorušice within the National Park “Tara”, at the feeding place for bears, and were marked with the GPS-GSM transmitters. Within the project “Monitoring of Brown Bear Population in the Area of NP Tara”, a male bear named Miloje was captured on April 15th, 2007. A female bear named Milica was captured on July 20th, 2007 and imme-diatelly translocated to Mt Južni Kučaj, Eastern Serbia (same as Djura, the bear less than year ago) within the project “Increase in viability and population recovery of Brown Bear in northeastern Serbia”.
This project was initiated, enabled and supported by Ministry of Environmental Protection of Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Ag-riculture, Forestry and Water Resources of Republic of Serbia - Directorate for Forests, Public Enterprise „Srbijašume“ and National Park “Tara“. The immediate realization of the projects by Faculty of Biology, Univ. in Belgrade, included brin-ging together expert participants and forming the Serbian team for bear research and translocation.
The captures were done according to plan and did not hurt the animals in any way. After the trapping the bears were anesthetized with a sedating gun, followed by a detailed checkout of physical condition and health and measuring of morpho-logical characters. Miloje weighed 84 kg, Milica 58 kg, and both were in particu-larly fine physical condition. Milica was transported in a special transport metal cage. Up to date more than 5,000 GPS data were obtained from their GPS-GSM transmitters. Data on bear activities and pathways will be analyzed and published soon.
Milan Paunović (MSc), Senior Curator, Natural History Museum, Biological Dept., email: [email protected] or [email protected].
Milan Paunovic
Ablimit Abdukadir
11 Marine protection in Croatia
Croatia: A new project titled „Strenghtening the civil society sector for marine protection in Croatia“ has started, financed by the Eu-ropean Union through CARDS 2004 programme („Support to Civil Society Organizations active in the Field of Environment Protection and Sustainable Development“), while the rest of the project is co-financed by the Association Sunce, Blue World and the Croatian Ministry of Culture. Project leader is the Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce from Split.
The Adriatic Sea represents one of the most important resources of the Republic of Croatia, yet due to the lack of capacities there is very little information about the distribution of important marine species and habitats necessary for its efficient management. In addition public knowledge and awareness about endangered Ad-riatic marine biodiversity is on a very low level.
The main project objective is to strengthen capacities of civil or-ganizations (NGOs, diving clubs) active in the field of marine bi-odiversity data collection and awareness raising and to improve coordination and cooperation with state institutions responsible for marine biodiversity data collection and management. Project will allow partners to develop a structured programme for the education of volunteers in marine data collection, implement re-search activities, workshops, public lectures, and exhibitions, all on the topic of marine conservation. The project will especially be focused on the area of the newly established Lastovo Archipelago Nature Park and Cres-Lošinj Special Marine Reserve.
For more information, please contact Irena Bitunjac, [email protected] at „Sunce“.
13 Gornje Podunavlje Study Trip to Lonjsko Polje
Croatia: Being one of the most precious sites along the Sava River floodplains and under the management of a small but experienced team of devoted conservationists, the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park was chosen to host a group of participants from the Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve including PA managers, local authorities and small-scale rural tourism facilities owners for a three-day study trip. The study trip was organized under the guidance of IUCN, in the frame of the Green Belt project „Integrating local communities and nature protection in the European Green Belt“. The visit was aimed at presenting a range of activities of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park authority in preserving and communicating the natural and cultural heritage and integrating the local communities into the management of the area.
Not only conservation measures have been presented to the par-ticipants, but also the measures of intensive communication and support that the LPNP authority provide the local communities with, in order to develop rural tourism activities and to continue with traditional agriculture practices that support biodiversity. Highly profiled conservation and supporting measures being im-plemented in Lonjsko Polje over the recent years were recogni-zed by the particpants as easily transferable and applicable to the Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, an important wetland area along the Danube River, which recently encountered signifi-cant increase in the protected area related rural tourism activities.
More info [email protected] or on the website www.pp-lonjsko-polje.hr
12 Living Neretva Project
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): This summer Youth Centre Livno in cooperation with Youth Council of Konjic organized an educa-tional summer camp for local school pupils. The aim was to raise consciousness of new generation towards the beauty of Neretva river, its biodiversity richness and the need to preserve it.
In two days participants had opportunity to gain knowledge about Neretva river biodiversity richness by means of workshops and games. They were also informed about the current Neretva river protection campaign run by several local and international orga-nizations against the plans of local government of building dams without involving civil society in the decision making process. One of summer camp’s objectives was to train participants to act as multipliers and share information/knowledge with other students at school. After the summer camp, participants organised exibition/lectures on the lessons learned about Neretva. These activities (photos, videos) about the impressions that participants got during the two-day camp involved more than 500 school students in Konjic. This summer camp was organized in the framework of WWF MedPO Living Neretva Project.
Written by Zoran Seremet, Youth Center Livno, for more informatin please contact Raffaele Mancini, Freshwater Capacity Building Officer at [email protected].
14 New candidates for the EUROPARC Transboundary Parks – Following Nature’s Design certificate
Europarc Federation: The Podyji National Park in the Czech Republic together with the Thayatal National Park in Austria and the Dutch-German Nature Park Maas-Schwalm Nette applied for the EUROPARC Transboundary Parks – Following Nature’s Design certificate this spring. In summer 2007 these applications were evaluated by independent verifiers and in-cluded an on-site verification in the protected areas. The quality of co-operation between these parks was assessed in five fields of work reflecting key areas for cross-border activities: nature and landscape conservation, education and communi-cation, recreation and sustainable tourism, research and monitoring, as well as mutual understanding and the promotion of peace. In addition, co-operation was examined on the basis of nine quality criteria including the development of a common vision for the future of the parks and the creation of official co-operation agreements and joint work plans.
Based on the final evaluation reports, which were compiled by four verifiers from Finland, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany, the Transboundary Steering and Evaluation Committee (STEC) took a decision on both applications. It will be announced at the EUROPARC General Assembly, 26 – 30 September 2007, in Český Krumlov (CZ) if the applications of the candidate parks have been suc-cessful.
For further information on the Transboundary Parks certification system, please view www.euro-parc.org.
Events
1 Summer Camp in Hutovo Blato and Trebižat
Neretva, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 14-15 June 2007 : In most of the schools in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) programmes of environmental education are based to provide knowledge exclusively in classrooms. School classes organised in nature are rather the exception than practice. This approach, along with teachers’ lack of motivation, causes the lack of knowledge about the Neretva River‘s natural values, especially among children.
Environmental Association “Bura” – in cooperation with other local NGO’s – undertook the effort to change this situation by organizing a Summer Camp that involved 40 pupils of two elementary schools (5-8 grades) from the cities of Mostar and Čapljina. The activities were held in Hutovo Blato National Park and river Trebižat, one of the main contributories of Neretva River. The camp succeeded to raise their awareness of Neretva natural values and the need and advantages to protect it. This was achieved by two days of creative workshops and games, trekking, bird wat-ching and a canoe safari downstream the river Trebižat. The camp was a unique experience for the children that will always remember how nature is vulnerable, but also wonderful and powerful. This summer camp was organized in the framework of WWF MedPO Living Neretva Project.
The article was written by Drazan Rosic, Environmental Association „Bura“, Mostar, for more information, please contact [email protected].
2 Day of Shkodra Lake
Shkodra, Albania, 16-17 June 2007: In the frame of the project „Transboundary Cooperation through Management of Shared Natural Resources“, the Regional Environmental Center (REC), Shkodra Office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration organized The Day of Lake Sh-kodra in Shkodra city in June .
The event brought together 200 participants from both Albania and Montenegro involving high government representatives, scientific and civil institutions, high representatives of local authorities as well as NPO representatives from both countries.
The event involved a Crossborder Conference: Lake of Shkodra Celebration Day, a vernissage of the thematic gallery of pictures of the lake and boat trips on the lake with ferry boats.
During the conference, the project manager, Mrs. Djana Bejko, pre-sented the achievements of the project, stressing the strengthened cooperation between the countries of Albania and Montenegro in respect of Lake Shkodra management as well as the protection status of the lake on the Albanian side, which is proclaimed as “Management Natural Reserve” and RAMSAR site within the fra-me of this project.
The minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, Mr. Lufter Xhuveli, presented the achievements of the Albanian go-vernment towards lake protection and investments planned for the future. Mr. Xhuveli expressed his commitment for establishing the administration staff for the lake Shkodra management till end of 2007, in harmonisation with the staff management in Montenegro.
The mayor of Shkodra, Mr. Lorenc Luka, expressed his commitment for an improvement of the existing situation around Lake Shkodra especially regarding investments for sustainable tourism development as well as to stopping illegal constructions around the area.
The thematic gallery presented 35 paintings by Mr. Skender Strica. Mr. Xhuveli announced that this was the first time in the history of arts, that the biggest Lake in the Balkan was presented in such beauty. A two hour trip on the lake and the warm music played by Shkodra artists concluded the day.
Djana BEJKO, REC Albania, Project Manager, email [email protected].
3 Transboundary component of the UNDP GEF Prespa Park Project launched
Pretor, FYR-Macedonia, 16-17 June 2007: Under the auspices of the UNDP GEF Prespa Park project an inception workshop was held in Pretor, FYR-Macedonia on June 16, marking the launch of the transboundary component of the five-year project entitled “Integrated ecosystem management in the Prespa Lakes basin of Albania, FYR-Macedonia and Greece”.
The event signals the commencement of the project which aims to implement interventions at national and transboundary level that will contribute to ecosystem management within the Prespa Lakes Basin. Following the discussions of the inception workshop, the project transboundary unit initiated activities spanning from an assessment which will lead to institutional strengthening of the PPCC (Prespa Park Coordination Committee), preparation of a study visit to similar transboundary basins, establishment of a Monitoring and Conservation Working Group, to starting the process for development of a web site and an online forum. The transboundary unit aims to align and support the ongoing efforts of the national components in Albania and FYR Macedonia which were launched earlier. Greece participates actively through parallel financing.
The project inception workshop was followed by the 10th Regular Meeting of the PPCC on June 17. The participants discussed the PPCC’s role in the Project Board of the UNDP GEF Prespa Park Project. During the meeting, various donors had the opportunity to present their recent activities and projects in the Prespa area. The PPCC discussed past projects and future proposals for a transboundary monitoring system to cover the Prespa lakes basin. The PPCC also heard about the algal bloom noted in Lake Great Prespa and facilitated the exchange of relevant information between competent authorities.
For further information, please contact the transboundary unit of the UNDP GEF Prespa Park project [email protected], or the PPCC Secretariat at the Society for the Protection of Prespa under [email protected].
4 Tamiš River Basin - Landscape Stewardship Exchange
Banat, Serbia, 22-27 June 2007: In July 2007 the Green Network of Vojvodina (GNV) NGO from Serbia in cooperation with the Quebec Labrador Foundation (QLF) from Canada and the U.S.A. organized a study tour “Tamiš River basin – Landscape Stewardship Exchange” in Central Banat. Apart from the GNV and QLF, 9 people from different countries (GB, CZ, RO) and organizations, including the IUCN SEE Office) participated at the study tour. During one week the international team visited the Tamiš River Basin, Carska Bara Ramsar Site and some villages in the region, including organic gardens, ethno-houses, etc. A possible cooperation concerning a strategy for sustainable development of the Zrenjanin municipality was discussed during a meeting with representatives of tourism, economy, water and forest managements in Zrenjanin.
The last day of the study tour was dedicated to a meeting with representatives of all the visited villages as well as representatives of the Zrenjanin municipality. The international team presented its impressions concerning visited sites and villages as well as suggestions how to improve recreational and eco-tourism potentials of the Central Banat region. The study tour was unique in bringing together people from different countries and of different professions and trying to find opportunities for sustainable development of the region, which everybody fell in love with.
For details, please contact Mrs. Olivera Radovanovic, GNV, [email protected] or Mr. Brent Mitchell, QLF, [email protected].
5 Million-euro boat expedition to test Danube pollution
Regensburg, Germany, 14 August 2007: The Joint Danube Survey 2, also known as ‚JDS2‘, is the world‘s biggest river research expedition in 2007. Its main goal is to produce highly comparable and reliable information on water quality and pollution for the entire Danube River and many of its tributaries. The Secretariat of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) coordinates the implementation of JDS2.
Launched on August 14, 2007 from Regensburg, Germany, the three boats of the JDS2 are travelling a total of 2,375 km downstream the Danube River, through 10 countries until late September. By September 4, they had already sampled 47 of the total 96 sites. Testing of the samples is done both on-board one of the ship laboratories, as well as in laboratories (all centers of excellence) throughout Europe.
Along the way, the ships have also made stops at many cities for public events and press conferences, attracting significant national and international media attention. Visit the website www.icpdr.org/jds or contact Paul Csagoly at ICPDR, paul.csagoly@unvienna.
6 New Visitors’Centres at National Park Skadar Lake
Montenegro, 23 August 2007: The two new Visitor Centres were opened on 23rd August, one at the locality of Murici and the other at Rijeka Crnojevica at the national park Skadar Lake. The Centres are composed of four wooden huts above the Lake’s water. The Centre at Murici contains three displays dedicated to folk creative work, olive tree growing and economic activities of the region.
The exhibition space of the Centre at Rijeka Crnojevica represents the history of this little town, once an important trade centre at the crossroads of caravan and water routes at Skadar lake, as well as the navigation and old means of fishing on the lake. Visitors can get acquainted with the natural, cultural and historic heritage as well as tourist offer in the Centres.
Marijana Džaković, Professional cooperator for public relations at the National Parks of Monte-negro, email [email protected].
7 Regional Workshop on “Harmonization of World Heri-tage Tentative Lists in South-Eastern Europe – Cultural Land-scapes, Terrestrial and Fresh-water Ecosystems”
Ohrid, FYR of Macedonia, 3-6 September 2007: The emble-matic World Heritage site of the Ohrid region hosted the first regi-onal workshop of experts from South-Eastern European countries, NGOs, and international organizations, to identify ways and means of harmonizing the countries’ Tentative Lists – the national proposal lists for World Heritage – in view of natural sites and cultural land-scapes. The workshop was organized by UNESCO-BRESCE Office Venice and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with the Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development (BFSD, Germany) and the Institute for Territorial Research and Innovation (SiTI, Italy).
After inventorying the broad array of existing and potential World Heritage natural sites, cultural landscapes, Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance) in the re-gion, the experts identified several transnational sites for future cooperation with the long-term goal of enhancing the representa-tion and protection of natural sites and cultural landscapes under the different international conventions and programmes. Thematic and sub-regional cooperation has been proposed for karst sites, central river basins, and cultural landscapes, as well as for the Dinaric Arc and the lower Danube.
While World Heritage listing is only limited to sites proving their outstanding universal value, Biosphere Reserves and other de-signations can represent alternatives to frame the protection of natural heritage at the international level. UNESCO SEE Member States were therefore assisted in identifying the relevant international designations for the most valuable natural sites and cultural landscapes on their territories. In addition, the workshop served as a platform for addressing the necessary harmoni-zation of the boundaries and coordination at sites with multiple designations.
Ultimately, with the workshop being based in the mixed World Heritage site of Ohrid, the presence of a ‘critical mass’ of local and international ex-perts supported the hosting institutions – namely the Municipality of Ohrid and the Government of FYR of Macedonia - in identifying the next steps towards enhancing the management of the site, also in relation with other international designa-tions and the neighbouring countries. This work-shop has sparked off a lot of good ideas and initi-atives to start the work ahead of us.
For more information, please contact Ker-stin Manz at UNESCO World Heritage Centre, [email protected], Europe and North America Section, whc.unesco.org.
8 Nature – Bridging Borders
Europarc Federation, 26-30 September 2007: For the first time in the 34 year history of the EUROPARC Federation, the EUROPARC Conference and annu-al General Assembly will be held in the Czech Republic. From 26 – 30 Septem-ber, the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, EUROPARC Czech Republic and the EUROPARC Federation will welcome around 250 delegates from across Europe in the beautiful medieval town of Český Krumlov close to the Šumava National Park at the Czech-German and Czech-Austrian borders.
Transboundary co-operation between protected areas is of special importance in the Czech Republic as a considerable number of protected areas are lo-cated on the country’s borders with Germany, Poland or Austria. This is the background to the conference theme ‘Nature – Bridging Borders’ under which different fields of co-operation between Europe’s protected areas will be high-lighted including habitats and species protection, sustainable tourism, Natura 2000, youth work and communications.
Participants will explore the phenomenon of borders and bridges in nature, the human mind and in European protected areas, discuss problems associated with transboundary co-operation, highlight key elements of effective cross-border co-operation, share good practice skills and experience on transfrontier co-operation and get to know examples of how to put the conference theme into practice by visiting some of the cross-border protected areas of the Czech Republic.
Further information on EUROPARC 2007 is available at the conference website at www.europarc2007.org.
Conference venue Český Krumlov, Jan Štursa
Communication & Publications
2 Trading Wildlife
Vol 14 ROfE Newsletter 2007: Wildlife trade is the sale and exchange of live species (animals and plants) and wildlife products. The trade includes hundreds of millions of specimens bought and sold in the world market and it is estimated to be worth billions of euros every year. In addition, the illegal wildlife trade is the second largest illegitimate trade after narcotics resulting in significant revenue on the back market. Wildlife trade, both legal and illegal, is constantly increa-sing and the European Union is one of the largest wildlife trade markets today.
The EU is the main market for a number of wildlife species and it is, for example, responsible for 95% of the global vicuña wool and 50% of caviar imports. The Union is also the main destination for tropical timber. Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade is a major threat to biodiversity in range states, i.e. countries in which traded species occur.
Most species and products subject to wildlife trade originate from developing countries. Therefore, sustainable wildlife trade is increasingly seen as a tool to assist the economic growth and alleviation of poverty in these areas. It is also considered that appropriately managed wildlife trade can increase the value of natural ecosystems to local communities and consequently support the conser-vation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems in range states.
As one of the main players in wildlife trade, the EU has a duty to control unsus-tainable trade and assist in preventing the consequent decline and extinction of species.
The ROfE Newsletter can be downloaded from www.iucn.org/places/europe/rofe/documents/IUCN_NO14_eng.pdf.
The current issue of Brussels in Brief outlines the EU legal and policy framework for regulating wildlife trade. It also summari-ses some problems hindering effective control of trade and discusses the main challenges for the future. The document can be downloaded on www.iucn.org/places/europe/rofe/documents/BiB_NO14_0807.pdf.
1 Red List Release
007 IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM, the world’s most autho-ritative assessment of the Earth’s plants and animals, acts as a wake up call on the global extinction crisis.
“This year’s IUCN Red List shows that the invaluable efforts made so far to protect species are not enough. The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing and we need to act now to significantly reduce it and stave off this global extinction crisis. This can be done, but only with a concerted effort by all levels of society.” Julia Marton-Le-fèvre, Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most reliable evaluation of the world’s species. It classifies them according to their extinction risk and brings into sharp focus the ongoing decline of the world’s biodiversity and the impact that mankind is having upon life on Earth.
The 2007 Red List reveals:
· The latest number of known threatened species around the world · Animal and plant species which have undergone a change in status · Newly assessed species appearing on the list for the first time · The latest conservation success stories in fighting the extinction crisis
It also aims to provide an accurate measure of progress, or lack of it, in achieving the globally-agreed target to significantly reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.
A full 2007 IUCN Red List media package is available, including photo gallery, two-minute video B roll, species changes, fact sheets on key species, case studies and statistics.
For more information and to arrange interviews with leading IUCN spokespeople please contact Lynette Lew, IUCN Marketing and Communications Officer, Species Programme, Tel: +41 22 999 0153; Fax: +41 22 999 0015; e-mail: [email protected].
Mauritiut Parakeet
Wolly-stalked Begonia
3 Bulletin of the International Association for Danube Research (IAD)
Danube News: Since the last ice age the Danube is a living vein in the large river basin functioning as the boundary between east and west in Europe. Since the earliest settlers came upstream along the river corridor the riverine landscape underwent human influ-ence and impacts. However, major parts of the Danube River Ba-sin remained fairly pristine until the technical revolution took place in the 19th century. The political changes since 1990 and the deve-lopment of the European Union have affected the Danube region and will do so more in the near future, as the extension of the EU to 27 member states will foster economic development in the Eastern countries dramatically.
This issue of DANUBE NEWS would like to call attention once more to these threats. Key issues in this respect are: navigation (to make the Danube a free-way for big ships across Europe), hydropower (especially in the lower parts of major tributaries), and land use and land development (along the river corridor). The three articles describe in more detail what is the environ-mental concern. It is hoped that these aspects of Danube River protection will also affect your own feelings and thinking in order to promote the conservation of the remaining treasures of the Danube.
IAD-Homepage: www.iad.gs
5 Start fighting next years fires now!
IUCN: After the devastating forest fires in Greece, and as Algeria continues to struggle with more than 60 fresh wildfires, the World Conservation Union has set up a task force to support post-fire restoration in the region. IUCN is urging governments and the European Union not to lose sight of the fact that although fires are a natural part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, they will continue to be a perennial threat to people and their homes until more comprehensive approaches to fire manage-ment are put in place. Critically, this means balancing efforts between fighting and controlling fires when they occur with addressing the known underlying causes of the fires.
Bill Jackson, Director of IUCN’s Global Programme, said: “It is understandable that there is a lot of discussion in Europe on establishing a dedicated EU water bomber squadron. While more capacity is always useful during an emergency, it will not by itself solve the problem of Mediterranean wildfires.
Over the past 15 years, IUCN and many other organizations have been pointing out that natural patterns of forest fires in the Mediterranean have been changing dramatically. This has led to speculation that global warming is the primary reason why many of these forests are now burning more frequently and more intensely. This is not the case.
Lessons learnt from a number of countries indicate that good recovery and reduced future fire risk will be all the more likely if actions are taken looking at the whole landscape, while also involving local communities in decisions. Equally, the inad-vertent introduction of invasive species into a recovering area can greatly increase the risk of severe fires in the future. IUCN will work with its government and NGO members to support the assessment of the environmental impact of this year’s fires. It will help in the design and implementation of post-fire restoration strategies aimed at regaining the benefits provided to people by nature and reducing the risk of harmful fires while simultaneously facing up to the larger policy, legal and institu-tional challenges over the long term.
For more information or to set up interviews, please contact: Sarah Halls, Global Media Relations Officer, The World Con-servation Union (IUCN), Tel: +41 22 999 0127, e-mail: sarah.halls iucn.org
4 Global Warming and Turkish Agriculture Policy
Turkey: TEMA Foundation issued the scientific compilation “Drought and the Turkish Agriculture” in May 2007. Compilation has been prepared by a group of Turkish aca-demicians and agriculture experts. The book reveals the possible impacts of the global warming to Turkey and the drought scenarios. It emphasizes the need for the formula-tion of climate change strategies in order to secure food production and maintain the health of the semi-arid ecosystems.
The book suggests that sustainable land management should be extended nationwide and efficient irrigation technologies should be promoted. Also it highlights the signifi-cance of local plant species which consume less water and proposes to plan the ag-ricultural production with respect to agro-ecological zones. Ultimately, the rangelands are addressed.
Drought and Turkish Agriculture recommends that the grazing pressure should be redu-ced via sustainable pasture management and the ecosystems services of rangelands should be maintained. For further information please contact Süreyya Isfendiyaroglu at TEMA Foundation, [email protected].
Guidelines for contributing to the IUCN SEE e-bulletin
IUCN welcomes articles in which you report on the activities related to transboundary cooperation in protected areas and biodiversity conservation. Please report on the status of your projects and actions, as well as events that you attended. You are welcome to announce new meetings and workshops and briefly report on new publications and announce funding opportunities. Please send a photo to accompany your article if appropriate and indicate your email and/or weblink for further reference.
The articles should be 150-250 words in length. Please note this as the interest to distribute news articles through the bulletin is extremely high and we are trying to secure space for all of you to contribute. You are responsible for any content that you post or transmit. The editors reserve the right to shorten and modify the text if necessary.
Thanks for taking these guidelines into consideration!
All contributions should be sent to Aleksandra Nesic, [email protected].
ROfE‘s Structure
Regional Office for Europe (ROfE) is a branch of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) global network. We along with offices and commissions around the world link back to the President, Director General and Council of IUCN.
For a history of IUCN and an explanation of the global structure please visit www.iucn.org. ROfE is comprised of four IUCN offices located in Brussels, Belgrade, Tbi-lisi and Moscow. The head office in Brussels, is a mee-ting point where the Programme Office for the Southern Caucasus, The IUCN Programme Office for the Com-monwealth of Independent States in Moscow and the IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe in Belgrade can disseminate information and strategies. Together as ROfE we strive to meet our goals for a sustainable Europe by utilizing local expertise and the strength of the global IUCN network.
ROfE in Belgrade
Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe
Dr. Ivana Ribara 9111070 BelgradeSerbiaTel: +381 11 2272-411Fax: +381 11 2272-531Email: [email protected] Edited by Katharina DiehlEmail: [email protected]
The IUCN SEE Bulletin contains third party articles. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN and the responsibility of the content of the published articles is held by the authors.
Whilst the IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe has used reasonable endeavours to ensure that the information provided in the newsletter is accurate, it reserves the right to make corrections and does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. The IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe accepts no liability for any errors, misprints or omissions herein (whether negligent or otherwise).
The designation of geographical entities in this newsletter, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the definition of its frontiers or boundaries.
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Published by: IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe, Belgrade
