IUCN South-Eastern European e-Bulletin

Issue 15 • December 2007

Dear Readers,

We are very happy to forward to you the 15th issue of the IUCN South-Eastern European eBulletin just before the end of the year 2007. After having had the opportunity to meet many partners on the Environment for Europe Conference in Belgrade in October, where the IUCN together with ECNC, CEE-WEB and Eco-Forum hosted the Biodiversity Lounge, we would like to share with you our impression of the event. But also we would like to mention, that IUCN played a key role at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, that took place from 3 to 14 December 2007.

This issue of the eBulletin shows again the progress of transboundary cooperation in nature conservation in South Eastern Europe, be it along the Danube, covering the Carpathians or the Dinaric Arc. The articles give a fine overview on research, awareness raising and conservation activities, that all have a regional approach.

Apart from that, the news and events posted for this issue are as diverse as ever, many thanks to all of you who have contributed with articles and pictures. The next bulletin will be issued in March 2008 – the guidelines for submitting articles for the IUCN SEE eBulletin 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

Programme Office for South Eastern Europe

Sixth Ministerial Conference, “Environment for Europe”

Belgrade, Serbia, 10-12 October 2007: The “Environment for Eu-rope” process provides a platform for cooperation and for working

towards the convergence of environmental policies throughout the region.

IUCN - The World Conservation Union together with the Environmental Center for Nature Conservation (ECNC), the Central and East European Working Group for the Enhancement of Biodiversity (CEEWEB) and Eco-Forum organized a joint “Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Lounge”. The main goal was to stress the impor-tance of biodiversity conservation and to encourage people to discuss topics related to the issue by providing a space full of “biodiversity” ambiance and relevant information on the spot. The following institutions kindly provided finan-cial support:

Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and the Environment, Belgium

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway

Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communicati-ons, Switzerland

Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, The Netherlands

Within the exhibition space set up for formal as well as informal meetings and discussions several side events took place, including:

• Countdown 2010: Save Biodiversity, and Readiness Assessment

• European regions as champions for biodiversity 2010 – Taking Care of Business

• European Green Belt: borders separate – nature unites

With the support kindly provided, two official evening receptions were held in the lounge. The receptions were attended by number of visitors, including high-level delegates, such as Mr. Dragin, Minister for Environmental Protection of Serbia.

The joint efforts of NGOs managed to keep Biodiversity on the Belgrade agenda - and the discussions and deliberations during the conference showed that indeed Biodiversity is a key component in the EfE process. The Conference reinforced that joint, pan-European efforts are needed to meet the 2010 target and that PEBLDS, the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, requires further support and strengthening.

The next EfE meeting will take place in 2011, which will provide ample opportunity for IUCN/Countdown to take stock of the policy processes and results and to be a key player shaping the EfE strategy “post-2010”! For more information: Lubomira Vavrova, lubomira.vavrova@iucn.org or Andras Krolopp, Andras.Krolopp@countdown2010.net.

Pan European Green Belt Meeting

„Networking – for Nature and Development“

Bratislava, Slovakia, 18-21 November 2007: With the help of the local NGO BROZ in Slovakia, the Programme Office for South Eastern Europe hosted the Pan European Green Belt Meeting in November this year in Bratislava. Supported by the German Federal Agency of Nature Conservation (BfN) with funds of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU), the event proved to be very succesful in bringing together almost all relevant partners within the initiative.

A total of 72 participants took part in the the meetings agenda, focusing on the further implementation of the Green Belt Programme of Work in the different regions that are spanned by the Green Belt. Working groups addressed different topics for project development, the issue of finding synergies and partners within the initiative, cross-sectoral as well as transboundary cooperations and the use of the Green Belt as a marke-ting tool for nature conservation.

A summary of the meeting and the presentations will be included on the Green Belt website. A report of past meetings can already be downladed on http://www.europeangreenbelt.org/005.database_newsletter.html.

For more information, please mail to Alois Lang, alois.lang@iucn.org

Content

NEWS1 Natura 2000 Networking Programme (NNP)2 Conservation Network expands throughout Europe3 Alone in Wildlife – Training through Adventure4 Albania‘s Dilemma: Produce Energy or Protect the Environment?5 Neretva Delta Forum for the Sustainable Use of Shared Natural Ressources 6 Skodra Lake Forum transformed into new registered Organisation on transboundary Level7 Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation 8 Protection and Development Activities in Djerdap NP9 Update regarding Balkans Peace Park

EVENTS1 1st Stakeholder meeting in Sava LIFE/SDC project2 Joint Danube Survey 2 completed in Tulcea3 EuroMAB 20074 Programme for Rural Development of Voijvodina5 Last Part of the Regional Workshop Series on Conserving World Heritage in South Eastern Europe

COMMUNICATION & PUBLICATIONS1 Sink or swim: over one in three freshwater Fish Species in Europe threatened with Extinction2 Lisbon marks major Shift in Convergence between Business and Biodiversity3 A Logo for Barcelona 4 Bali – To put Biodiversity at the Centre of the Climate Debate5 European Site Consolidated Scorecard – A new Methodology to measure PA Management Effectiveness6 BirdLife European Forest Task Force eNewsletter7 LIFE along the Sava eBulletin8 Reports from Vilm, Germany‘s International Academy for Nature Conservation

1 Natura 2000 Networking Programme (NNP)

Natura 2000: The project partners EUROPARC Federation, Euro-site and the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) work toge-ther to implement the Natura 2000 Networking Programme (NNP) on behalf of the European Commission, DG Environment. One of the core aims of the project is to enhance practitioners’ Natura 2000 site management skills.

The NNP specifies an integrated approach, recognising the es-sential contributions of different stakeholders responsible for and interacting with Europe‘s rich diversity of Natura 2000 sites and surrounding areas. Focusing on communication, capacity building and the value of working in partnership to achieve nature conser-vation objectives, the Natura 2000 Networking Programme creates a series of training events, themed workshops and practical tools to promote Natura 2000, good practice in site management and the benefits of networking across Europe.

In 2007, 15 workshop events in EU member states tackled key Natura 2000 site management issues on a thematic basis. From within the SEE region, Natura 2000 Ambassadors representing the following EUROPARC protected areas organised trainings:

Tilos Park, Greece: 25 – 26 October 2007 Natura 2000 Ambassador Konstantinos Mentzelopoulos lead the conference “Natura 2000: For the People, By the People”. 129 conference participants gained insight into the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the importance of different stakeholder partnerships.

Kozjanski Park, Slovenia: 11 – 13 October 2007 Natura 2000 Ambassadors Bernard Goršak, Martin Šolar, Tina Mikuš and Boris Grabrijan brought together site managers, farmers, landowners and representatives from ministries and administrations. 35 participants from across Slovenia looked into the theme of Natura 2000: Searching for the Appropriate Development Strategy.

Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria: 30 October 2007 The Natura 2000 Ambassadors Anton Stanchev (Central Balkan National Park) and Elena Tilova (Green Balkans) organised the seminar Natura 2000: Goals, Opportunities and Challenges to enhance informed debate among 55 participating stakehol-ders from the following backgrounds: associations of land and forest owners and sector organisations related to agriculture and forestry, the Association of Municipalities and municipal ecologists.

Detailed reports on trainings as well as on Natura 2000 case studies can be found at the NNP website: www.natura.org. For further questions you may contact the EUROPARC Federation, Project Officer Claudia Klampfl, at c.klampfl@europarc.org.

Natura 2000 Networking Programme on behalf of the European Commission

Natura 2000 Networking Programme managed in partnership by project partners EUROPARC Federation, Eurosite and European Landowners Organization (ELO)

News

NNP conference “Natura 2000: For the People, By the People”, 25 – 26 October on Rhodes, Greece. From left to right: Evangelia Tzampazi, MEP. Konstantinos Mentzelopou-los, Tilos Park Association Director. His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos of Rhodes, representing Patriarch Bartholomew I: The Greek Orthodox Church is the only religion to officially celebrate a day for nature and the environment on 1 September. Picture: Tilos Park Association.

2 Conservation Network expands throughout Europe

Brussels, Belgium (WWF): The European Commission has approved the extension of protected sites throughout Europe, a move that environmental groups believe will improve conservation efforts to protect the continent‘s most seriously threate-ned habitats and species. The 4,225 newly designated Natura 2000 sites of specially protected areas cover about 90,000km2 — an area roughly the size of Portugal — within four bio-geographical regions.

Sites were added in: the boreal region, the continental region and the Atlantic seaboard region. The pannonian region, which includes parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, is a completely new addition to the network. Further updates to the Alpine region, including the Carpathian areas of Slovakia and Poland, plus an update of the Mediterranean region, are due later this year.

WWF and its partners also played an important role in identifying and designating future Natura 2000 sites, as well as buil-ding capacity for their effective protection and management. More information on WWF and their work can be found on www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/danube_carpathian/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=117400.

3 Alone in Wildlife – Training through Adventure

Bulgaria: The Central Balkan National Park Directorate comme-morated the 22nd of September – the International Car Free Day – with a special children’s contest named “Alone in Wildlife”. The event took place in the area of the Byala reka Eco-path and the Dzhendema Eco-centre in the territory of one of the park sections - Kalofer, to be more precise. 14 kids from the municipalities of Teteven, Troyan, Apriltzi, Gabrovo and Kazanlak participated.

Almost as in a survivor reality show, the two teams – each of them holding the totem signs of the Bear and the Eagle, while overco-ming the obstacles set – tested their physical strength, resource-fulness and knowledge about the national park.

The competition focused on two main issues: one was diversity – of age and physical strength, of kids in an unfamiliar environment, not acquainted and with different levels of awareness. The other issue was the environment with its different conditions, where the fulfillment of common tasks and the joint overcoming of difficulties unites a group and evolvees in a sense for team working. Children demonstrated a strong will to winning, demonstrating their quick wits, skills and knowledge about biodiversity in the national park. They helped one another en route, while solving the tasks hidden in secret place, giving first aid, camping and preparing food.

Due to the mutual care and support, the members of the two teams accomplished the contest successfully and were awarded with the certificate “The Young Ranger of Central Balkan NP”. The contest “Alone in Wildlife” is one of the most popular attractions offered by the directorate of the park.

Every year CBNPD organizes camp-meetings for the already cer-tified and for the applicant junior rangers – a confirmed method of training and education of young people. It helps children to get to know, understand and love nature through adventures and experiences. Diana Terzieva, Central Balkan National Park Directorate, www.centralbalkannationalpark.org.

4 Albania‘s Dilemma: Produce Energy or Protect the Environment?

Albania: Over the last decade, life in Albania has become seriously affected by energy shortages. This summer, the public faced up to 12 hours of power cuts a day, at the peak of the tourism season. Prime Minister Sali Berisha says neither energy imports nor conservation efforts are enough to solve the problem, and that new facilities must be built. The authorities have given the go-ahead for a thermal plant in the southwestern port city of Vlora. However, the initiative has triggered opposition from environmentalists and local residents.

Situated off the Adriatic coast, Vlora is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Beautiful beaches and lagoons, as well as ancient and medieval monuments, make it an appealing travel destination. Vlora is also famous for its biodiversity and its wine, olive oil and fish.

The thermal facility would be part of an industrial park covering a 560 hectare area, close to several protected lagoons. As the entire city area of Vlora is 1,120 hectares, and the industrial zone will be located 1.5 km from the centre within a resi-dential area, residents are worried about the negative impact on social life and on the tourism potential. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the project‘s main goal is not to improve the energy situation at home, but to facilitate exports abroad.

The Albanian authorities and international financial institutions say measures will be taken to limit the impact, and that the plant will adhere to EU environmental standards. The plant is expected to have a production capacity of 97 megawatts. Construction costs are estimated at around 110m euros. To cover expenses, the Albanian Power Corporation will take a 40m-euro loan from the EBRD. The World Bank and the European Investment Bank will also cover a part of the expenses.

At the moment, Albania can only meet half its electricity needs. Roughly 90% of these are covered by hydropower, and this generation is dependent on weather conditions. In addition to new thermal power plants, the government wants to build eight new, small hydropower facilities.

Cited from Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana (25/09/07), http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/09/25/feature-02.

6 Shkodra Lake Forum transformed into new registered Organization on transboundary Level

Albania & Montenegro: In the frame of the project “Transboundary Coo-peration through Management of Shared Natural Resources”, the Skadar/Shkodra Lake Forum was the main platform for transboundary dialogue between Montenegro and Albania during the last six years. The structu-re of the Forum was established as a neutral platform under the REReP program 4.3.23, supported by SDC and implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe. It involves the key local stakeholders from both the Albanian and the Montenegrin side.

By integrating the representatives of different actors and the specific inte-rests of local communities, the Forum evolved into a body for developing strategic approaches for the transboundary region. Local stakeholders could closely follow the implementation of the project, advise on adjust-ments and eventually participate in debates concerning the management of natural resources shared between the two countries. Forum meetings were also regarded as efficient cross-sectoral and cross-border coordi-nation mechanisms.

Even as an informal body, the Forum provided an institutionalised trans-boundary dialogue and by following a common concept, it will still pro-

mote transboundary dialogue in the future. Its role and scope of work significantly expanded from the initial frame of project planning and consultation mechanism to becoming a real actor in the planning and implementation of regional and cross-border policy. Now, after six years, the capacity of the forum was significantly increased and the forum mutualy decided to be transformed into a new joint organization that should sustain its existing functions as well as enlarge its responsibilities concerning the joint management of natural resources in the Lake Shkodra region.

After going through a consultation process with the key authorities and stakeholders, an agreement between all existing Forum members of Shkodra Lake defined a mandate, the status, structure, objectives and the legal registration for the new transboundary forum. Through a statement of cooperation, the new legally registered organizations “Skadar Lake Forum Montenegro” and “Shkodra Lake Forum Albania” represent a „grassrooot“ civil society organisation that is capable to work in the field of natural resource management and to provide continuation of all forms of transboundary dialogue. Under the current REReP project 4.3.23 that is supported by SDC, the Transboundary Forum of Lake Shkodra will be supported until 2008. Upon completion of the Program of Work and Action Plan, certain financial assistance from REC/SDC will be provided at least for the two first years. The Shkodra Lake Transboundary Organization is the first transbounday body in Shkodra Lake region devoted to provide better efficiency in management of protected areas.

For more information, please contact Djana Bejko, REC Albania, Project Manager on recshkodra@yahoo.com or visit the website http://albania.rec.org.

5 Neretva Delta Forum for the Sustainable Use of Shared Natural Resources

Croatia & Bosnia and Hercegovina: The Neretva Delta Forum (NDF) is part of the project “Transboundary cooperation through the management of shared natural resources“, implemented by REC and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) since July 2000. The project aims at mitigating conflicts between economic development and nature conservati-on through facilitating the dialogue of stakeholders on both sides of the border, in Croatia and in BiH. The project offers a platform for transboundary dialogues, exchanges and cooperation between local authorities, businesses, water management bodies, farmers, NGOs and other interested stakeholders, in order to help finding solutions to very complex problems related to the multiple uses of shared natural resources.

As the result of the project‘s efforts to establish institutional ground for continued transboundary cooperation in the Neretva Delta region, establishment of two identical NDF Associations, one in each country, has been initiated. The Associations will work together in line with the precisely defined agreement on mutual cooperation, with the main task to support cross-border cooperation between relevant subjects in Croatia and BiH for a sustainable development of the Neretva Delta, preservation of its biological diversity, efficient water management, nature conservation, cultural and environmental protection. In the following quarter of the year, operational structures of the NDF Associations will be established, and related promotional and informational materials shall be produced.

For further questions, contact Maja Zaric, National Programme Officer for Migration and Health, on maja.zaric@sdc.net, or visit the website www.sdc-seco.ba.

7 Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation

Slovenia: According to the UNEPs Biodiversity Index, Slovenia is one of the countries with highest biodiversity in Europe. The com-mitment of Slovenia to halt the loss of biodiversity therefore needs to include two kinds of activities. On the one hand it has to support international processes that help to prevent the loss of biodiversi-ty worldwide, but on the other hand it needs to contribute to the conservation of global biodiversity on the spot by implementing actions essential to its unique biodiversity – endemic species, glo-bally or Europe-wide endangered species and their habitats.

The major EU response to conserve biodiversity on its own territory, is the implementation of the Wild Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. The core part of the two directives is composed of the protection of sites outstanding – within the Natura 2000 network. Slovenia has the highest percentage of Natura 2000, covering al-most 36% of its national territory. Among the species, many are considered ecological specialists, and among their habitat types, quite a number is threatened due to widespread deterioration. In areas where such species still appear to an exceptional extent (of population or habitat range), other species of conservation con-cern (species threatened at the national level and hence included on Slovenia‘s red list) are usually also present.

In Slovenia, 70 % of the Natura 2000 network is covered by fo-rests, which can be considered as outstanding in comparison to many other EU countries. Mandatory forest management plans, a public advisory institution for their implementation and financial in-centives have been put in place. A 7 year Natura 2000 Operational Programme, approved by the Government in October 2007, inte-grates Natura 2000 conservation objectives into forest manage-ment plans as well as hunting, fisheries and water management plans, business plans of public institutions in the field of Nature Conservation, and operational programmes for agriculture and regional development. Based on this background, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Food in close cooperation with IUCN have drafted Countdown 2010 commitments. The initiative was launched on 16 October 2007, with the signature of the declaration by the state secretaries of both ministries and the IUCN regional director for Europe.

Given the richness of biodiversity in Slovenia the ministries committed themselves to strengthen the understanding and management in particular focusing on endemic and endangered species. Efficiently managed protected areas are important for conservation of biodiversity and provision of services to public. The major Slovenian contribution to the 2010 biodiversity target is the Natura 2000 Operational Programme 2007-2013, an act implementing also the Slovenian National Biodiversity Strategy and particularly focusing on:

• achieving the set targets in relation to surface under agri-environmental measures,• fully including the actions in sectoral management plans,• achieving the set targets on nature protection measures,• establishing the planned monitoring system.

In order to ensure an involvement of relevant local authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders in relation to implementation and awareness raising of the 2010 biodiversity target, several actions will be started in the next few months.

In relation to the forthcoming presidency of Slovenia to the EU, its role in international processes will be more important than before. Therefore commitments compose also:

• promotion of close-to-nature forest management as a means to achieve the 2010 biodiversity target;• preparation of examples of good practice on use of wood biomass on biodiversity with a particular attention to close-to-

nature forest management;• connection of biodiversity and forest issues in order to ensure coherence at the European and international levels between

these issues and their relation to climate change, sustainable use and other matters;• sustaining existing Countdown 2010 processes at the international, European and national level, in areas such as the

marine environment, forest protection and development cooperation, as a means to ensure the implementation of the EC Biodiversity Communication and other international commitments.

More information on the initiative in Slovenia can be viewed on http://www.mop.gov.si/si/delovna_podrocja/direktorat_za_okolje/sektor_za_politiko_ohranjanja_narave/odstevanje_do_countdown_2010_iucn/ . More information in English is available also at the IUCN Countdown 2010 webpage on www.countdown2010.net/article/slovenia-a-green-leader-of-the-european-union. For further ques-tions, please contact Andrej Bibič, Sector for Nature Conservation Policy, Ministry of the Environ-ment and Spatial Planning, email: andrej.bibic@gov.si.

8 Protection and Development Activities in Djerdap NP

NP Djerdap, Serbia: The National Park Djerdap continued attending to feeding places for necrophagous bird species located in the abandoned stone-pit on Golo brdo. The care and supervision included the regular provision of food on a platform, at the same time it was seen that other animals were kept away. Frequency of visits to the feeding place were carefully monitored. Bird species that were seen recently at the respecti-ve spots were: the common raven (Corvus corax), the common buzzard (Buteo buteo), the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), the hooded crow (Corvus cornix) and the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). In 2008, the activities will be financed within a project by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia.

The National Park Djerdap Public Enterprise has built a watch tower on Mali Strbac (626 m), on a suitable spot for forest state tracking and fire protection, for game and bird watching, for research activities and open air education. It is of high importance for the monitoring ornitofauna in Djerdap. The watch tower was built according to a model, which was pro-posed by the Department for protection and development, and it is the first one of a series that is planned to cover the whole territory of the NP.

Three walking paths have been arranged: Burnov ponor, Bosman-So-kolovac and Brnjicka reka, as the final phase of the project “Protection and planning of health walking paths in NP Djerdap” co-financed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

For further information, please contact the NP Djerdap Directorate at npdjerdap@hotmail.com.

9 Update regarding Balkans Peace Park

Balkans Peace Park: The Balkans Peace Park Project (BPPP), a UK charity which collaborates on environmental and community projects in one continuous mountain range in the Balkans, has been “Highly Commended” by the British Guild of Travel Writers at the prestigous BGTW 2007 Annual Tourism Awards.

In response to local individuals’ interest in learning English, and in implementing methods to preserve their environment, the Balkans Peace Park is developing a two-month Summer Pro-gramme based in the valleys of Shala and Tropoja, in northern Albania, offering courses and practical activities to young people, aged 6-18 years.

We have a number of local and international individuals interested in working on this project, in various capacities, including rangers from the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Present BPPP activity is focused on fundraising for the above.

For more information regarding this project, please contact Antonia Young, A.T.I.Young@bradford.ac.uk and Alma Shkreli, almashkreli@yahoo.it

For further information: www.balkanspeacepark.org.

Events

2 Joint Danube Survey 2 completed in Tulcea

Tulcea, Romania, 28 September 2007: The JDS2 or Joint Danube Survey 2, concluded its river research expedition for 2007, and reached its final stop in Tulcea, Romania. The survey was launched mid-August from Regensburg, Germany with three ships that travelled down the entire length (2,375 km) of the Danube.

The goal was to produce comparable and reliable information on water quality for the entire Danube and its main tributaries. This will help Danube countries implement the Danube River Protection Convention, signed in 1994, and the EU Water Framework Directive – possibly the strongest water legislation worldwide.

All 124 pre-selected sampling sites could be tested, although the crew faced unexpected and exremely difficult conditions at times, including heavy rain and winds, varying water levels und unfriendly vessels passing the JDS2 ships. Thanks to the contributions of many national governments, scientific organizations, universities, private companies, NGOs and individuals, the survey became a great success.

Some preliminary results show that the general concentration level of nitrates is slightly higher than those observed during the first JDS in 2001, and the level of phosphates is lower. Nonetheless, Danube water meets ICPDR quality targets for both nitrates and phosphates based on results available until now. However, the situation in the Danube’s tributaries is often more critical, especially in the middle and lower parts of the Danube. Pollution from big cities also continues to be a high risk factor for the Danube.

While some samples were tested on-board, many others were sent to scientific laboratories across Europe to be tested for numerous parameters, from toxic pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs to heavy metals and bacteria. A thorough biological analysis in line with the EU Water Framework Directive was performed including the first fish monitoring done along the entire Danube. Many sections demonstrated a healthy status of biological communities for fish, aquatic plants and river-bed dwelling animals.

In ca. six months, the results from all analyses will be reviewed, and findings will be reported to the Danube country governments. For more information, please visit the website www.icpdr.org/jds or contact Jasmine Bachmann at ICPDR, Jasmine.Bachmann@unvienna.org

1 1st Stakeholder meeting in Sava LIFE/SDC project

Bosnia & Hercegovina, 24 September 2007: The 1st stakeholder meeting in the frame of the LIFE/SDC funded project Protection of Biodiversity of the Sava River Basin Floodplains took place on the 24th of September nearby the Bardaca Wetlands, BiH – a recently proclaimed Wetland of International Importance according to the Ramsar Convention. The meeting was set up by the Awareness Working Group in close cooperation with the Project Management Team and local partners. The start-up seminar focused on the presentation of ongoing projects as well as on other partners‘ achievements and activities occurring in the Sava River floodplains. This led to a common understanding among the stakeholders and partners about the main topic of the project and helped to obtain an overview of the current situation and to identify the target audience for the further dissemination of information. The meeting gathered more than 50 participants from each of the four Sava countries, with equal representation of all major stakeholder groups – international organizations, national, regional and local authorities, expert/state organizations, protected area managers, NGOs and other civil societies, natural resource managers, education centres etc. The experts and practitioners from different expert fields have taken the opportunity to discuss the major issues that concern biodiversity conservation and sustainable development along the river, such as traditional land use, rural development, nature-friendly tourism etc.

For more information Boris Erg, project manager boris.erg@iucn.org.

4 Programme for Rural Development of Vojvodina

Novi Sad, Serbia, 28 November 2007: On Wednesday the 28th, the official signing ceremony for the allocation of projects within the Programm for Rural Development of Vojvodina took place in the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Lubomira Vavrova, representative of IUCN, and Olivera Radovanovic, representative of Green Network of Vojvodina, presented the outcomes of the “Landscape Stewardship Exchange – Rural Study Tour” that was conducted by the QLF – Atlantic Center for Environment and Green Network of Vojvodina in the Banat region in the second half of July 2007.

Conclusions and recommendation of this group of international experts on rural development were explained to the representatives of NGOs, local communities and farmers from Vojvodina. Agricultural betterments, improved protection of natural assets, cultural heritage and human resources were discussed. Lubomira Vavrova gave an overview on the work of IUCN and pointed out the need for an integrated rural development based on nature conservation, a necessary contribution to halt the loss of biodiversity.

The total fund of the Programm for Rural Development of Vojvodina (about 1,2 milion euros) is allocated to a total number of 110 projects, programs and activities for rural development. This program will distinctly support rural development of Vojvodina and it will enhance capacities in Vojvodina in order to be prepared for application EU funds in future – says Daniel Petrovic, the provincial secretary for agriculture, forestry and water management. He added that the Programm for Rural Development of Vojvodina exists since last year and its aim is to develop Vojvodina and the society in Serbia in general. For more information on the event or the report, please contact Dusko Medic from Green Network of Vojvodina, zelenamrezans@yahoo.com.

3 EuroMAB 2007

Antalya, Turkey, 12-16 November 2007: EuroMAB 2007 focused on how to enhance linkages between Science and Society, using the experience of the 248 biosphere reserves in the 32 countries making up the EuroMAB Network as learning and sharing sites for sustainable development.

The Turkish MaB National Committee and the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO together with the UNESCO BRESCE Office, the MaB Secretariat, the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks jointly organized the “Bridging Science and Society – EuroMAB 2007, Turkey” Meeting on 12-16 November 2007 in Antalya, Turkey.

There were 123 participants from 32 different EUROMAB countries who shared their experiences and ideas on five thematic issues through keynote and case study presentations, group work and discussions. The five thematic issues were:

• How to use biosphere reserves as learning sites for sustainable development and what are the contributions allocated to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development?

• How to enhance the capacity of biosphere reserves to mitigate/abate and adapt to climate change?

• How does the zonation of a biosphere reserve contribute to sustainable development?

• How to better reach and capture the economic and social benefits of biosphere reserves?

• How can biosphere reserves deal with environmental transformations such as urbanization and in-/out migration?

The EuroMAB 2007 meeting defined an agenda for the EuroMAB Network in order to better integrate the science and knowledge sharing approach within biosphere reserves. There were proposals for partnerships and cooperative activities on EuroMAB actions and activities in science, developments, education, capacity building, learning and policy issues. A communication strategy for building an effective EuroMAB network identity, network governance and outreach and and the EuroMAB Draft Action Plan for the Madrid 2008 Action Plan were the results of the meeting. The proceedings of the meeting will be available in January 2008. For more information please visit: www.unesco.org.tr/euromab2007/

5 Last part of the Regional Workshop Series on Conserving World Heritage in South-Eastern Europe

Venaria Reale, Italy, 3-5 December 2007: From 3 to 5 December 2007 the Piemontese town of Venaria Reale, Italy, has been the venue for this year’s last workshop in a series of World Heritage training workshops designed for natural World Heritage experts from South-Eastern European countries. Funded by the German Environmental Foundation (DBU) and Fondazione per l’Arte (Italy), the project “Conserving World Heritage natural sites and cultural landscapes in South-Eastern Europe” had been set up as a partnership of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC), the Istituto Superiore sui Sistemi Territoriali per l’Innovazione (SiTI) and the Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development (BFSD) in 2006 to improve the knowledge about the values of the South-Eastern European World Heritage sites and the specific challenges and requirements for their safeguarding.

Over the year 2007, three training workshops had already taken place in Cinque Terre National Park (Italy), Škocjan Caves (Slovenia) and Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia) complementing other initiatives carried out in the region by the UNESCO-BRESCE Office Venice and several partner organizations. This workshop focused on the question of translating the so-called “Statements of Outstanding Universal Value” - an indispensable specificity defining the uniqueness of each World Heritage site - into concrete management objectives and guidelines. Examples from Butrint (Albania), Plitvice Lakes (Croatia) and Cinque Terre (Italy) helped not only to understand the values attributed to World Heritage sites but also to identify and discuss natural values in cultural heritage sites as well as cultural values in natural sites.

One of the major steps forward during this year’s workshop series can be seen in the creation and consolidation a network of natural heritage professionals from South-Eastern European countries. This network shall be carried on in the coming year as a platform for exchanging know-how among the professionals of the region and advisory organizations such as IUCN and ICCROM.

For more information on the Regional Workshop Series, please contact Kerstin Manz, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Europe and North America Section, email: k.manz@unesco.org.

World Heritage: Natural Sites, Cultural Sites, Mixed Sites, Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar Sites in South Eastern Europe. Karl-Heinz Gaudry, UNESCO.

1 Sink or swim: over one in three freshwater Fish Species in Europe threatened with Extinction

The diversity of life in European freshwater ecosystems is rapidly declining, ac-cording to a new scientific study.

The research is published in the new book Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes, in collaboration with the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It shows that 200 of the 522 (38%) European freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction and 12 are already extinct, using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ categories and criteria. This is a much higher level of threat than is facing either Europe’s birds or mammals.

The main threats behind the high level of extinction risk stem from the deve-lopment and population growth in Europe over the past 100 years. The most serious single threat is water abstraction, particularly in the dry Mediterranean areas, which has led to some rivers drying up in the summer months which is becoming more acute with the impacts of climatic changes. Large dams built for irrigation, flood control and power generation have had major impacts upon species in large rivers, and have led to local extinction of numerous migratory species. Inappropriate fisheries management has led to overfishing and the introduction of alien species (and their diseases). Areas subject to the highest levels of threat include the lower reaches of the rivers Danube, Dniestr, Dniepr, Volga and Ural, the Balkan Peninsula, and southwestern Spain.

The Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes was written by Maurice Kottelat (Cornol) and Jörg Freyhof (IGB, Berlin). The threat assessment was conducted in collaboration with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Species Program-me and Species Survival Commission Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, with financial support from the North of England Zoological Society (Chester Zoo). During the seven years of research for the preparation of the book, 47 new fish species were discovered. Some of the assessments are provisional and are to be reviewed before they are included in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

The Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes has information on the habitat, biology and ecology, distribution, methods of identification and conservation status of all 546 European native species (including 522 freshwater and 24 ma-rine species that are found in freshwater) and 33 introduced freshwater fish spe-cies. It also contains a key to genera and species, colour photographs of nearly every species and an assessment of their conservation status and distribution.

Jean-Christophe Vié, Deputy Head of IUCN’s Species Programme, said: “This new study shows that we are far from achieving European governments’ targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. The status of fish populations reflects the con-dition of European lakes and rivers. This handbook highlights that freshwater ecosystems are probably the most threatened. This is worrying as water increa-singly becomes a scarce resource around the world. Protecting and conserving biodiversity is vital, as people’s health and livelihoods rely on these systems for basic necessities such as food and clean water.”

Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes:

Maurice Kottelat & Jörg Freyhof. 2007. Published by the authors. ISBN 978-2-8399-0298-4, 2007, xiv+646 pp., 17.5 x 26 cm 87.00 Euro. Available from publications_kottelat@bluewin.ch

For more information please visit the website:http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/our_work/freshwater/indexfreshwater.htm

Communication & Publications

Eels (Anguilla anguilla) reproduce in the Atlantic Oce-an. The number of juvenile eels reaching European coasts has crashed since 1980 and since 2000 there are only 1-5% of the pre-1980 levels. The species suffers from many threats including overfishing, dams, introdu-ced parasites and pollution. In 2007 the European Union passed a legislation establishing measures for the reco-very of the stock of European eel and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) listed the eel on its Appendix II. However, as the species reproduces only once on average at around 20 years, and the extremely depleted state of the population, restora-tion is expected to take several of the eel generations. (Photo: Janez Gregori)

The population of Jarabugo (Anaecypris hispanica) (southwestern Spain and Portugal) has declined by more than 50% in the past 10 years, in spite of the establish-ment of a conservation program supported by the EU Life Programme. The population is fragmented due to dams and is declining due to water extraction, introdu-ced species and pollution. (Photo: Jörg Freyhof)

Chornaya gudgeon (Gobio delyamurei) is found in a very short stretch (about 1km) of a single stream in Crimea (Ukraine). It is threatened by water extraction for agriculture. This is one of several Crimean endemics threatened of extinction. (Photo: Jörg Freyhof)

Ammersee kilch (Coregonus bavaricus) is found only in Lake Ammersee, Germany. It has been seen only three times since 2000. It used to be a commercial spe-cies supporting a fishing industry in the 1940s. The dec-line is suspected to have occurred in the 1970s and to be due to poor water quality. The species is on the verge of extinction. (Photo: Jörg Freyhof)

2 Lisbon marks major shift in convergence between business and biodiversity

Lisbon, Portugal, 13 November, 2007: More than 400 lea-ders from business, governments, the European Union and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) meeting in Lisbon have signaled a major shift in thinking on the role of business in biodiversity conservation.

A Message from Lisbon was released calling on business, governments, the EU and NGOs to:

• Continue raising awareness of the strong competitive advantage companies can gain from conserving biodiversity;

• Promote the use of market, corporate responsibility and regulatory sche-mes;

• Support business with operational tools for biodiversity conservation and measuring their performance in meaningful ways, especially in small and medium sized companies; and

• Encourage new incentives to develop and strengthen partnerships between companies, governments at all levels, NGOs and academia.

While CEOs and environmentalists might still sometimes use different terminolo-gy, the Lisbon conference showed just how close their thinking has become on protecting biodiversity. Destroying biodiversity – whether through climate change, pollution or the unsustainable use of natural resources – could irrevocably dama-ge the water, food, air and other natural resources that humans, and our societies and businesses, depend on.

The Message from Lisbon will be followed up at the EU Council in December this year, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s meeting in May 2008 in Bonn, and the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2008 in Barcelona.

3 A Logo for Barcelona

Speaking of Barcelona, the logo for the next IUCN World Conservation Congress has been officially unveiled. The Congress, to be held in Barcelona from 5-14 October 2008, will celebrate diversity and how natural diversity underpins social, cultural and economic diversity.

Taking inspiration from Gaudí, one of Spain and Catalonia’s most celebrated and iconic artists - and a leading proponent in his day of sustainability and recycling – the logo shows that many small pieces can, together, make something beautiful.

Forming a B for Barcelona, biodiversity and beauty, the logo is a vibrant metaphor for the importance of diversity in our world. The logo strongly hints at the combined power of many individual actions, from people or organizations, which together can make a big difference to how we live and work on this planet. It highlights how IUCN, as a union of many small parts, is making a big difference to the world. For more information: www.iucn.org/congress

4 Bali – To put Biodiversity at the Centre of the Climate Debate

Bali, Indonesia, 3-14 December 2007: Scientific evidence clearly highlights the current and potential im-pacts of climate change on the environment and, consequently, on human wellbeing, especially poor and vulnerable communities. For this 13th COP, IUCN stresses the need to give due consideration to the links between climate change, equity and biodiversity, and the opportunities and challenges these links pose, for mitigating and adapting to climate change.

In summary, IUCN urges Parties to:

• Agree on a strong and formal mandate in Bali to negotiate a comprehensive and equitable post- 2012 regime by 2009, respecting the ultimate objective of “preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”;

• Explore approaches and options for the consideration of reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries in post 2012 arrangements that would:

• Pursue the development of robust sustainability standards and criteria for biofuels;

• Provide the necessary means to accelerate the implementation of practical adaptation activities with appropriate funding and technologies;

• Set up an effective and transparent Adaptation Fund;

• Mainstream gender in the work of the UNFCCC and in all mitigation and adaptation activities.

IUCN is playing a key role in Bali. With official UN intergovernmental status – the only environmental organization representing non government interests to have this – IUCN will be “inside” the negotiations. But IUCN is also a science-based democratic union of more than 1,000 NGOs and governments and is providing a unique unbiased perspective on a wide range of climate change issues in Bali. For more information: www.iucn.org/climate

www.countdown2010.net/business

5 European Site Consolidation Scorecard – A new Methodology to measure PA Management Effectiveness

University of Klagenfurt, Austria: A new methodology for European protected areas to measure their management effectiveness is out now, the ‘European Site Consolidation‘. This scorecard is a modified version of the ‘Parks in Peril Site Con-solidation Scorecard’, developed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for its ‘Parks in Peril Programme’ and used since many years, but so far only in Latin America and the Caribbean. The modifications are based on the recommendations of a study which critically revised the Parks in Peril Site Consolidation Scorecard and its appli-cability for European protected areas by evaluating the management effectiveness of IUCN category II protected areas in Central Europe with a slightly modified Parks in Peril Site Consolidation Scorecard.

This scorecard approach evaluates all issues necessary for an effective protected area with a special focus on processes, capacity, and basic requirements. It can be worked out in a relative short time and it is applicable for IUCN category II protected areas and probably also for a large variety of other protected areas types, as long as an on-site personnel of a few persons is in place.

At the moment the methodology will be tested in the National Park Gesäuse in Aus-tria. However, users of this methodology are highly welcomed to also share their experience with us and give recommendations for improvements.

The scorecard and the underlying study can be downloaded from: http://mpa.e-c-o.at/index.php/plain/content/view/full/864. For further information or feedback please contact Bernd Pfleger, BerndPfleger@web.de.

6 BirdLife European Forest Task Force eNewsletter

BirdLife: The last issue of the BirdLife European Forest Task Force’s e-newsletter - Forest Capers is available on the internet.

The issue contains among other issues:

• Final results of Belarusian-Polish Forest Mapping project ready

• FSC “Controlled wood” deals nature a punch in the face

• Fudging FSC certification continued?

• Natural disasters can bring tragedy to many but profit to some

For download please visit the BirdLife Website on http://www.birdlife.org/action/change/europe/forest_task_force/forest_news.html.

7 LIFE along the Sava eBulletin

IUCN: The IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe, in cooperation with its international and local partners, is about to launch the LIFE along the Sava e-bulletin, to be published as a six-monthly issue starting December 2007. The volume primarily relates to the conservation and sustainable development of the Sava River Floodplains. Therefore, partners are kindly invited to contribute to the coming issue(s) by providing interesting articles in relation to the conservation/sustai-nable development/traditional land use/rural tourism etc, as well as the news on specific projects activities, funding oppor-tunities, events etc. that correspond to the Sava River Floodplains.

The articles should be up to 250-300 words in length, preferably enclosed with corresponding pictures. The articles might be provided either in English or some of the native languages, while the bulletin as such would be published in native lan-guages (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian). A summary in English would be provided accordingly.

We are looking forward to contributions to be sent to Boris Erg, email: boris.erg@iucn.org.

10 Reports from Vilm, Germany‘s International Academy for Nature Conservation

Germany: The International Academy for Nature Conservation (INA) is part of a branch office of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). It provides a forum for discussion and the finding of solutions of na-tional and international nature conservation issues. It is a place for debate among conservation experts. This makes it a centre for dialogue between representatives of many different fields, including science and public admi-nistration, politicians and industry, associations and foundations.

The International Academy for Nature Conservation hosts an annually up-dated programme of around 80 national and international seminars, each addressing a key topic. The overview for the international seminars for 2008 will be available on www.bfn.de/0604_veranst_vilm+M52087573ab0.html.

For selected workshops and seminars, the academy offers results, back-ground documents and presentations for download, on www.bfn.de/0610_vortraege+M52087573ab0.html.

31.10.-04.11.2007: Training Course: Tourism Planning and Management for World Natural Heritage Sites in Europe

18.-22.10.2007: Training Course: Management Plans for Ramsar Sites in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe

19.-26.08.2007: Workshop: „Regional Implementation of the CBD-Programme of Work on Protected Areas“, Part II

17.-21.06.2007: Workshop: „Regional Implementation of the CBD-Programme of Work on Protected Areas“, Part I

For more information please email Judith Jabs, judith.jabs@bfn-vilm.de or Andrea Burmester, andrea.burmester@bfn-vilm.de, or visit the website www.bfn.de/06_akademie_natursch+M52087573ab0.html.

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, aleksandra.nesic@iucn.org.

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: aleksandra.nesic@iucn.org Edited by Katharina DiehlEmail: katharina.diehl@iucn.org

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).

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Published by: IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe, Belgrade