Brussels · Moscow · Belgrade · Warsaw
IUCN South-Eastern
European e-Bulletin
Issue
4 · March 2005 (view
as a PDF)
Contents
IUCN SEE – New staff
News
1 Ecolibri Bionet – IUCN NGO member in Serbia
2 French GEF visits the Sava River floodplains
3 Tara River in spotlight of UNESCO and IUCN
4 Serbian Spoonbill needs new protected habitats
5 Saving the Montenegrin endemic subspecies from extinction
6 The first environmental education e-bulletin in Turkey
7 IUCN builds NGO capacities in SEE
8 New discoveries in Croatian cave coleopteran fauna
9 Eco-tourism development on the Dilek peninsula
10 Waterfowl mid-winter counts in Turkey
11 Skadar looses birds over Ulcinj
12 The return of the Dalmatian Pelican
13 Mid-winter Waterfowl count in the proposed Drava-Mura-Danube
Biosphere Reserve
14 UNEP launches a project for transboundary management
in SEE
15 IUCN and IAC developing ecological network on Sava River
16 Development of the Macedonian National Emerald Network
17 Awareness raising at Burdur Lake
18 New MSc on Protected Areas in Klagenfurt
19 Poisoning of Griffon vultures in Croatia
20 Mediterranean Conservationists and Fishermen Work Together
to Protect Deep Seas
21 Touristic valorisation of Plavsko Lake
Events
1 DEF General Assembly 2005
2 Preparations for ecological data survey of the Sava River
Basin
3 Romania hosts Large Herbivore Foundation meeting
4 School of Conservation Biology at Croatian Adriatic
5 Life in Dubrovnik's subterranean karst
6 All you need is a bicycle!
7 Joint study trip to the Morava river floodplain in Slovakia
8 7th Turkish Birdwatching conference a great success
9 Resolutions from the World Conservation Congress available
on-line
10 Obedska bara – new home for beavers
11 Meeting of the Committee for Prokletije Peace Park
12 Serbian experts trained in GIS technology
13 Protecting coastal lagoons and wetlands of Albania
14 World Wetlands Day celebrated in Novi Sad
15 New IUCN Councillor for SEE
16 IUCN WCPA Training Task Force at Mediterre
17 Joint actions for the environment in SEE
Funding opportunities
1 Call for proposals: Leonardo da Vinci fund
2 Call for proposals: PHARE Programme – multi-beneficiary
small projects
3 Call for proposals: Specific measures in support of international
cooperation
Publications
1 European birds in danger
2 New issues of Natura Montenegrina
IUCN SEE – New Staff
At the beginning of this year, Aleksandra Nesic joined IUCN SEE team
by replacing Sandra Djuric. Aleksandra is our new Administrative and Finance
Assistant and we would like to welcome her into the team. She holds a
BA in Spanish language and Hispanic literature and has previously been
teaching Spanish and English as foreign languages. Aleksandra likes music,
books, dancing, and is hardly waiting to earn her scuba diving license.
We hope she will enjoy working in our Belgrade office!
Top
News
1 Ecolibri Bionet – IUCN NGO member in Serbia
Ecolibri-Bionet, Agency for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable
Development, is an independent NGO, founded in 1996 by the multidisciplinary
expert team working on a scientific study “Biodiversity of Yugoslavia
with the survey of internationally significant species” (1995).
The Agency is well known in Serbia for its distinguished editions on nature
and biodiversity conservation such as: "Biological Diversity of FR
Yugoslavia - Assessments, Threats and Policies", “National
Park Iron Gate”, CD-ROM “Catalogue of the Yugoslav Fauna –
Carbines”, “Encyclopedia of the Environment and Sustainable
Development”.
Ecolibri runs numerous projects and amongst others, specialises in environmental
education. The most recent project that Ecolibri started, in cooperation
with the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia, is also the first
project that is implementing the Carpathian Convention in Serbia. The
“Database of Biological and Landscape Diversity and Natural and
Cultural Heritage of the Carpathian Region of Serbia” intends to
complete the database of the Carpathian ecoregion countries.
The Agency has become an IUCN member organisation in the year 2000 and
since then has been supporting and undertaking active participation in
IUCN activities in the region.
Further information is available from Jovan Angelus, Executive Director,
Ecolibri-Bionet, jangelus@eunet.yu.
2 French GEF visits the Sava River floodplains
In January, IUCN SEE facilitated a feasibility study launched by the
French Government in order to analyse the options for an engagement of
the French GEF within the “Sava River Floodplain Biodiversity Conservation”
project (submitted by IUCN to LIFE 3rd countries Programme last November).
The mission was led by Bernard Bousquet, accompanied by local experts
and IUCN staff and it focussed on the analysis of the potential for floodplain
retention and traditional land use as instruments for ecological networking
and biodiversity conservation along this important river.
The mission members discussed project details with the involved partner
institutions in Belgrade (Environmental Agency, Institute for Nature Protection
of Serbia), Zagreb (State Institute for Nature Protection) and Banja Luka
(Agricultural Institute and Ecological Centre from Sarajevo). Besides
the involved local actors, the mission members presented the project idea
to international organisations such as the EAR, UNDP, REC, in order to
harmonise project activities. The mission visited Obedska Bara and Lonjsko
polje wetlands, and discussed the potential needs and concerns with local
stakeholders from the Forestry Service, local communities, tourism providers
and park management. Based on these impressions and the (hopefully) positive
mission report (expected in March), the Sava River project might be extended
significantly.
For further information contact Joerg Lohmann, Director, IUCN SEE, Joerg.Lohmann@iucn.org
3 Tara River in spotlight of UNESCO and IUCN
Montenegro, 16-21 January: UNESCO and IUCN carried out an expert mission
requested by UNESCO Director General and invited by the governments of
Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) with the goal to
evaluate the proposed Buk Bijela hydro-electric dam project and its impacts
on the Durmitor National Park World Heritage site (WHS) and Tara River
Canyon Biosphere Reserve. With support of the Government of Montenegro
and in particular its Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical
Planning, the mission held meetings with all relevant stakeholders including
governmental authorities, NGOs, local communities and scientific experts.
In addition to visiting Durmitor National Park and the municipality of
Pluzine, the mission went to Foca in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The mission also assessed the state of conservation of the Durmitor WHS,
evaluating current and potential threats to its values and integrity,
as well as potential transboundary aspect in coordination of a number
of activities.
The final report was submitted to the Governments concerned, and it will
be presented to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its 29th session
in July 2005 (Durban, South Africa).
For more information contact Maja Zitkovic, Project officer, IUCN SEE,
maja.zitkovic@iucn.org.
4 Serbian Spoonbill needs new protected habitats
Vojvodina, Serbia: After two years of research of population numbers and
conservation status of Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia, carried out with
the assistance of the European Nature Heritage Fund, The Bird Protection
and Study Society of Vojvodina (BSPSV) has officially proposed the establishment
of new protected areas. The three newly proposed sites, Becej (675ha),
Jazovo (440ha) and Kapetanski rit (613ha), are of highest importance for
Spoonbill breeding as 98% of all pairs in Serbia breed on these fishponds
that are already designated as Important Bird Areas (IBA) or parts of
IBA sites.
The fishponds Becej and Jazovo satisfy the Ramsar Convention criteria
according to the number of regularly occurring Spoonbills, thus in addition
to BSPSV’s proposal protect these areas, BSPSV advised the Institute
for Nature Protection of Serbia to develop nominations for inclusion of
these sites to the List of wetlands of international importance. Currently
unfavourable conservation status for these sensitive habitats, should
urgently be recognized. Otherwise, we are facing further physical destruction
of breeding sites such was the brutal destruction of Becej colony in 2000
caused by reconstruction activities.
More information from Marko Tucakov, Project Coordinator, BSPSV, mtucakov@eunet.yu.
5 Saving the Montenegrin endemic subspecies from extinction
Zminjicko Lake, Montenegro: According to the latest scientific research,
Triturus alpestris serdarus, an endemic subspecies of Alpine Newt, Triturus
alpestris, might become extinct even in the course of this year. This
subspecies is found only on the locality of Zminjicko Lake between the
Sinjajevina and Durmitor mountains. In comparison with spring 2004, when
about 40 adult specimens were found on the shores of the lake, in September,
no newt larvae or adult newt were found in the lake or on its banks. The
reason for this is evidently the introduction of allochtonous fish species
to the lake that originally had no fish fauna. Scientists hope that some
specimens might still be found
at the locality this spring.
Introduction of fish to glacier lakes is a common problem in Durmitor
area, although this directly violates National Park regulations. In several
lakes the results were drastic and newts are completely extinct, while
in some lakes they are very close to extinction.
Biologists from the Universities of Moscow, Belgrade and Podgorica, in
cooperation with environmental NGOs from Durmitor, have decided to start
a project that will develop urgent conservation measures for Triturus
alpestris serdarus. The project will include creation of captive breeding
population and awareness raising in the Durmitor area. More information
is available from Milica Dajovic, Society for Protection of Durmitor,
Mil@net.yu.
6 The first environmental education e-bulletin in Turkey
Turkey: Doga Dernegi (DD, BirdLife Turkey) has recently started to publish
the quarterly Günebakan, the first environmental education e-bulletin
produced in Turkey. It aims to be a communication tool between educators.
The first issue covered topics such as "What is biodiversity",
"Biodiversity and education", interviews with teachers, suggestions
of activities on biodiversity, and lists of interesting biodiversity-related
web pages. For subscriptions contact Burcu Arik, DD, burcu.arik
@dogadernegi.org.
7 IUCN builds NGO capacities in SEE
NGOs in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) nowadays have an important role as
partners for transboundary conservation of natural resources as well as
for the stabilisation of civil society in the region. However, the NGO
scene is far from being homogenous and varies from large highly professional
organisations to semi-professional and smaller ones without much experience.
Considering the Balkans as the treasure chest for biodiversity in Europe,
all necessary resources have to be mobilised to ensure sustainable management
of the environment. Therefore, building capacities of environmental NGOs
is an important issue in the region.
In the next months, IUCN will launch its project “NGO capacity
building for cross-border conservation on the Balkans”, funded by
the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development
Cooperation (DGCS). The project will aim to strengthen NGOs in the SEE
region regarding their capacities for transborder conservation, with special
focus on protected areas (PA). It will also aim to establish an information/experience
exchange platform for all stakeholders on local, national and international
levels regarding transboundary management of PAs and biodiversity conservation.
More information from Maja Zitkovic, Project Officer, IUCN SEE, maja.zitkovic@iucn.org.
8 New discoveries in Croatian cave coleopteran fauna
Croatia: The journal of the Croatian Natural History Museum, Natura Croatica,
recently published descriptions of one new genus and three new species
of cave coleopteran species from Croatia. The authors of the article are
entomologists Achile Casale and Pier Mauro Giachino from Italy and Branko
Jalzic from Croatia. Two species (Velebitodromus smidai and Croatodirus
casalei), holotypes of which were collected in 1998 by Branko Jalzic,
and one new genus (Velebitodromus), were all found in the Slovacka pit
(-1320 m) in the Northern Velebit National Park. The species Velebitodromus
smidai was named after the Slovakian speleologist Branislav Smida, one
of the discoverers and explorers of Slovacka and Lukina Pits, while the
Croatodirus casalei was named after the Italian coleopterologist Achile
Casale. Croatodirus ozimeci, named after the Croatian biospeleologist
Roman Ozimec, was found in the Lokvarka Cave (-275 m) in Gorski kotar.
The three new species belong to the family of Cholevidae, subfamily Leptodirinae,
and they inhabit only deep karstic pits surviving on water filtration.
All the holotypes are located in the Cave Coleopteran Collection of the
Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb. More information from Daniela
Hamidovic, Croatian Biological Society,
hdaniela@zg.biol.pmf.hr.
9 Eco-tourism development on the Dilek peninsula
Buyuk Menderes Delta, Turkey: The Buyuk Menderes River meanders for 500
km through western Turkey before reaching the Aegean Sea with a large
delta, consisting of several lagoons, extensive salt steppes and mudflats
(the biggest in Turkey). This area holds up to 1000 avocets, 3000 cormorants,
15000 flamingos, and 32000 coots in the winter. To the north the delta
is bordered by the steep hills of Dilek peninsula, a craggy, mountainous
piece of land jutting out to the Aegean sea, with pristine coves and bays,
and remote Mediterranean forests and scrub. This is the home of the Bonelli’s
eagle (1-2 pairs), olive-tree warbler, ruppel’s warbler, krueper’s
nuthatch, cinereous and Cretzschmar’s buntings. The ancient sites
of Miletus and Priene are nearby, and lots of tourists visit the area,
including lots of foreign birdwatchers.
In order to demonstrate that eco-tourism can play a role in the sustainable
use and conservation of Turkey’s biodiversity, Doga Dernegi (DD)
is implementing a project with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry
to strengthen the existing eco-tourism infrastructure at the Dilek peninsula
and Buyuk Menderes National Park, including development of local human
capacity, and establishment of eco-tourism standards in order to regulate
visitor use. This project received funding from IUCN.
Walking trails will be re-arranged, sign-boards will be renewed and new
boards placed, a training manual on eco-tourism, interpretation and biodiversity
education for the use of the local park staff and other local stakeholders
will be produced. Further, a website (in Turkish and English) about the
area will also be made. More information from Jose Tavares, RSPB, jose.tavares@rspb.org.uk
and Burcu Arik, DD, burcu.arik@dogadernegi.org.
10 Waterfowl mid-winter counts in Turkey
Turkey: Every winter Wetlands International coordinates a global mid-winter
waterfowl count across wetlands in the northern hemisphere, to estimate
global populations of ducks and other waterfowl. In Turkey, Doga Dernegi
(DD) organised these counts from 15 January to 15 February. Before the
field work, DD organised a training workshop for all interested volunteers
in Diyarbakir (eastern Turkey). The workshop programme included some talks
about the history of mid-winter waterbird census worldwide and in Turkey,
bird census techniques in general, use of maps and GPS, waterbird identification,
and a comprehensive planning of the next mid-winter counts in Turkey.
More information from Jose Tavares, RSPB, jose.tavares@rspb.org.uk
and Eray Caglayan, DD, eray.caglayan@dogadernegi.org.
11 Skadar looses birds over Ulcinj
Skadar Lake, Montenegro: Skadar Lake, one of the biggest and most important
bird winter habitats in Europe, is losing its status of “the European
airport for birds”, show the results of this year's winter counts.
In 1999 there were more than 250 000 birds, the number which is now reduced
to only 35 000.
While some bird species are showing its growth in Europe, on Skadar Lake
the numbers are reducing. The bird numbers are even more than ten times
lower than those recorded during the worst results in the last 15 years.
For example, in 1999 Skadar Lake wintered 150 000 Coots, while this year
their number is less than 20 000. Pochard population has dropped from
40 000 to 2 400.
Contrary to Skadar and only 17 km away from the lake in a saline area
of Ulcinj, by continuous efforts of The Centre for Protection and Exploration
of Birds, Euronatur, and Solana Ulcinj, this year’s winter counts
resulted with growth of some birds, such as Great Snipe (2 600 compared
with previous 300). Maybe this is the answer why the birds are leaving
the Skadar Lake. More information from Darko Saveljic, Institute for Nature
Protection of Montenegro, dasav@cg.yu.
12 The return of the Dalmatian Pelican
Croatia: The Dalmatian pelican, Pelecanus crispus, is an extinct species
of the Croatian Ornithofauna. This bird has been known to nest in the
Neretva Delta in Southern Dalmatia some 150 years ago. Nowadays, the scientists
and conservationists are engaged in returning this species to its former
habitat by implementing the project "The Return of a Dalmatian Pelican".
The project aims at reintroducing this species back to a Ramsar site of
the Neretva Delta (Lake Kuti), and also some other potential locations
such as the Ornithological Reserve Vrana Lake and Krka National Park.
No bird reintroduction has ever been carried out in Croatia, so this project
is bound to be useful for future similar conservationist actions. The
project is supervised by the Institute of Ornithology at the Croatian
Academy of Science and Arts in Zagreb. Currently, it is still in its initial
phase of preparation of the Feasibility Study. Should the Study provide
scientific grounds for viability of the proposed plans, the management
team will start with the reintroduction phase. More information from Jasmina
Muzinic, Project leader, Institute for Ornithology CASA,
jasmina@hazu.hr.
Top
13 Mid-winter Waterfowl count in the proposed Drava-Mura-Danube
Biosphere Reserve
Drava-Mura-Danube: The first large scale waterfoul counts on the Drava
River from Austrian-Slovenian border to the Danube and on the Danube from
the Croatian-Hungarian border to the confluence with the Drava river,
occured this January. The counts were implemented by people from Austria,
Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia, with support of WWF, Euronatur, Green Action,
Drava League, Zeus, Drava Federation and DOPPS. Altogether, 134 372 water
birds belonging to 50 different species were counted, but considering
the January weather conditions, the numbers of birds counted were probably
below average. Still, the numbers in the Drava corridor in Croatia exceed
the Ramsar Convention's criterion regarding wetlands of international
concern by no less than 5.5 times.
The most numerous species were the Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Common
Coot, Great Cormorant, White-fronted Goose, Tufted Duck, Common Pochard,
Greylag Goose, Common teal, Common Goldeneye, Bean Goose, Mute Swan, Yellow-legged
Gull and Little Grebe. On the basis of the 90 counted White-tailed Eagles
it can be estimated that the population of these birds wintering in the
proposed Drava-Mura-Danube Biosphere Reserve (BR) exceeds 100 individuals.
One of the count's features were no less than 659 counted Pygmy Cormorants
which amounts to 1.5% of the species’ global population. It is obvious
that during the wintering period the proposed BR is an internationally
overlooked wetland of superlatives. More information is available from
Borut Stumberger, DOPPS, stumberger@siol.net.
14 UNEP launches a project for transboundary management in SEE
In January 2005, UNEP office in Vienna started a project “Enhancing
Transboundary Biodiversity Management in South-Eastern Europe (SEE)”
as a part of the Environment and Security (EnvSec) Initiative for Central
Asia, Caucasus and SEE that was launched in 2002 by UNEP, OSCE and UNDP,
and NATO as of recently. This project aims to encourage regional cooperation
on transboundary mountain protected areas in SEE countries and IUCN is
considered as the key partner in the project’s implementation.
The first phase of the project will consider an assessment of the state
of transboundary mountain ecosystems, main threats and current management
practices and prioritization of major critical sites in the region. During
the second phase, the project will support ongoing initiatives on transboundary
cooperation of biodiversity and protected areas, and facilitate collaborative
processes. Furthermore, the project will support the establishment of
the network of protected areas, using similar experiences such as the
Alpine and Carpathian Networks of Protected Areas. The outcomes of the
project will be presented at the 6th Ministerial conference “Environment
for Europe” that will take place in Belgrade in 2007. For more information
please contact Jasmina Bogdanovic, UNEP, jasmina.bogdanovic@unvienna.org.
15 IUCN and IAC developing ecological network on Sava River
The Dutch government (PIN/MATRA scheme) has recently approved a project
"Ecological Network Development along the Sava River", to be
implemented by IUCN and the International Agricultural Centre (IAC). This
is the first success of IAC and IUCN in their plans to provide support
to the transboundary cooperation on the protection and management of the
landscape and biodiversity along the Sava River, which runs through Slovenia,
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro. An inception
meeting is planned in the first half of 2005.
For more information contact Henk Zingstra, Senior Advisor, IAC,
henk.zingstra@wur.nl or Maja Zitkovic, Project Officer, IUCN SEE,
maja.zitkovic@iucn.org.
16 Development of the Macedonian National Emerald Network
FYR of Macedonia: The Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of
Macedonia (MoEPP) finalised the second phase of the project that aims
to develop a National Emerald Network in the Areas of Special Conservation
Interest (ASCI). During the 2004, 30% of the national Network was established,
including the following protected areas: Pelister National Park, Strict
Nature Reserve Tikves and Nature Monument Demir Kapija. All of these areas
contain species and habitats that are valuable on both European and world
level. For more information contact Sasko Jordanov, MoEPP, S.Jordanov@moepp.gov.mk.
17 Awareness raising at Burdur Lake
Burdur Lake, Turkey: In January, Doga Dernegi (DD) in cooperation with
the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Burdur Municipality and the
Burdur Governor, started a new 3-year project, funded by Wetlands International,
under the AEWA agreement, to raise awareness of the key local stakeholders
about the ecological importance and natural assets of Burdur Lake, and
to try to establish conditions for sustainable management of the site
in the long-term. The Burdur Golu is a large (20 000 ha) tectonic lake
situated in a closed basin and fed by several streams. It is one of the
deepest (110 m) lakes in Turkey, and still the single most important wintering
site in the world for the globally threatened white-headed duck. In 1994
around 50% of the lake was declared a Ramsar site, but the lake continues
to have several problems: the water level decrease since the 1970s due
to less rainfall, dam construction and water extraction on the feeding
streams.
In addition to raising awareness on environmental issues focused on school-aged
children and key local stakeholders, the DD’s project will establish
a process and timetable for development of a Ramsar Management Plan for
Burdur.
More information from Jose Tavares, RSPB, jose.tavares@rspb.org.uk
and Burcu Arik, DD, burcu.arik@dogadernegi.org.
18 New MSc on Protected Areas in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt, Austria: As of this September, the University of Klagenfurt
is launching an international Masters programme on Management of Protected
Areas (PA). The programme focuses on international PA categories, nature
conservation strategies in Europe, integration of socio-cultural, economic
and ecological aspects, and co-management processes in PAs. The courses
will take place at the University of Klagenfurt and in protected areas
of Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia. Application
deadline is this July. More information is available from Michael Getzner,
University of Klagenfurt, michael.getzner@uni-klu.ac.at.
19 Poisoning of Griffon vultures in Croatia
Rab, Croatia, December 2004: The worst incident of poisoning of Griffon,
Gyps fulvus, in Croatia, happened at the end of December last year. 17
Griffon died on the island of Rab from the effects of Carbofuran (carbamate)
after which the environmentalists held a protest in the town of Rijeka
to support Griffon protection. The Eurasian Griffon is a specially protected
species according to the Nature Conservation Act and it is estimated that
there are 160 to 190 of them left in Croatia. For more information on
Griffon in Croatia please visit www.caput-insulae.com, a website of Eco-Centre
Caput Insulae-Beli NGO, based on island Cres.
20 Mediterranean Conservationists and Fishermen Work Together to Protect
Deep Seas
Malaga, Spain, 2 March: The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean
(GFCM) - the main inter-governmental decision-making body on fishery management
in the Mediterranean - last week decided to refrain from expanding deep
water fishing operations beyond the limit of 1000 metres based on scientific
considerations. This important measure was based on a comprehensive study
on the status of deep sea fishing in the Mediterranean developed by the
IUCN and WWF and the Mediterranean is the first regional sea to adopt
measures to refrain from deep water fishing. The decision was adopted
at the 29th session of the GFCM held in Rome from 21-25 February 2005.
Unless objections from member countries arise, it will come into force
in four months time. More information is available from Lourdes Lazaro,
Communication Officer, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation,
lourdes.lazaro@iucn.org.
21 Touristic valorisation of Plavsko Lake
Montenegro: A newly released short movie "When beauties have smell
and taste" highlights rich potentials for tourism development of
Plavsko Lake and Prokletije region of Montenegro. For realisation of this
project, the Greens of Montenegro NGO received financial support from
the Ministry of Tourism of Montenegro and UNDP. The movie emphasises the
abundance of local food products and its importance for attracting tourists
into these, once very significant tourism areas.
In addition to this movie, the Greens of Montenegro have just finalised
a project that suggests guidelines for protection of the Plavsko Lake
from erosion. With these two activities, the Greens provide their contribution
to the protection and valorisation of natural and cultural potentials
of Montenegro. For more information contact Sasa Drljevic, Greens of Montenegro,
mgreens@cg.yu.
Top
Events
1 DEF General Assembly 2005
Veliko Trnovo, Bulgaria, 5-8 April: Danube Environmental Forum (DEF)
General Assembly 2005 and the EU Enlargement Conference will be held in
April in Bulgaria. The purpose of the General Assembly is to bring together
the DEF members from 13 Danube River Basin countries to evaluate the current
functioning and set future steps of the DEF Network. The EU Enlargement
conference will focus on three policy issues related to DEF activities:
EU Water Framework Directive, Natura 2000 and agro-environmental issues.
More information from defyu@Eunet.yu.
2 Preparations for ecological data survey of the Sava River Basin
Zagreb, Croatia, April: ALTERRA Research Institute from the Netherlands
is organising a workshop in Zagreb in early April as part of their project
”Integrated River Basin Management Plan” related to the Sava
River Basin. The project is financed by Dutch government through the Water
for Ecosystems Programme (www.waterfoodecosystems.nlb) and it aims to
support intergrated river basin management, conservation planning and
cross-border cooperation with special focus on flood protection and ecological
networks. The project is carried out in close cooperation with relevant
authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, as
well as IUCN SEE.
The foreseen workshop will assess the existing data in the four countries
and prepare outlines for setting up of a GIS database. As Croatia and
Slovenia already have data overview in line with NATURA 2000 legislation,
special focus will be given to Bosnia and Serbia who are supported to
prepare their accurate overview of the ecological data for the basin.
In May, the stakeholders will assess the ecological network along the
Sava, based on the collected spatial data. For further information, please
contact Sabine van Rooij, ALTERRA, Sabine.vanRooij@wur.nl.
3 Romania hosts Large Herbivore Foundation meeting
Vanatori Neamt, Romania, 18-22 May: The 2005 Large Herbivore Foundation
Network (LHFN) Meeting will be held in Vanatori National Park in May.
The meeting will be hosted by the National Park staff and the National
State Forestry of Romania. For further information visit www.largeherbivore.org
or contact Fred Baerselman, Executive Director, LHF,
fred@largeherbivore.org
4 School of Conservation Biology at Croatian Adriatic
Rovinj, Croatia, 29 May-5 June: Conservation biology as a science is a
prerequisite for effective biodiversity conservation and effective sustainable
development as well as conservation planning and environmental management.
In order to enhance education and capacity building in the field of scientifically
sound biodiversity conservation, the Croatian Biological Society is organizing
a School of Conservation Biology (SCB). The School will take place in
the historic city of Rovinj, Croatia, on the northern Adriatic coast in
May this year and will be hosted by the Centre for Marine Research, Institute
“Rudjer Boskovic”.
The School will introduce graduate students to the scientific discipline
of Conservation Biology through an intensive practical 8-day course. The
teaching language will be English and the course will be lead by a team
of international lecturers and guest speakers, headed by Asst. Prof. Selina
Heppell (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University,
and adjunct faculty at Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University,
USA). It will include lectures, discussion groups, computer practices,
group projects and a two-day field trip. The Croatian Biological Society
offers two tuition grants to the best candidates. The registration deadline
is 15 March 2005.
Detailed information may be found at www.hbd1885.hr/scb, or contact Bojan
Lazar, President of SCB Organizing Committee, Croatian Natural History
Museum, Bojan.Lazar@hpm.hr.
5 Life in Dubrovnik's subterranean karst
Dubrovnik, Croatia: “Tracing the Footsteps of the Gromaca Caveman”
photo exhibition was opened in mid February in Dubrovnik's Rupe Gallery,
presenting the works of Jana Bedek, Marijana Franicevic, Branko Jalžic
and Roman Ozimec. The photos are the result of a research conducted by
the Croatian Biospeleological Society (CBS) during 2003 and 2004, while
the exhibition was organised by CBS and the City of Dubrovnik –
Directorate for Environmental Protection and Physical Planning. The visitors
have the opportunity to see Mociljska Cave and the Cave beneath Gromacka
Vlaka - the most important karstic phenomena from the Dubrovnik area.
The caves’ wildlife - troglobiotic, endemic and relict species -
and its ecology are highlighted. For additional details and a catalogue
please contact Roman Ozimec, President, Croatian Biospeleological Society,
roman.ozimec@zg.htnet.hr.
6 All you need is a bicycle!
SEE region, 5-21 June: Just imagine: one hundred persons from all over
Europe who will be exploring some of the nicest sites across the Western
Balkans for two weeks, using the most sustainable means of transport:
their bicycles! Biking the Balkans (BtheB) - as originally promoted by
UNESCO-ROSTE - intends to be a cluster of sporting, cultural and nature
conservation related events, organised to promote the idea of sustainable
development as a result of interaction between the local initiatives and
their global networking.
The tour will start in Venice and continue via Triglav, Lonjsko Polje,
Belgrade, Djerdap, Goljia-Studenica, Durmitor, Sutjeska, Skadar Lake,
to Ohrid and Prespa Lakes. At every site the organisers will provide opportunities
to debate issues of relevance for the territorial dynamics through round
table discussions, workshops etc. The participation to BtheB is open to
everybody, and positive reactions have arrived already from various key
partners in the region; the European Cyclist Federation (ECF), IUCN SEE,
WWF and UNDP. More information about pre-registration is available from
Giorgio Andrian, Consultant, UNESCO ROSTE, g.andrian@unesco.org.
7 7th Turkish Birdwatching conference a great success
Izmir, 38-31 October 2004: The 7th Turkish Bird Conference, organized
by DD and attended by more than 200 birdwatchers, was held in Izmir in
October 2004. Turcophile Richard Porter gave a thrilling presentation
to the mostly young audience about his experience of birdwatching in Turkey
in the 1960s. Outside the conference centre, a Yellow-browed warbler (Phyllloscopus
inornatus) was a surprise finding. After all the talks some excursions
were done to nearby Gediz Delta and Spill Mountain. The 8th bird conference
will be held in Bursa in 2005. More information from Jose Tavares, RSPB,
jose.tavares@rspb.org.uk and Eray Caglayan, DD, eray.caglayan@dogadernegi.org.
8 Joint study trip to the Morava river floodplain in Slovakia
Slovakia, 4-6 November 2004: Under the auspices of Danube Environmental
Forum (DEF) Secretariat and hosted by DAPHNE – The Institute of
Applied Ecology, NGO representatives from Hungary, Croatia and Serbia
and Montenegro went on a study trip to Morava River floodplain in Slovakia.
The participants presented and discussed their experiences of good practices
and benefits from transboundary approaches in wetland management, while
also conducting a field trip and visit to the Zahorie protected landscape
authorities. NGOs, coming mostly from the Central Danube floodplain which
includes three important protected wetlands – Danube-Drava National
Park, Kopacki rit Nature Park and Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve,
were encouraged to continue raising public awareness on the importance
of transboundary approaches in floodplain management, biodiversity safeguarding
and the necessity of local communities’ participation within the
process of sustainable use of resources. More information on www.daphne.sk,
http://www.ramsar.org/key_awards2002_report.htm,
or from Boris Erg, Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, berg@eunet.yu.
9 Resolutions from the World Conservation Congress available
on-line
Bangkok, Thailand, 17-25 November 2004: Around 5000 participants attended
the world’s largest democratic forum, the 3rd IUCN World Conservation
Congress (WCC), flagged by a theme “People and Nature – Only
One World”. Governments and NGOs had the opportunity to jointly
establish conservation priorities and guide the Union’s policy and
approve its Programme. More than 1000 member organisations elected IUCN’s
new President, Valli Moosa, former Minister of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism of the Republic of South Africa. The IUCN Members Business Assembly
further elected IUCN’s Treasurer, the six Chairs of its scientific
Commissions, and 24 Regional Councillors, who together with the President,
make up the Union’s governing body.
Participants heard the world’s latest scientific knowledge presented,
saw landmark initiatives launched, took part in high-level debates, signed
a number of agreements, and voted on more than 100 resolutions and recommendations
on critical conservation issues, that are now available on-line at http://www.iucn.org/congress/index.cfm.
Many of these support certain actions of the IUCN European Programme (Countdown
2010, Green Belt, transboundary cooperation etc).
WCC offered a clear goal of the Union’s activities in the coming
years, which integrates ecosystem management, biodiversity loss, poverty
and livelihoods.
10 Obedska bara – new home for beavers
Obedska bara, Serbia, 8 December 2004: Beaver Castor fiber L. reintroduction
programme in Serbia and Montenegro has continued last December by releasing
20 beavers in the Special Nature Reserve Obedska bara along the Sava River.
The project is supported by the Government of Bavaria, and carried out
by the Serbian Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection and the
Faculty of Biology in Belgrade. This is the second endeavour of beaver
reintroduction, after 30 specimens were successfully released in the Special
Nature Reserve Zasavica in April 2004. All beavers released to Obedska
bara are marked with small microchips, thus identified and hopefully,
monitored. More information on www.zelenamreza.org.yu
or from Boris Erg, Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, berg@eunet.yu.
11 Meeting of the Committee for Prokletije Peace Park
Yorkshire, UK, 10-13 December: Members of the Committee of the first
Balkan Peace Park (BPP) and others interested, met to further the aims
and proposals already underway. Participants came from Belgrade, Pristina
and Tirana, as well as from Australia, US and UK. One of the topics for
discussion was the Committee’s part in the positive proposal set
out by UNEP-UNDP-OSCE Environment and Security initiative Enhancing Transboundary
Biodiversity Management in South-Eastern Europe Project Fiche. It is planned
that desk assessment will take place from January to April 2005, with
a final assessment from June to August, and regional workshops in October
2005. Other topics covered include the Kosovo national peace park, the
first part of the project to be officially approved. A BPP project proposal,
action play and budget was drafted to support this park and complement
the Vienna project fiche. Further information from Antonia Young, ayoung@mail.colgate.edu.
Top
12 Serbian experts trained in GIS technology
Bratislava, Slovakia, January: A group of Serbian IT experts from the
Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia and the Agency for Biodiversity
Conservation and Sustainable Development ”Ecolibri-Bionet”,
have successfully finished their first training in GIS at the Institute
for Applied Ecology DAPHNE in Bratislava. The training was organised as
part of the project “Support and Capacity Building for Implementation
of the Carpathian Convention in Serbia”, supported by Slovak Aid
and CIDA. Ecolibri-Bionet, the implementing Agency of this project, aims
to apply GIS technology to create natural and cultural heritage database
of the Carpathian region of Serbia, in accordance with IUCN and CERI (Carpathian
Ecoregion Initiative) standards. This will feed into the Bratislava based
Central Database of the Carpathian Ecoregion countries. The GIS expertise
will be beneficial for Serbia’s successful preparation for designation
of Emerald and Natura 2000 networks. More information from Nenad Robajac,
Ecolibri-Bionet, at nrbionet@EUnet.yu.
13 Protecting coastal lagoons and wetlands of Albania
Tirana, Albania, 28-29 January: IUCN SEE presented the European Green
Belt and Countdown 2010 initiatives at the workshop “Coastal lagoons
and Wetlands: Biodiversity Heritage of Albania” held in Tirana in
January. The workshop was organised by the University of Lecce with reference
to the TWReferenceNET project “Management and sustainable development
of protected transitional waters” of the Community Initiative INTERREG
IIIB CADSES. IUCN was requested by the workshop organizers to get involved
in the further project implementation and the Albanian Environmental Ministry
endorsed its cooperation on the project.
The participants at the workshop provided their perspectives on conservation
of biodiversity and ecosystem health of coastal lagoons of Albania in
the context of European Directives and corresponding international conventions.
Additionally, the trans-national research group of TWReferenceNET on the
Albanian lagoons represented its activities. More information from Joerg
Lohmann, Director, IUCN SEE, Joerg.Lohman@iucn.org.
14 World Wetlands Day celebrated in Novi Sad
Novi Sad, 2 February: The Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia,
Department in Novi Sad, celebrated the World Wetlands Day, as a reminiscence
on 1971, when the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance -
widely known as Ramsar Convention, has been signed. Gathering all the
main regional stakeholders from the field of nature conservation including
state institutions, experts, protected area authorities and NGOs, was
a good occasion to present current achievements and plans related to conservation
of wetland areas in Serbia. Slobodan Puzovic from the Provincial Secretariat
for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of Vojvodina
presented the Special Nature Reserve Slano Kopovo, which was recently
designated as a Ramsar site. The participants were informed on the new
nominations for Ramsar designation, among which Labudovo okno is almost
completed, while Gornje podunavlje, Karajukica bunari and Vlasinsko jezero
are in preparatory process. For more information about these nominations
contact Boris Erg, Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia, berg@eunet.org.
15 New IUCN Councillor for SEE
Belgrade, 1 March: IUCN SEE and its two members in Serbia (Ecolibri-Bionet
and the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia) organised a media event
to promote IUCN activities in the region, including the introduction of
IUCN Councillor for East Europe, North and Central Asia. Marija Zupancic-Vicar
from Slovenia was elected as the Councillor during the IUCN 3rd World
Conservation Congress in Bangkok last November. She informed the press
and the invited guests from governmental bodies, NGO scene, and international
organisations, about major resolutions from the Congress affecting the
SEE region.
Apart from IUCN members from Serbia, whose leaders, Lidija Amidzic, Director
of the Institue for Nature Protection of Serbia, and Jovan Angelus, Director
of Ecolibri-Bionet, presented their activities and cooperation with IUCN
SEE, Violeta Orlovic provided information on IUCN World Commission on
Protected Areas - European Task Force on Training for Protected Areas,
and Joerg Lohman, Director of IUCN SEE presented IUCN activities in the
region.
16 IUCN WCPA Training Task Force at Mediterre
Brindisi, Italy, 3-6 March: The 3rd Mediterranean Parks Fair, held in
Brindisi and organized jointly by the Italian Federation of Parks and
Natural Reserves, the Ministry for Environment and Puglia Region, was
strongly supported by IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
IUCN WCPA European Task Force for Training (ETTF) and Network of European
Environmental Training Centres of Excellence (NEETCE) promoted the establishment
of five Centres of NEETCE that were inaugurated in November 2004. These
are: the Alfred Toepfer Akademie für Naturschutz; Atelier Technique
des Espaces Naturels (France); Istituto Pangea-ONLUS-European Institute
for Environmental Education and Training (Italy); Losehill Hall, the Peak
District National Park Environmental Learning Centre (United Kingdom);
Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat (France). NEETCE has the role to
facilitate the exchange of experiences and to define criteria and standards
of quality of training for protected area staff. For more information
on ETTF please contact Maurilio Cipparone, mc@ecoidea.net,
and on NEETCE Johanes Schreiner, Johann.Schreiner@NNA.Niedersachsen.de.
17 Joint actions for the environment in SEE
Milocer, Montenegro, 10 March: IUCN SEE attended a cross-border sub-regional
conference on Environmental Protection as a Neutral Platform for Reconciliation,
Cooperation and Stability, organised by the Regional Environmental Centre
(REC) and the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Physical Planning
of the Republic of Montenegro. Around 35 international experts discussed
transboundary cooperation in environmental protection related to Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro. The outcome
of the conference was a draft “Joint statement on common actions
for sustainable management of shared natural resources of the sub-region”,
the document which is supposed to facilitate cooperation between neighbouring
countries as well as the international collaboration on environmental
projects in the region. For more information please contact OIvanova@rec.org
or Joerg.Lohmann@iucn.org.
Top
Funding opportunities
1 Call for proposals: Leonardo da Vinci fund
Summary: Third call for proposals to award grants for organising valorisation
actions to promote
dissemination and exploitation of project results
Regions: EU Member States, EEA countries, Candidate countries
Global budget: 1,5 Million Euro
Amount awarded per project: Maximum 100 000 Euro and maximum of 75% of
eligible costs
Closing date: 3 May 2005
Submission of proposals: TAO Socrates, Leonardo & Jeunesse; Rue Colonel
Bourg 139 – 139; Kolonel Bourgstraat; B-1140 Evere; Belgique
2 Call for proposals: PHARE Programme – multi-beneficiary
small projects
Summary: Small projects fund for information activities on European integration
in Romania
Regions: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, EU Member States
Global budget: 1 Million Euro
Amount awarded per project: 15 000 to 50 000 Euro
Closing date: 18 April 2005
Submission of proposals: www.infoeuropa.ro/fonduleuropa
Contact: Information Centre of the European Commission in Romania,
fonduleuropa@infoeuropa.roOIvanova@rec.org
3 Call for proposals: Specific measures in support of international
cooperation
Summary: Three calls of specific measures in support of cooperation with
Third countries
Regions: EU Member States, Acceding Countries, Candidate Countries, EFTA
Countries,
Developing countries Med countries, Western Balkans
Global budget: 60 + 10 + 3 Million Euro
Amount awarded per project: Between 35% and 100%
Closing date: 13 September 2005
Contact: European Commission, The INCO Information desk, Directorate N,
Directorate General
RTD, B-1049 Brussels
Top
Publications
1 European birds in danger
In November 2004, Birdlife International released an updated version
of its 1994 report “Birds in Europe: Population Estimates, Trends
and Conservation Status”. The new report covers the whole European
continent, including Caucasian countries and Balkan countries (Serbia
and Montenegro (SCG), Bosnia and Herzegovina and FYR of Macedonia) in
which data collection in 1994 failed.
“Birds in Europe” provides concise summaries of each bird
species regularly occurring in Europe, its status across the continent,
illustration, distribution map, population size and trends for each country.
The study shows that the number of species in danger is rising: 226 species
(43%) of all those occurring regularly in Europe, as well as 103 species
(42%) of those occurring in SCG, are facing an uncertain future. Many
population numbers are declining and some bird species are so threatened
that they may disappear from certain parts of Europe in the very near
future.
In SCG, data collection started in 2002 and was lead by the Bird Protection
and Study Society of Vojvodina (BSPSV, Novi Sad), the League for Ornithological
Action of Serbia and Montenegro (Belgrade) and the Centre for the Protection
and Research of Birds (Podgorica). “It is my opinion that four questions
in contemporary ornithology in SCG are the most important. By implementation
of this project we have managed to answer two of them: which birds live
in our country, and how strong their populations are. Answers to these
questions are crucial in order to determine priorities and goals in the
effective conservation of their habitats”, said Slobodan Puzovic,
BSPSV. More information from Marko Tucakov, BSPSV, mtucakov@eunet.yu,
and Dragan Simic, ddsimic@eunet.yu,
League for the Ornithological Action of Serbia and Montenegro.
2 New issues of Natura Montenegrina
Natura Montenegrina, a scientific e-journal, continues to attract scientific
and wider public with its new issues. The third and fourth issues will
be released in April, offering 86 scientific papers from the 1st Symposium
of Ecologists of Montenegro, held in October 2004. The journal is known
for providing a wide range of articles from the field of biology, geology,
agriculture, environmental protection and other areas, scientific-popular
contributions, information on events, surveys, and presentation of financial
assistance programmes. The journal will remain bilingual (Serbian and
English), while starting with the third issue, scientific articles will
be exclusively in English. More information from Marko Karaman, Technical
editor, Natural History Museum of Montenegro markoka@cg.yu
and http://www.pmcg.cg.yu.
Back to  homepage
Top
ROfE in BelgradeProgramme Office for South-Eastern EuropeDr.
Ivana Ribara 9111070 BelgradeSerbia and MontenegroTel: +381 11 2272-411Fax:
+381 11 2272-531Email: maja.zitkovic@iucn.org
|
