Posted on 25 March 2011
Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia
today signed a historic declaration to establish
a trans-boundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
to protect their shared nature and wildlife
along the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers,
“Europe’s Amazon”.
The declaration - signed
during the Informal Ministerial Meeting
within the Hungarians EU-Presidency - paves
the way for creating the world’s first five-country
protected area and, with an overall size
of about 800,000 ha, Europe’s largest riverine
protected area.
"This landmark
cross border agreement is a powerful demonstration
of a shared green vision that builds on
and reinforces regional cooperation and
unity in Europe,” said Jim Leape, WWF International
Director General.
The declaration was
signed today by Mr Nikolaus Berlakovich,
Mr Sándor Fazekas, Mr Oliver Dulic
and Mr Roko Žarnic, the ministers responsible
for environmental protection in Hungary,
Serbia and Slovenia, and Mr Jasen Mesic,
the minister of culture in Croatia.
Given the global importance
of this outstanding commitment in initiating
the trans-boundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
between five countries, WWF today presented
the five ministers with the WWF “Wild Heart
of Europe” award, handed over by Andreas
Beckmann, Director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian
Programme and Gábor Figeczky, CEO
of WWF Hungary.
“It is not only a significant
step forward in protecting the region’s
natural treasures but serves as a striking
example of how nature conservation can bring
countries together,” said Andreas Beckmann.
“WWF hopes the declaration
signed today will accelerate the country’s
efforts to fully establish this critical
trans-boundary protected area within the
next couple of years to protect this green
belt in the heart of Europe,” Beckmann added.
In 2009 Croatia and
Hungary signed an agreement to protect their
shared biodiversity hotspot along the Mura,
Drava and Danube rivers. This agreement
has served as a basis for the current five-country
declaration.
With rare floodplain
forests, river islands, gravel banks and
oxbows, the new five-country protected area
spans 700 kilometres of rivers and 800,000
hectares of unique natural and cultural
landscapes. The area is home to the highest
density in Europe of breeding pairs of white-tailed
eagle and endangered species such as the
little tern, black stork, otters, beavers
and sturgeons. It is also an important stepping
stone for more than 250,000 migratory waterfowls
every year.
“The five countries
have agreed to protect an area which is
one of the richest in Europe in terms of
species diversity,” said Arno Mohl, Project
Coordinator of the “Mura-Drava-Danube"
Biosphere Reserve project at WWF Austria.
“Such floodplain areas can only be topped
by the tropical rainforests.”
The river ecosystem
is also vital for the socio-economic well
being of the trans-boundary region. It is
a major source of good drinking water, natural
flood protection, sustainable forestry,
agriculture and fisheries. It also has an
important role in promoting eco-tourism,
awareness raising and environmental education
in the region.
“We trust that this
agreement will end unsustainable river regulation
and gravel and sand extraction projects
which are still threatening this unique
river ecosystem,” Arno Mohl said.
WWF also hopes that
no new hydropower dams will be planned for
the area and the gravel excavations will
not threaten river dynamics.
The new protected area
was declared with the help of WWF, EuroNatur
and local partner organisations such as
Drava League, Green Action and DOPPS-Birdlife
Slovenia.
“Since the 11000’s EuroNatur
has invested a great deal to foster regional
cooperation to preserve the natural values
of the rivers. We are very proud about the
achievement of this joint commitment that
will trigger transboundary regional development
based on natural values of the riverine
landscape”, said Martin Schneider-Jacoby
from EuroNatur.
The WWF project “Protecting
Europe's lifeline - the creation of a Trans-Boundary
Biosphere Reserve along the Danube, Drava
and Mura rivers" is carried out with
the support of the MAVA Foundation, Asamer
Holding and The Coca Cola Company.
+ More
Small-scale fishers
in the Coral Triangle get big break in global
market
Posted on 29 March 2011
Mindoro, Philippines – Tuna handline fishers
in the Philippines now have a better chance
at competing in European markets through
a private-public partnership between WWF,
Blueyou Consultancy, European seafood companies
and the Government of Germany.
Strict European Union
policies on sourcing tuna plus increasing
consumer demand for responsibly-caught seafood
have made it difficult for small-scale fishers
in impoverished tuna producing countries
to stay on par with global standards, oftentimes
losing out on profitable market opportunities.
“Through this partnership,
we aim to create enabling conditions for
small-scale fisheries to move towards a
more sustainable management regime and generate
more equitable market benefits in the long
term,” says Dr Jose Ingles, WWF Coral Triangle
Programme Tuna Strategy Leader.
The project, which focuses
on handline-caught Yellowfin tuna, will
be implemented in identified pilot sites
in the Philippines for four years, in partnership
with the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources and relevant local
government units.
It will guide fishers
to move towards meeting the sustainability
criteria of the Marine Stewardship Council—the
world's leading certification and ecolabelling
program for sustainable seafood.
Tuna handline fishing,
done on small traditional boats, involves
the use of single hooks that catch tuna
individually. Because of its highly selective
method, handline fishing is seen to have
less impact on the marine environment, usually
targeting large and mature tuna that have
already reproduced.
The fishery, however,
stands to gain much more by meeting global
standards. The management plan will protect
tuna stocks and the socio-economic requirements
of its stakeholders through infrastructure
improvements, including a traceability system,
scientific monitoring methods, safety standard
procedures and product quality measures
both at local and national levels.
“Our approach is to
work closely with key players along the
tuna supply chain from fishing communities,
Philippine traders, European processors,
to high value consumer markets in Europe
and help build the right capacity and management
systems for long term engagement,” adds
Ingles.
Around 2,200 wooden
boats and 8,000 fishermen will initially
be involved in the project.
“Lessons learned from
this project will definitely benefit the
entire Philippine tuna industry and can
be replicated in other parts of the Coral
Triangle region.”
The Coral Triangle contains
spawning and nursery grounds and migratory
routes for commercially-valuable tuna species
such as Bigeye, Yellowfin and Skipjack,
producing more than 40% of the total catch
for the Western Central Pacific region,
and representing more than 20% of the total
global catch.
Tuna is a highly valuable
marine resource that fuels the economies
of this region’s developing nations and
supports the livelihoods of millions of
people.
However, the rising
demand for tuna products and the lack of
effective policies to regulate the fishing
industry is causing the overexploitation
of certain tuna species in the Coral Triangle.
“This project is a win-win
situation for handline fishers in the region
who see this trade as their only source
of income, for European markets that are
looking for more and more responsibly-caught
tuna products, and for the health of tuna
stocks of this region.”
The project is being party funded by the
German Investment and Development Agency
(DEG) and supported by Bell Seafood, Coop
Switzerland and Sea Fresh.
