NatureNet Europe News
NatureNet Europe supports the Year of the Dolphin 2007
Leiden / Tilburg, 3 November 2006
All over the world dolphin populations are threatened by fisheries, habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and underwater noise from seismic surveys and military sonar. It is estimated that, world wide, almost every minute a dolphin is killed in a fishing net.
The Year of the Dolphin 2007 has been announced in September 2006 by Prince Albert II of Monaco, who acts a Patron of the Year; its world wide coordination is at UNEP-CMS in Bonn. NatureNet Europe has joined the Year of the Dolphin as an Associate. Though our coastal and marine branch (EUCC) we are involved in building an alliance of government agencies, NGOs and the private sector for a better protection of dolphin populations, in cooperation with the fisheries and the tourism sector.
Beautiful
Europe
Already since 1994, EUCC is running programmes for dolphins in relation
to ecological networks, fisheries and tourism (e.g. whale watching). These
programmes as well as our coordination of Year of the Dolphin activities
are now part of the Beautiful Europe campaign.
Education
A crucial factor in achieving this is information and education to create
a better awareness of dolphins and their protection, educate, inform decision
makers and involve local communities and industry. Therefore, the Year
of the Dolphin will be part of the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable
Development. The campaign is also a tangible contribution towards meeting
targets to reduce the loss of wildlife by 2010 which all Governments have
agreed through the UN.
European Dolphin
Fund
In close collaboration with UNEP-CMS NatureNet Europe has established
a European Dolphin Fund to support concrete activities for dolphin conservation
in Europe and the Mediterranean. www.dolphinfund.eu
Priorities of the Dolphin Fund include:
- improve the protection of dolphins in practice
- prevention and reduction of dolphin victims in fishing nets
- prevention of disturbance of dolphins by whale watching
- education, awareness and research promoting dolphin conservation
- collaboration with UNEP CMS for the Year of the Dolphin campaign.
National campaigns
NatureNet Europe is encouraging its member organisations to prepare national
activities and campaigns in the framework of the Year of the Dolphin.
In the Netherlands a National Committee has been established involving
25 organisations and government agencies and a unique coalition of nature
and fisheries organisations. In several other countries activities are
being considered as well. www.jaarvandedolfijn.nl
www.yod2007.org/en/Join_in/YoD_Supporters/index.html
Indicative map of the Pan-European Ecological Network in South-Eastern Europe ready
| From 2003 to 2006 ECNCEuropean Centre for Nature Conservation led a project aimed to outline the contours of the Pan-European Ecological Network (or PEEN) in South-Eastern Europe. In this project ECNC cooperated closely with research institutes, NGOs and government agencies from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, FYR of Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Slovenia, and with international organization including EUCC-The Coastal Union and Eurosite. |  |
In recent years interest
in the concept of ecological connectivity in general, and ecological networks
in particular, has increased considerably, partly because of the growing
concern about the impacts of climate change on Europes biodiversity. The
Pan-European Ecological Network aims to link internationally and nationally
protected areas and ecological networks with the goal to secure the favorable
conservation status of Europes key ecosystems, habitats, species and landscapes.
This project contributes in particularly to the target set at the Fifth
Environment for EuropeMinisterial Conference held in Kyiv, in May 2003:
By 2006, the Pan-European Ecological Network (core areas, restoration
areas, corridors and buffer zones, as appropriate) in all States of the
pan European region will be identified and reflected on coherent indicative
European maps, as a European contribution towards a global ecological
network.
The map and accompanying Technical background document can be downloaded
For more information: ecnc@ecnc.org or www.ecnc.org
Launch of SEENET website - boosting international cooperation for ecological networks in South and East Europe
18 July 2006, Tilburg, Budapest
Today, the SEENET programme website was officially launched by the president of the Committee of Experts for the development of the Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) of the Council of Europe, Mr Jan-Willem Sneep.
The SEENET programme team, which consists of ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation, Eurosite and EUCC-the Coastal Union, has created this website to bring together different stakeholders to facilitate the establishment of the PEEN in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area, which is the main objective of the SEENET programme.
The creation of ecological
networks is an essential step to connect nature areas and tackle the fragmentation
of ecosystems, which is one of the key pressures on biodiversity in Europe.
The realization of ecological networks in general and the PEEN in particular
requires the input of a variety of stakeholders from different sectors
such as agriculture, transport, fisheries and spatial planning. National
and regional authorities, NGOs, land users, owners and managers of protected
areas will benefit
from the information contained in this website.The
key roles of the SEENET website are to:
- provide information about the PEEN and ecological networks to different stakeholders
- encourage partnership-building for the implementation of ecological networks
- improve access to information on funding sources
- build capacity through the provision of case studies
- facilitate networking through a database of experts and stakeholders
- facilitate international and cross-border cooperation
- promote events and workshops of relevance to the establishment of the PEEN.
The SEENET website provides the opportunity for anyone to register online and to upload information on ecological networks, promote events of relevance to ecological networks and to add stakeholder organizations to a directory. We provide free access to this service.
Please visit the site
at www.seenet.info
For more information: Agnes Bruszik & Ana Nieto at seenet@seenet.info
Beautiful Europe and the 4th Biodiversity in Europe Conference
The
intergovernmental conference “Biodiversity in Europe”, which
took place from 22-24 February 2006 in Croatia, welcomed the Apeldoorn
Appeal in its formal conclusions. This Appeal was endorsed at the European
Nature Conference (September 2005, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands) by a very
wide range of civic society organisations and the Croatia conference underlined
the importance of the main message of the Appeal: connecting nature with
nature, people with nature, and policy with practice.
The Appeal was presented to the Croatia Conference by the project leader
of the European Nature Conference, Mr Feiko Prins from Vereniging Natuurmonumenten,
who spoke also on behalf of ECNC, EEB, Eurosite and Europarc Federation
(the organisers of the Apeldoorn Conference). Mr Prins mentioned in his
speech the Beautiful Europe initiative of NatureNet Europe as a concrete
follow-up of the Apeldoorn Appeal.
With the Beautiful Europe initiative NatureNet Europe aims to keep the
Apeldoorn Appeal alive, by putting strong efforts into implementation
activities. NatureNet Europe seeks to widen the cooperation towards other
sectors and other NGOs.
The Beautiful Europe initiative received much attention from the participants
of the Croatia conference, and was also acknowledged as a very important
initiative in the conference paper on education, public awareness and
communication as presented by the president of the Pan-European Biological
and Landscape Diversity Strategy, Mrs Sylvi Ofstad, who also referred
in her speeches to the Beautiful Europe initiative. The above-mentioned
conference paper is available on www.strategyguide.org
Facilitating the establishment of the Pan–European Ecological Network: a programme focusing on South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area
ECNC–European Centre for Nature Conservation is starting up a programme to facilitate the establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area.
This two-year programme will be carried out by ECNC in cooperation with EUCC-the Coastal Union and Eurosite, and with various partner organizations and the governments in this region. The programme is funded by the BBI Matra fund of the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The programme aims to facilitate the establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area, and to ensure that interests and considerations specific to these regions are taken into account in international policy processes dealing with PEEN. This programme will adopt an integrative approach, aimed at involving all relevant stakeholder groups and specifically including non-governmental stakeholders. The focus will be on:
- promoting the concept of PEEN among relevant actors and in relevant forums;
- initiating capacity building for ecological networks;
- stimulating involvement of the region in international processes;
- providing support to organizations from the region in successfully applying for funding for projects in support of ecological networks and PEEN.
On 1 February the programme partners met at ECNC headquarters to kick off the work. First outcomes of the meeting are the establishment of a website which will provide easy access to background information and relevant publications on PEEN, funding sources and a contact database of experts and stakeholders dealing with ecological networks. A calendar showing main events on ecological networks will also be accessible from this website. Capacity-building events and workshops are planned for later in the year, after an assessment of training and information needs of stakeholders in the targeted regions has been completed.
More information is available from Sandra Rientjes, Head of Programme Development - Deputy Director, ECNC; rientjes@ecnc.org
NatureNet Europe develops programme for Wadden sea
January 2006
Recently, NatureNet Europe developed a framework for a support programme for the Dutch part of Wadden sea area as a contribution to the discussion on the priorities for the so-called Wadden Fund. The programme is titled: Wadden sea – beyond existing borders.
The programme supports the recommendations in the Breaking the ice- report of the Waddensea Forum. The aim of the programme is to further develop the Wadden sea as a testing ground for sustainable development.
The programme has
two main elements:
· the stakeholder approach – combining interests;
· the international dimension of Waddensea conservation and sustainable
use.
For the sake of sustainable development, the programme focuses on building trust and bridges between interests of nature conservation and important stakeholders, such as regional and local governments, farmers, tourist bodies and entrepreneurs, and on linking international expertise with regional expertise. The programme would like to boost in a very practical way the change in the Wadden sea area from sectoral approaches towards integrated coastal zone management.
Various sub-programmes and related activities will ensure that the overall objective of the programme will be reached. Sub-programme include “People and nature-friendly tourism”, Countdown 2010 and the Wadden sea, Consumer and Economy, and learning from international experiences and cooperation.
When the criteria and priorities of the Wadden Fund will be decided upon by the government, NatureNet Europe will submit a formal proposal which will be fine-tuned with the conditions of the Fund.
NatureNet Europe is well-placed to support sustainable development in the Wadden sea area, because it combines the wide expertise on integrated coastal zone management with communication and site management expertise of EUCC, EUCC and Eurosite and it promotes a positive approach towards combining interests in the field of economy, ecology and social aspects.
European Ecological Network project Kopacki Rit - Duna-Drava finalised
On 20 and 21 October 2005 the ECNC workshop on the results of phase 2 of the project "European Ecological Network Pilot project Kopacki Rit - Duna-Drava" took place in the visitors centre of Kopacki Rit Nature Park in Tikves, Croatia. The workshop, which was organised by ECNC and its project partners - the Kopacki Rit Nature Park, Croatia and the Duna-Drava National Park, Hungary brought together over 40 person from Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Romania, and from various governmental and non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
The workshop focussed on the cross-border cooperation between Kopacki Rit Nature Park and the Duna Drava National Park. During the workshop the project implementing organisations presented the achieved results. The results and the lessons learned where reviewed during the workshop and field inspections in both parks. The workshop concluded that the project achieved very impressive and visible results which should be shared as widely as possible in the region and wider Europe.
The participants of the workshop felt that the project had resulted in clearly improved ecological functioning of the flood plain wetlands due to strongly enhanced cross-border cooperation on management objectives and measures and successful restoration works. An important part of the success was a result of the good cooperation between all stakeholders involved in the project, including representatives of the governments, park management, local communities and NGO's. All representatives felt that the project resulted in stronger stakeholder involvement in nature conservation and improved understanding. The workshop identified future priority activities, including extending the cooperation towards other countries in the Danube - Drava area, communication and stakeholder activities about the importance of the parks for nature conservation and local communities and regional economy, developing strategies for combining the promotion of natural and cultural heritage values, and addressing the problems in the field of unsustainable forestry.
The project was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
Background information on project
The two phases project was carried out between 2003 and 2005. In December 2005 the second phase comes to an end. The project focussed on improving the ecological functioning of the cross-border nature areas via restoration measures such as removing man-made barriers in rivers and re-establishing ecological connections between parts of the nature areas. Various channels of communication were used to show the achievements of the project. The Trans National Working Group (involving local and regional experts and NGOs) regularly met to receive information about the advancement of the project and to guide the implementation. The two parks set up a joint database, supporting management interventions and providing data for relevant users. Both parks designed a cross-border ecological network, linking to the Pan-European Ecological Network. A joint trans-boundary full colour map was published, which became very popular among the visitors of the parks.
Beautiful Europe initiative welcomed
Apeldoorn,
Tilburg, Leiden, 23 September 2005
On 23 September 2005, the presidents and directors of ECNC, EUCC-The Coastal
Union and Eurosite launched the Beautiful Europe initiative of
NatureNet Europe at the European Nature Conference in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.The
initiative was strongly welcomed at the conference, which brought together
more than 650 people from all over Europe.
Beautiful Europe is the response of NatureNet Europe to the “Apeldoorn Appeal” that was presented to the Director of DG Environment of the European Commission, Mr L. Miklo, and the President of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, Mrs Sylvi Ofstad. In his message to the conference, EC Commissioner of the Environment, Mr Dimas, welcomed the Apeldoorn Appeal.
The Apeldoorn Appeal is a joint message from EEB, ECNC, Eurosite and Europarc, together with EUCC, to European politicians, policymakers and practitioners, in which the importance of connecting nature with nature, people with nature, and policy with practice is stressed. A wide range of other organizations supports the Appeal, including IUCN, WWF and Birdlife.
The Appeal calls for a speedy establishment of the European Ecological Network and made a strong plea for intensive cooperation between organizations working at a European level. NatureNet Europe is mentioned as a good example of such cooperation.
Beautiful Europe will adopt an innovative approach to contemporary and long-standing nature conservation issues, challenging misconceptions about the value of nature and its role within society. Beautiful Europe will engage key sectors, promoting living landscapes, where ecological connectivity and connectivity between man and nature is understood, valued and managed well.
The initiators of NatureNet Europe will focus the implementation of the Beautiful Europe initiative on keeping the Apeldoorn Appeal alive, by putting strong efforts into implementation activities. They will also seek to widen the cooperation towards other sectors and other NGOs. At the conference, a special EECONET publication was distributed, containing information about Beautiful Europe and ecological network efforts.
Natuurmonumenten
organized and hosted the conference, together with Europarc, Eurosite,
EEB and ECNC, in cooperation with EUCC. Through this conference Natuurmonumenten
added a European dimension to its 100th anniversary celebrations this
year.
NatureNet Europe launches “Beautiful Europe” initiative
Tilburg, Leiden, 19 September 2005
ECNC, EUCC-The Coastal Union and Eurosite want to change the current nature conservation approach and practise in Europe and have formed “NatureNet Europe”. This is a unique alliance that will maximise the added values of cooperation between three of Europe’s leading conservation organisations and their large networks of national and regional organisations. By combining forces and networks the three organisations challenge the existing trend of fragmentation of Europe’s conservation resources. NatureNet Europe will promote and apply innovative and practical approaches to the conservation and sustainability of European nature and biodiversity.
NatureNet Europe will launch its “Beautiful Europe” initiative on 23 September 2005 at the European Nature Conference in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Beautiful Europe will forge a coherent European nature network, assisting and encouraging cooperation between conservationists, land and sea users and the private sector. The European nature network will counterbalance the negative effects of climate change on Europe’s nature and biodiversity by offering more opportunities for species to move between nature areas between regions of Europe.
Beautiful Europe will challenge traditional approaches to nature conservation and will promote living land- and seascapes. Efforts to conserve nature and biodiversity typically take shape in reaction to existing threats. This approach often fails to solve the cause of biodiversity loss, perpetuating conflicts of interest between biodiversity conservation and land use sectors in stead of true cooperation.
The Beautiful Europe initiative will reach out to other sectors, highlighting common interests, and mobilizing the large economic benefits of Europe’s biodiversity and landscapes for prosperous and sustainable regional development.
Activities include mobilizing the European tourist sector to support Europe’s landscapes, working with finance institutions to establish biodiversity investment funds, and safeguarding a top 100 of core areas of the European nature network.
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Information for editor
Interested in more details or in talking to the presidents or directors of ECNC, EUCC and EUROSITE on 23 September? Please contact NatureNet Europe, c/o European House for Biodiversity and Sustainability, PO Box 90154, 5000 LG Tilburg, T 0031 (0)13-5944944, F 0031 (0)13-5944945, www.natureneteurope.org, E-mail janssen@ecnc.org
In Memoriam: Mr. Albert Klinkenbergh, 1929-2005
9 June 2005, Son / Tilburg (NL)
On 9 June, Mr Albert Klinkenbergh passed away. Mr Klinkenbergh contributed to nature conservation in the Netherlands as well as in Europe. He was the main founding father of the European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC), one of the main founding fathers of EUROSITE and also one of the main initiators of the EECONET Action Fund (EAF). In November 2004 he was awarded a European nature conservation prize, the EECONET Award, in Thessaloniki.
Natura 2000 designation in Polish Odra Delta
LEIDEN / SZCZECIN, 2 Dec (revised) – The Polish Minister of Environment has just signed the decree for the creation of a Natura 2000 site in the Oder/Odra Delta and Szczecin lagoon with a totals size of 64.000 hectares (640 sq km). This news paves the way for the establishment of an EECONET Nature Park in the Delta in 2005.
European
ecological network
This is the result of ten years of work in the Odra Delta, and a clear
success for EUCC – The Coastal Union and the Society for the Coast
(EUCC’s Polish branch). The Odra Delta and Szczecin lagoon form
the most important stopover for migrating birds of the southern Baltic
and are of major importance for species such as Otter, White-tailed Eagle,
Crane, Ruff, and Corncrake. “This is a most essential part of the
European ecological network, EECONET” says Albert Salman, director
general of the EUCC. In 1995 EUCC-Poland started to buy nature areas (now
amounting to 1200 hectares) at strategic locations in the delta. These
acquisitions were financed mostly by EECONET Action Fund but also by private
donors (Friends of the Coast) and by various Dutch organisations, including
Stichting DOEN, the National Postcode Lottery, and PIN Matra. The Dutch
society Natuurmonumenten has supported the establishment of a field management
programme.
“Biggest
success in ten years”
“The definitive protection of the Oder Delta is one of the biggest
successes for European nature conservation for the last ten years”
says Albert Salman. This year EUCC, an association with over 2700 members,
celebrates its 15th anniversary. “The Oder Delta has been among
the earliest actions of EUCC’s EECONET programme. This is the best
birthday present we can imagine”. Last October the EUCC joined NatureNet
Europe along with two other European organizations (ECNC and EUROSITE).
In October 2005 NatureNet Europe will focus the international spotlight
on Poland through the official opening of the EECONET Nature Park Oder
Delta; most importantly, this will be the first private nature park in
Poland and in the region. In 2005 a fund raising action will be held for
the establishment of management and information facilities and for further
extensions of the park.
By the misunderstandings an information about success of EUCC in the Odra
Delta has been connected with information about problems in developing
Szczecin – Swinoujscie harbour. It must be clearly stated that establishing
a Natura 2000 site in the Oder/Odra Delta and EUCC-Poland activities has
no any influence for the Szczecin harbour development plans and the way
of its financing. EUCC – The Coastal Union apologise for any wrong
information or suggestion given before.
In fact, the EUCC did not actively prevent the development of the harbour
and never intended to block economic development in the region. There
are a lot of good examples how in the local scale EUCC-Poland realize
its mission to implement sustainable development on the nature valuable
areas in this region in connection with active nature conservation.
***************************end revised press release
Further information: Albert Salman, NatureNet Europe / EUCC, Leiden, the
Netherlands. Tel. 0031 (071) 5122900, www.eucc.net
‘Bialowieza Forest EECONET Pilot project - A Forest of Hope’
Budapest, Tilburg. January 2005
ECNC together with Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (NM) recently started a new transboundary (Poland and Belarus) European Ecological Network pilot project for the world-famous Bialowieza Forest. The project will be implemented together with the National Parks Departments on the Polish and Belarus side of the Forest, while involving all relevant stakeholders, in particular the Forest Departments and local stakeholders.
The
project is aiming the further development of this internationally renowned
area as one coherent natural and self-maintaining ecological core area
of the European Ecological Network. It will highlight the role of forestry,
hydrology and tourism in enhancing the ecological coherence of the area,
being the themes that were prioritised by park managers of the Bialowieza
Forest on both sides of the border. The project focuses also on the social
coherence of the area, aiming at developing the Bialowieza Forest as one
coherent and self-supporting ecological core area in harmony with the
demands of the local communities, while respecting both natural and cultural
values. The project will result in enhanced ecological and social coherence
within this cross-border forest, and also between the forest complex and
its wider surroundings. The project will highlight the prospects of the
Bialowieza Forest to become a testing ground in Europe for sustainable
development.
The project duration is 18 months. The financiers of the project are the Dutch government (PIN-MATRA programme) and Vereniging Natuurmonumenten.
For more information: ECNC, Mihaly Vegh, Vegh@ecnc.hu
EECONET transboundary pilot project “Duna-Drava National Park - Kopacki Rit Nature Park”
Budapest, Tilburg, January 2005
Recently, the second phase of the ECNC pilot project “European Ecological Network Duna-Drava National Park - Kopacki Rit Nature Park” started. The activities under phase I. were carried out in 2003.
The protected areas included in the project are situated on the border between Hungary and Croatia and have high national conservation priority, as they form part of the largest remaining Danube floodplain in Hungary and Croatia. Local and regional intentions for their biological conservation and proper hydrological management and restoration are endorsed at the highest governmental level. Within phase II in Duna-Drava National Park various activities will be implemented, including habitat restoration works, establishing of a monitoring facility, building of additional nesting and resting islets within Riha-lake, and nature education facilities enhancing the access to and supporting monitoring activities in the Riha –lake area.
Within phase II in Kopacki Rit Nature Park additional man made barriers will be removed on Vemeljski channel in order to further enhance the ecological conditions and functioning of the area. Monitoring activity will be continued.
The project is implemented together with the National/Nature Park departments on both sides of the border.
The project received financing within the framework of the Dutch/Hungarian bilateral MoU for co-operation in the field of biodiversity conservation by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality.
For more information: Mihaly Vegh, ECNC (Vegh@ecnc.hu)
Identifying the Pan-European Ecological Network in South-Eastern Europe
Aim:
develop an indicative map identifying core areas and corridors in the
region.
Project period: 2003-2006.
Funding: Dutch PIN-MATRA Programme.
Project lead: ECNC. EUCC is represented in the Advisory Committee.
Progress to date:
The national team and advisory committee of the project met for the third
time in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 30 November – 1 December 2004.
Since the spring meeting, several layers of the future map have been prepared
(representative habitat types in the region, land cover, natural vegetation,
corridors, large unfragmented natural areas, etc.). During the meeting,
progress in map preparation was discussed in order to validate data, fine-tune
the methodology, and identify gaps in the preparation of the indicative
map of PEEN/EECONET in the region. Online and interactive map preparation
has taken place, and based on the discussions during the meeting the first
printed draft map will be prepared before the end of the year to stimulate
further in-country discussions and checking.
Project website: www.ecnc.org/PeenSee/Index_96.html
Further information: ECNC, Edina Biró, Programme Coordinator -
European Ecological Network; biro@ecnc.hu
First EECONET Award presented to Mr Albert Klinkenbergh
22 November 2004, Tilburg/Thessaloniki
The European Centre for Nature Conservation decided, in consultation and agreement with the directors of EUCC-The Coastal Union and EUROSITE, to initiate a new European nature conservation prize, the EECONET Award. The first EECONET Award was presented to Mr Albert Klinkenbergh, in Thessaloniki, where the ECNC Board met.
Mr Klinkenbergh has a long track record in nature conservation. He was the main founding father of ECNC, one of the main founding fathers of EUROSITE and also was one of the main initiators of the EECONET Action Fund (a fund aiming at the practical conservation and management of nature areas of European importance in East and Central Europe). In Thessaloniki Mr Klinkenbergh stepped down from his last formal function in nature conservation.
The EECONET Award will be granted to individuals who have contributed in an outstanding strategical and practical way to the conservation and sustainable use of Europe's nature and biodiversity. The Award is connected to NatureNet Europe of ECNC, EUCC and EUROSITE.
An international committee
formed from representatives of ECNC, EUCC and EUROSITE will decide on
the proclamation of EECONET awards in the future. Mr Klinkenbergh will
be the honorary chairman of the committee.