WWF - Conservation news: Rivers, Lakes & Wetlands

Romanians protest lift of sturgeon fishing ban

2009-11-12

Bucharest, Romania – A government decision to overturn a ten-year ban on the fishing of wild sturgeon in the Danube River basin drew protests in the capital this week, led by WWF and a contingent of local NGOs.

The controversial legislation, allowing sturgeon fishing for purposes other than restocking, was adopted in September by the Agriculture and Environment Committees of the Romanian Parliament. The new law in effect legalizes fishing of sturgeons for commercial purposes.

Meanwhile, some Romanian politicians are calling for the elimination of the current ban on gillnet and trawler fishing in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.

To counter this destructive decision, 34 Romanian environmental NGOs, including “Save the Delta” Association and WWF, organized a bitter protest in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Tuesday.

“The new fishing law practically throws away the EUR 4 billion spent by the Romanian Government for the sturgeon restocking programme, which was developed during the last four years,” said Luminița Tănasie, Director of WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme Romania. “If the 200,000 young sturgeons which were bought for restocking the Danube, are not given the necessary time to mature and reproduce naturally, the sturgeon fisheries will not be able to recover, and both the economical and the ecological loss will be enormous.”

In front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development building in Bucharest, protesters on Tuesday held a “sturgeon fair”, offering the public the opportunity to view sturgeons caught in a fishing gillnet. Environmentalists also displayed the photographs of the MPs who proposed the amendments.

At the end of the protest, the sturgeons were sent to the MPs. The MPs who proposed the elimination of the ban on gillnets and trawlers within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve received the gillnet used during the protest. Each of the MPs also received a letter of protest signed by the 34 participating NGOs, asking them to reconsider their actions and adopt new legislation.

Scientific reports indicate that among the sturgeon species which populate Romanian waters, are the critically endangered (possibly extinct) Ship Sturgeons, the endangered Russian and Beluga Sturgeons, as well as the Sterlet Sturgeon, considered to be vulnerable.

The Black Sea once harboured some of the most productive sturgeon populations. However, research on age structure of sturgeons captured in Romania has revealed a critical decrease in the number of sturgeons born during 1990–99 that survived to sustain the population.

Sturgeons are fished mainly for caviar, although their meat and skin are also widely used in the region. Poorly regulated fisheries have caused severe decline in populations due to overfishing, which almost entirely disrupted the fish species' natural spawning in the Danube River.

Due to concern about the sustainability of international trade in sturgeon caviar and meat, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has been regulating such trade in all sturgeon species since 1998 and has, from time to time, been forced to recommend trade suspensions.

Fishing of sturgeons for commercial purposes was banned in Romania in 2006 for a period of ten years. The relatively long period of prohibition is explained by the long life cycle of the sturgeon (the maximum age being between 24 and 100 years), by the long period necessary for the sturgeon to reach reproductive age (between 6 and 26 years), and by the fact that the sturgeon does not reproduce every year.

The letter of protest was also sent to the Romanian President Traian Băsescu, to the Interim Prime Minister Emil Boc, to the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and to the Romanian National Commission to UNESCO.

Water evaporates from the climate change negotiating text

2009-11-04

Barcelona, Spain – The Stockholm International Water Institute joined governments, NGOs and United Nations agencies this week in calling on negotiators working to develop a climate change deal in Copenhagen later this year to recognize the critical role of water in climate change adaptation.

Participants in a special Water Day event on Tuesday called for recognition that water is the primary way that climate change will impact people, society and ecosystems, due to predicted changes in its quality and quantity.

The way that water is managed in and between countries will be a critical component for the success of any efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, according to the Stockholm International Water Institute. It will also be a vital consideration for many mitigation activities, including hydropower, agriculture and forestry projects.

However, negotiators meeting this week in Barcelona for the last round of UN climate talks before a big conference in Copenhagen next month are working on negotiating texts that have no reference to water and its management as tools for climate change adaptation.

“It is imperative that negotiators recognize the crucial importance of wetlands and freshwater as key factors in any climate adaptation plan,” said Denis Landenbergue, WWF International’s Manager of Wetlands Conservation. “To ignore the role of water is to cripple any climate change adaptation plans.”

Landenbergue said he encouraged negotiators to follow in the steps of their colleagues from the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Last year, they adopted a resolution promoting the conservation and proper management of wetlands and their natural resources – including water – as key requisites in national climate change mitigation and adaptation plans.

Previous negotiating texts discussed in Bonn and Barcelona contained clear references to proper land and water resource adaptation as key to stemming the effects of climate change. However, a streamlined text being discussed this week lacks any direct reference to water, even in sections about climate change impacts.

"Let me be very clear. There is no development without water,” said Pasquale Steduto, Chair, UN-Water and Service Chief, Food and Agriculture Organization. “There is no food security without water. There is most likely also no energy security without water. Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earth's ecosystems and therefore people's livelihoods and well-being. If water is not further recognized in adaptation strategies and plans, we are making a big mistake."

"Even with the best mitigation strategies, water related effects of climate change will come,” said Anders Berntell, Executive Director, SIWI. “The challenge for many nations is how to adapt. Climate Change is in effect Water Change, since it will be through water that the changes will be realized first and foremost."

Many developing countries already are beginning to experience the devastating impacts of climate change on the water cycle.

If precautions are not taken, this may lead to an increase in conflicts related to water availability and distribution. Extreme weather events leading to drought and floods, as recently witnessed in Kenya and the Philippines, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change, and are likely to become the norm' in coming decades.

Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss

2009-11-03

Gland, Switzerland: The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today.

The 2009 Red List update, issued today by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, shows more than one-third (36 percent) of the 47,677 species assessed are threatened with extinction. The assessment featured a special focus on freshwater species, which are being hit hard by pollution, loss of wetlands and water diversions.

The Red List ranks species according to their population status and threat levels. It shows the effects that habitat loss and degradation, over-exploitation, pollutants and climate change are having on the world’s species.

“As crucial climate talks in Copenhagen draw near and with the International Year of Biodiversity around the corner, this is a wake-up call for world leaders.” said Amanda Nickson, Director of the WWF International Species Programme. “We are a world away from meeting the globally endorsed 2002 commitment of the Convention on Biological Diversity to deliver a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.”

“This failure and the mechanisms to overcome it will need to be the dominant agenda item on next year’s meeting of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.”

Growing threat of climate change

Through its global initiatives, WWF is pursuing major efforts to arrest biodiversity decline in some of the most spectacular and highly diverse places on the planet, and to recover populations of some of the most endangered species, such as tigers.

It is estimated that less than 3200 tigers exist in the wild in a wide arc of countries from far eastern Russia to India and Indonesia. Tigers - a top predator residing at the top of its food chain - occupy less than seven percent of their original range, which has contracted 40 percent from 10 years ago.

As tigers require a large home range, protection of the species and its habitat bring huge benefits to thousands of other species. An international summit scheduled for 2010 in Vladivostok in Russia is a critical opportunity to reverse the decline in tiger numbers and ensure their survival in the wild.

“Tigers are a symbol of what is happening to many species across the globe, and demonstrate the urgent need for the world to come up with the political will, policies, resources and incentives to maintain a living and diverse planet.” said Ms Nickson. “The IUCN is frank that its assessments are likely to understate the real extent of the loss of species.”

Significant international meetings next year to address biodiversity loss and the threats to planetary life support systems include a major Conferences of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Ms Nickson noted that the CBD’s 2010 target had probably underestimated the growing impact of climate change, which is now being increasingly recognised as an additional threat leading species of animals and plants towards extinction. Polar bears earned US endangered status last year on the basis of climate change and the Red List notes more.

The Queen of the Andes, largest of one the world’s cactus families which dies on flowering and setting seed after an average 80 year growing span, may be having its ability to flower impaired by climate change.

Alarm on freshwater species

The assessment of freshwater species continued to alarm, with more than one third of assessed freshwater fishes under threat of extinction and approaching half of all molluscs. In Lake Dianchi in China, the assessment found all seven freshwater snails and 12 of the 13 freshwater fish species new to the Red List were threatened by overharvesting, pollution and introduced fish species.

The planet’s amphibians are the most threatened of all species with 1895 of 6285 species assessed in the Red List threatened with extinction.

However, in a rare ray of hope in the new assessment, one freshwater fish, the Australian Grayling has been moved from being listed as Vulnerable to being listed as Near Threatened as a result of conservation efforts which included putting fish ladders on dams, improving streamside vegetation and policing anglers.

Bulgarian natural icon turns 75 under threat of dubious construction activities

2009-10-28

Sofia, Bulgaria – A massive expansion of skiing infrastructure is threatening the essence of Vitosha Natural Park, one of Bulgaria’s most famous and popular protected areas, on the eve of it’s 75th anniversary.

Right at the edge of national capital Sofia, Vitosha mountain is a much loved destination for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy city. Trekking routes and skiing facilities attract between 2,5 and 4 million people each year.

However, three years after acquiring a monopoly on skiing facilities in the area in an already dubious manner, Vitosha Ski, is planning to boost the current 19 ha ski area more than seven fold to 142,5 ha, adding eight new ski pistes and 18 ski lifts.

If the construction goes ahead, it would destroy the habitats of the species including bears, wolves, wild cats and chamois for which Vitosha was designated a European Natura 2000 site.

The new ski zone would rise on territory owned by the state, for which the Forestry Agency is responsible and although the Forestry Agency has not yet approved the plans the threat must be taken seriously.

“From the very beginning the ski zone expansion has been planned and pushed through in a way that is quite obviously in breach of a number of Bulgarian laws, not only environmental” , Vesselina Kavrakova, Program Manager of the WWF Danube - Carpathian Program in Bulgaria, said.

Worryingly, this is yet another case in Bulgaria of illegal or semi-legal construction of ski and tourism infrastructure. Among others, many of the skiing facilities of the well known resort of Bansko in south-west Bulgaria were unlawfully built in the heart of Pirin National Park.

The European Commission has initiated penalty procedures against Bulgaria because of violations of environmental law in the case of Bansko.

Earlier this month environment minister Nona Karadjova abolished a non-transparent decision by the Regional inspectorate of environment and water that would have given a go-ahead to construction work.

“We welcome the Minister’s decision”, Toma Belev, Director of Vitosha Nature Park administration, said. “The interest in protected areas in Bulgaria and Romania by private investors is huge as these areas are part of the nations’ natural treasure, emblematic for these countries and therefore easier to ‘exploit’.”

In an opinion poll conducted by Alpha Research in 2008, 73.6% of respondents said that destruction of nature is the greatest environmental problem in Bulgaria; 58.3% said that illegal construction was the greatest problem.

In 2007, over 145,000 people signed a petition calling on the Bulgarian authorities to take action.

Some Canadian rivers at risk of drying up

2009-10-15

Toronto, Canada - Some Canadian rivers are at risk of drying up as impacts of climate change intersect with growing water demand from the country's cities, industries and agriculture, a new WWF report has found.

Canada's Rivers at Risk: Environmental Flows and Canada's Freshwater Future uses a scientific approach that focuses on the importance of water flow to examine the health of 10 Canadian rivers and reveals that some are dangerously close to drying up. It concludes that Canadiaqns must value their fresh water differently and take immediate action to protect it.

Among the rivers at risk is the mighty Mackenzie, one of the world's longest free flowing rivers but one which also rises where climate change impacts are most pronounced. To complicate the river's future, climate change also contributes to another looming threat - increased interest in low carbon hydropower development along the river. Growing water withdrawals from industries such as oil sands development also pose threats.

A more encouraging picture comes from the Nipigon in Ontario, once stifled by dams and power development consuming all but three metres of its 95 metre drop from source to Lake Superior in the Great Lakes. Now the dams are operated to restore flows to more natural conditions, and fish populations are showing strong signs of recovery.

Using sophisticated flow analysis that looks at the timing of flows and the water needs of river ecosystems yields much more valid assessments of river health than just counting up overall quantities of water, said Tony Maas, Director of Fresh Water for WWF-Canada.

"Looking at environmental flows forces us to look at the scale that matters most when it comes to fresh water - the watershed," Maas said. "When we do, we find that growing more food, generating more electricity, quenching the thirst of expanding cities, and fuelling industry, are taking their toll on the nation's rivers and converging with the adverse impacts of climate change.

"Even seemingly remote northern waters like the Mackenzie are at risk. As temperatures rise, and industrial water withdrawals and interest in hydropower increase, we must start planning now to protect river flows to ensure water security for the communities and economies that depend on them."

The report recommends a much stronger role in Canadian water stewardship for Canada's Federal government.

"The Mackenzie River is emerging as a national priority for freshwater conservation and the federal government can play a much stronger leadership role in protecting the waters of this vast watershed by facilitating implementation of the Mackenzie River Transboundary Water Agreement," said Maas. This will ensure increasingly intensive development in upstream jurisdictions does not impair the health of the river, and the communities, downstream. "

To avoid irreparable damage, there must be a long-term plan to keep rivers flowing for people and nature. This includes strong federal leadership to address climate change - both at the UN Climate Conference this December, as well as in implementing a credible, national action plan to reduce emissions and put strategies into place for adapting to a changing freshwater future across Canada.

"These issues are of a scope and scale that require national leadership on fresh water in Canada now," said Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada. "Water is our most important national resource. Our responsibility is to steward it wisely to ensure that future Canadians can benefit from it as we do today."

Assessments of threats to Canadian rivers

Skeena River - supports Canada's second largest wild salmon fishery (worth $110 million annually). Proposed development of mines, coal bed methane fields, oil and gas pipelines, and run-of-river hydropower projects could significantly affect the Skeena's natural flow and potentially compromise the watershed's incredible biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Mackenzie River - is one of the world's longest free flowing rivers and plays an important role in regulating ocean circulation and climate. The Mackenzie watershed has experienced greater temperature increases than anywhere else in Canada which further impacts flows, and growing interest in hydropower development is an emerging threat.

Fraser River - contributes to 80 per cent of the province's economic output and produces more salmon than any other river on earth. Its fishing industry is worth over $300 million annually. Major dams on the Fraser's tributaries, drainage for flood control, and withdrawals for agriculture and urban use have compromised flow within the watershed.

Athabasca River - provides the greatest direct inflow of water to the world's largest boreal freshwater delta - the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Together, the river and the delta support over 30 species of fish and more than a million migratory birds each year. Water withdrawals for industry amount to more water than is used by the city of Toronto each year. The amount of water taken for development is projected to increase by at least 200 per cent by 2015.

Nipigon River - was once a turbulent river but now its flows are highly regulated. Only three meters of its original 95-metre vertical drop remains unharnessed by dams. However, it is a great example of what is possible in terms of restoring river health - even in the face of significant threats. Operation of hydropower dams on the river have been improved to restore flows to more natural conditions, and the ecosystem and fish populations are showing strong signs of recovery.

South Saskatchewan River - is Canada's most threatened river. Hundreds of dams exist throughout its watershed and 70% of the flow is withdrawn for agricultural and urban use. The water scarcity typical of the region's arid climate is expected to intensify under climate change, which experts describe as an emerging water crisis.

Grand River - is one of the most regulated rivers in Canada - more than 100 dams and control structures along the Grand and its tributaries have significantly altered the river's natural flow regime. Increased demand for water to supply growing cities is a growing threat.

St. Lawrence River - drains water from the world's largest freshwater ecosystem, the Great Lakes. Its natural flow has been drastically altered and is currently in a declining state due to numerous hydropower dams and the infrastructure developed to create the St. Lawrence Seaway, which is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.

Saint John River - is the longest river in Atlantic Canada. Hydropower dams on the river have dramatically altered river flows and contributed to the decline of the Atlantic salmon population that is now endangered. Downstream from the dams, river flows can fluctuate by as much as 91% over a 24-hour period; at times flows are reduced to the point that the riverbed almost dries up.

Ottawa River - is severely fragmented by hydropower dams in both the Quebec and Ontario portions of its watershed, the Ottawa is one of the most regulated river systems in Canada. Its natural flow regimes have been dramatically altered, compromising habitat and the diversity and distribution of the river's fish and shoreline vegetation.

NGOs join forces to save a living Danube threatened by inland navigation plans

2009-10-09

“Inland navigation can be considered as a viable alternative to road freight only if both global CO2 emissions and local impacts on river ecosystems are considered equally”, says Orieta Hulea, Head of Freshwater at the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme. “Navigation projects that require regulation of the river bed and bank impede the multitude of services, free flowing rivers provide to society, such as drinking water supply, flood control, acting as a natural filter for pollutants or support of healthy fisheries. These aspects must be considered when discussing transport plans and projects. Otherwise in areas like the Danube environmental damages risks are higher than benefits”.

As part of the European TEN-T programme, infrastructure projects are planned for the Danube on a combined length of 1000 km including the last free-flowing stretches in Germany, the Danube National Park between Vienna and Bratislava, and large stretches of the middle and lower Danube in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Current plans in Hungary would affect groundwater supply and natural areas protected under national and international law. Proposed dredging works and closing of lateral arms on the Danube in Romania will endanger the fish population due to the loss of the main spawning grounds especially for sturgeons, which are already on the brink of extinction as a direct consequence of previous river regulation.

With more than 80 million people depending directly on the economic value of its river basin natural systems, the Danube is the lifeline of Europe. “In every village and town along the Danube farmers, fishermen and small companies are depending on the natural river eco-system,” reminds Harald Kutzenberger, IAD General Secretary. “We should not easily risk thousands of local jobs along the Danube as a result of gaps in the Environmental Impact Assessments – and loose the strong potential for eco-tourism and rural development.”

NGOs are calling for the EU and national governments to guarantee and regain functioning ecosystem processes, respect socio-economic needs of regional and local economies, and prove that navigation projects meet all legal requirements, in particular compliance with the non-deterioration clause of the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (hereafter WFD) as well as achievement of the environmental objectives of the Danube River Basin Management Plan and Natura 2000 sites.

For further information:
Orieta Hulea, Head of Freshwater, WWF Danube Carpathian Programme, Tel. + 40 21 3174996,
E-mail: ohulea(at)wwfdcp.ro

Harald Kutzenberger, General Secretary, International Association for Danube Research, Tel. +43 676 328 33 12, e-mail: kutzenberger(at)iad.gs

Spain takes international water treaty past half way mark

2009-10-01

New York: Spain late last month boosted efforts to bring into effect an international treaty to share and protect rivers and lakes crossing or forming international borders, telling the United Nations General Assembly it was committed to jointly addressing issues of security, development and protection of the environment.

The International Convention on the Non-Navigational Use of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention), drew the support of an overwhelming majority of nations when passed by the UN in 1997 as the framework for resolving water disputes and promoting cooperation on water management between States.

But, even as the world grew more anxious about dwindling water supplies and the growing impacts of climate change, the treaty languished for more than a decade well short of the 35 ratifications needed for it to come into effect. Spain becomes the 18th nation to ratify the convention.

“Spain taking the ratifications for the UN Watercourses Convention more than half way is tremendous news for a world worried about water,” said WWF Director General James Leape.

“This convention is not a dry legal instrument but the basis for us to share limited water resources and protect the vital human and natural assets of rivers, lakes and underground water.”

For the past two years, WWF has taken a leading role in a campaign to have the UN Watercourse Convention ratified, arguing it is a vital step in adaptation to climate change. Changes in rainfall patterns and freshwater availability will be for many people the most severe and immediate impacts of climate climate change.

Half the world’s land surface is drained by international waterways containing more than two thirds of global freshwater flows. Three quarters of the world’s countries face potential disputes with neighbours over shared rivers, lakes, wetlands or aquifers.

Spain, one of Europe’s largest water users, is no stranger to international water agreements, concluding the Albufeira Convention on river management with Portugal in 1998. It is also a party to the European Water Framework Directive but, like other Mediterranean nations such as Italy and Greece is experiencing difficulties in implementing the directive.

WWF-Spain welcomed the ratification, urging Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to implement key measures with Portugal, including implementing River Basin Management Plans on shared rivers.

“A sufficient supply of water in Portugal is essential for the good ecological status of the degraded estuaries of the Guadiana and Tagus rivers which are affected by overexploitation of its water resources,” said Enrique Segovia, WWF-Spain Director of Conservation.

“The Tagus River, for instance, suffers several water transfers towards the Upper Guadiana and Eastern Spain and is facing the threat of a new water transfer of the Tagus river before the Portuguese border.”

WWF-Spain is hoping that the Spanish Government will use its 2010 EU Presidency to promote ratification of the UN Water Courses Convention in addition to seeing it as an impetus to improve its performance in water management at home.

“In the past year, Tunisia and Spain have ratified the UN Watercourses Convention and we have received indications from other nations that they are working towards ratification,” said Flavia Loures, who heads WWF’s global initiative to have the convention and other related agreements brought into effect.

“We are really getting the sense there is some momentum building.”

Time for stalling past as climate predictions dramatically worsen

2009-09-28

Oxford, UK: Climate negotiators received a hurry up call today as scientists released new predictions that climate change was happening significantly faster than previous estimates.

The UK's prestigious Met Office Hadley Centre warned that it was "not implausible" that without effective action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, average global temperatures could rise more than four degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels by 2060 - more than twice the two degree threshold for unacceptable risks of runaway catastrophic climate change.

WWF-UK Director of Campaigns David Norman told the UK Press Association that "Yet again, the over-riding message from the scientists is abundantly clear - climate change is real, it's happening faster than previously anticipated and the implications for both people and the environment are potentially severe.

"Politicians have already pledged to keep the world below a 2 degree temperature rise, but the window of opportunity to make this more than an empty promise is rapidly closing."

"The time for stalling has long since passed," Norman said.

Climate negotiators are currently gathering in Bangkok, Thailand, to continue work towards a new global climate agreement scheduled to be agreed in Copenhagen in December, to replace the expiring - and clearly inadequate - Kyoto protocol.

The new Hadley Centre study updates the 2007 climate projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), noting that IPCC worst case projections are now a real possibility within many peoples' lifetimes.

Worse case predictions are now a real possibility

Consequences of a four degree rise in average global temperatures could include regional variations of temperature of more than 10 degrees C in some areas, with rises of more than 15 degrees in the already seriously affected Arctic.

Drastic reductions in rainfall are expected for many areas under such a scenario while other areas will see increased rainfall and flooding events.

Feedbacks in the climate system - the study raised possibilities of warming oceans absorbing less carbon dioxide and soil carbon being released as decomposition rates rise - could drive ever accelerating climate change.

A spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) told the Press Association that "A rise of this scale would have serious consequences for the global community with food security, water availability and health all being adversely affected.

"This report illustrates why it is imperative for the world to reach an ambitious climate deal at Copenhagen which keeps the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees."

Flamingo paradise becomes largest Andean Ramsar wetland

2009-09-22

La Paz, Bolivia: Celebrations here yesterday marked the recognition of an area of southern Bolivia as a Wetland of international Importance (or Ramsar Site), the largest declared in South America’s 7,000 km long Andes Mountains chain.

The Los Lipez wetlands complex encompasses 23 high altitude lakes and lagoons as well as geothermal springs and flooded grasslands, known as "bofedales", which are unique to the southern Andes. It is located in the southern tip of Bolivia, and neighboring Chile and Argentina.

At 1.4 million hectares or about one third of the size of Switzerland, the new Los Lipez protected wetland is also more than 25 times the size of the Laguna Colorada, Bolivia’s first Ramsar Site, which was designated in 1991. Laguna Colorada, one of most visited protected areas in the country, is now included within the new reserve.

Bolivia’s new Ramsar Site is important for the conservation of South American flamingo species ranging over Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. In good years, Los Lipez provides nesting during the summer for over 60% of the total population of the rare James Flamingo, and also hosts nearly 30% of the total population of Andean Flamingos.

Significant archeology
Archeological investigations show hunter gatherer presence in the area from 6500 BC and also vestiges of the Inca conquest in the 1400s. It has historically been a centre of salt extraction as well as of quinoa and potato cultivation, with the bofedales providing prime sites for breeding of llama, alpaca and vicuna.

Bolivia is currently hosting the 6th annual meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation of High Andean Wetlands, attended by delegates from Andean Countries and Costa Rica, and by representatives of NGOs including WWF, IUCN, Wetlands International and Birdlife International.

Juan Pablo Ramos, Bolivian Vice-Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change, received the Ramsar Certificate for the designation of Los Lipez from Maria Rivera, Ramsar Regional Advisor for the Americas, at the opening of the meeting in La Paz.

Denis Landenbergue, WWF International Freshwater Programme, said “the protection of Los Lipez is also important due to its location in an arid mountain region which is very exposed to the effects of climate change”.

The International Convention on Wetlands, or Ramsar Convention, was the first of the modern global intergovernmental treaties on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and has now 159 contracting parties.

Bulldozers bring life to the Danube Delta

2009-09-04

In August, a bulldozer and shovel loader went to work ermoving a section of dike on Ermakov Island. Breaching the dikes that surround the island will reconnect the island's barren interior to the life force of the Danube's seasonal flooding.

The 3,500 ha island, which was once home to Cossack warriors, is one of the larger islands in the Ukrainian Danube Delta. Dikes were erected and the island drained in the 1970s to make way for agriculture. The agricultural experiment proved unsuccessful, and the once-lush wetland area turned barren.

Removal of the dike will make way for annual spring flooding, which will return water and life to the island's interior. The barren fields that now mark much of the island will become flooded, creating lakes that will provide rich feeding, breeding and spawning areas for fish, flora and fauna.

In the past, before erection of the dikes, at least three pairs of white-tailed eagles that nested on the island. There were numerous cormorants, ducks and waders.

Their return could attract tourists, including bird watchers from around the world. WWF is now working with the concessionaire of the island to investigate possibilities for developing ecotourism in the area. The smaller Tataru Island, which was restored several years ago, is now a favored spot for anglers.

The removal of the dike follows on the conclusion of an agreement between WWF, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, the Kilja district administration and concessionaire to restore the former wetlands of Ermakov Island that was signed on August 13, 2008.

The restoration project contributes to realisation of a vision for the protection and restoration of the Danube Delta in Ukraine that was developed by WWF in cooperation with relevant Ukrainian authorities, including the Odessa regional government and water management authority.

Also part of the vision, the former wetland areas of Tataru Island were restored by WWF and partnes in 2003. Efforts are also underway to remove a dike and reconnect Lake Katlabuh (ca 10,000 ha) with the Danube river system. WWF is involved in similar efforts to restore former wetland areas in the much larger Romanian part of the Danube Delta as well.

Contact:
Katya Kurakina, Communications Officer, WWF Odessa Project Office

Stockholm sends a message to Copenhagen on water

2009-08-21

Stockholm, Sweden: Negotiators working towards a global agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December are to be told that “water is a key medium through which climate change impacts will be felt” and that “a strong and fair agreement on future global commitments on climate change measures—both mitigation and adaptation—is crucial in order to secure future water resource availability”.

WWF, which played a key role in the discussions leading to the Stockholm Statement as a key outcome of World Water Week, strongly endorsed the message which was greeted with a unanimous show of hands by delegates when presented by convenor the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

The statement identifies integrating land, water and forest management as the key to successful climate change adaptation and said that “ecosystem protection and sustainability is fundamental to adaptation and human development”.

Presenting the results of the discussions, WWF head of Freshwater Adaptation Dr John Matthews said that “water is not simply a sector, it is what we are made of”.

“Decisions about water infrastructure and management that we will live with for decades are being made now, all too often under policies and by institutions that were built on an assumption of a stable climate and have yet to adapt themselves,” Dr Matthews said.

“Adaptation measures now going forward in the negotiations are dangerously disconnected from what we are learning about successful climate adaptation and building climate resilience in the field.”

“This Stockholm Statement is important in linking the need for effective mitigation measures through which we can minimise the extent of climate change and core adaptation priorities that can minimise the impacts of climate.”

Dr Matthews said most elements of good adaptation practice were already known but more effort needed to be devoted to the assessment of regional, economic and social vulnerability to climate change impacts, and managing risk for extreme events. There was a need also to reduce the uncertainty in climate projections.

Massive river water transfers lacking scrutiny

2009-08-20

Stockholm, Sweden - Large scale transfers of water from one river basin to another are generally occurring without adequate scrutiny of their economic, environmental and social impacts, according to an analysis released to World Water Week by WWF.

“With the number of large water transfer schemes possibly nearly tripling by 2020 and the amount of water transferred expected to double, poorly assessed mega-transfers have the potential to inflict immense harm on both the communities donating the water and the communities receiving it,” said WWF-Germany Freshwater Director, Martin Geiger.

Pipe dreams? looked at existing and proposed large water transfer schemes in Spain, Australia, Lesotho and South Africa, Greece, Brazil, Peru and China and found the schemes to be high cost, high risk solutions to water problems “with the benefits much less, or likely to be much less, than the sales pitch,” Geiger said.

By 2020, large scale water transfers from one river basin to another are expected to reach around 800 cubic kilometres a year - around half a Lake Ontario or more than eight Lake Genevas. With problems evident in many of the 360 schemes implemented since 1950, the total number of schemes is predicted to reach between 760 and 1240 by 2020.

Australia’s Snowy Mountains Scheme took 99 per cent of the iconic Snowy River’s flows to produce power and provide for distant irrigation, causing generations of conflict. Despite expensive re-engineering and irrigation efficiency schemes, implementation of a decision to return a forth of the Snowy River flows is well behind schedule while climate change impacts are threatening to seriously reduce power generation.

Both donating and receiving basins experienced depletion and damage as Spain’s 282 km Tagus-Segura transfer provoked a unrestrained expansion of irrigated land, much now watered illegally. Planners were wildly optimistic about the water available and while users of the transferred water were to pay for the scheme and its operations only around 30 per cent of these payments have been collected.

Greece’s proposed diversion of the Acheloos River, mainly an economically questionable US$ 3.9-5.9 billion (€ 2.9 – 4.4 billion) prop to thirsty cotton farming heavily subsidised by the EU on the Thessaly Plains, is likely to go ahead following government circumvention of a Supreme Court declaration it was illegal and would be in violation of local, European and international laws on issues including water management, environmental assessment procedures and cultural heritage protection.

The report finds that in many cases there was little examination of alternatives to massive schemes, particularly in managing demand and promoting efficient water use in the mostly water scarce regions.
“Often it is going to make much greater sense to import water in extra food grown in wetter areas than to import water to grow food in a drier area,” said Geiger. “However, non-technical solutions such as this trade in virtual water, less water intensive farming or more water efficient industries and cities tend to be neglected in planning directed at just supplying more water continually.”

Water planning in isolation is also likely to lead to unforeseen problems. The report details the numerous examples of poor integration with land use planning, particularly for agriculture and inadequate consultation on schemes leading to often severe local and regional conflict.

“Don’t venture into interbasin transfers unless you have done your homework on impacts and alternatives,” Geiger said.

“Otherwise you could face serious planning deadlocks, operational shortfalls, unforeseen economic and environmental disruption, and expensive follow-up works that will only partly remedy the damage. If trends in water tables through climate change are not properly taken into account, the water planned for transfer might not be there any more in future.”

Protection for Tysa Floodplain Forests -- Ukraine's riverine "jungle"

2009-08-20

Some of Europe's last remaining floodplain forests on the Upper Tysa river in northwestern Ukraine are now under protection. In August, the Transcarpathian Regional Assembly of Transcarpathia (Zakarpatskaya Oblast) voted to formally establish the protected area of Prytysianski, including 10,600 ha of floodplain forests in the Upper Tysa floodplain. Protection of the area caps six years of work by researchers and WWF in the area.

"The decision of the Transcarpathian Regional Assembly to protect the Tysa floodplain forests is a major step toward the long-term preservation of these floodplain forests, which are of European importance," said Andreas Beckmann, director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme.

Ukrainian jungle

Flooded forests are now extremely rare in Europe and are among the most endangered habitats in the world. The flooded forests of Transcarpathia are an outstanding relic of the forests, which have been reduced to only a few patches. They are part of a larger landscape in the upper Tysa (Hungarian: Tisza; German: Theiss) River Basin that is a priority for WWF's conservation activities in the region.

The 10,600 ha now in the Prytysianski Protected Area is roughly half of the total area of riverine forests in the area that WWF is seeking to protect. The remarkable forests are the creation of the Tysa river and its tributaries that emerge from the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains and flow south and west through the Pannonian plain in Hungary, draining eventually into the mighty Danube and from there into the Black Sea.

The regular flooding of the rivers delivers a rich mixture of nutrients that acts like growth hormones for the trees and plants in the floodplains. As a result, oaks and ash grow as high as 46 m in height. The floods also limit the extent to which the trees must compete with one another for water and nutrients, making it possible for them to grow close together. Thanks to these attributes, the area is sometimes referred to as Ukraine's "jungle".

Royal recognition

The location of the Tysa floodplain forests, close to Romania and Hungary and the western border of the former Soviet Union, has effectively restricted any large-scale investigation of their wildlife and sustainable use. The economic growth of Ukraine is now leading to growing pressure to exploit the forests quickly, and corruption, excessive logging and timber smuggling have caused serious economic and environmental problems for the region and could mean an end to these globally important forests.

The efforts to research and protect the forests have been ongoing since 2003, led by Dr Bohdan Prots, a Senior Research Scientist and Supervisor of the “Plant Ecology” Laboratory of the State Museum of Natural History and Senior Project Coordinator of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme in Ukraine. In 2007, Prots received the prestigious Whitley Award in recognition of his efforts to protect the outstanding natural values of the region.

Wealthy world at risk from water woes elsewhere

2009-08-20

Stockholm, Sweden: A study of the water footprint of Germany emphasises how the developed world needs to care for developing world river basins supplying vast quantities of “virtual water” embedded in imported products and commodities, WWF told World Water Week delegates today.

While German households use 124 litres of water a day directly, individual Germans use 5288 litres of water a day when the water requirements of producing their food, clothes and other consumption items are included.

The report calculated Germany’s water footprint at 159.5 cubic kilometres of water annually, with only half coming from German rain and rivers.

The water embedded in coffee, soy and beef imports makes Brazil Germany’s largest water trading partner, followed by the Ivory Coast (cocoa, coffee, bananas and cotton), neighbours France and the Netherlands, the US and Indonesia (oilseeds, coffee, coconuts, cotton and cocoa).

Other countries carrying a significant water footprint from Germany include Ghana, India, Argentina and Nigeria and the increasingly drier Mediterranean lands of Spain, Italy and Turkey.

“Germany is a relatively water rich country but its reliance on water sourced from some of the drier areas of the world still makes it very vulnerable to the degradation of river catchments and groundwater supplies and water related impacts of climate change elsewhere,” said Martin Geiger, Head of Freshwater at WWF-Germany.

“National water footprints are underlining just how dependant the developed world is on water from areas where water management is relatively poor,” said Dr Stuart Orr, WWF International water policy officer.
“It therefore pays for wealthy nations to support the protection and better management of the river basins and aquifers of the developing world.”

Germany is to be commended for having already taken one of the most significant steps to caring for the sources of its water in being the only G8 nation to sign up to an international treaty designed to reduce conflict and promote appropriate water management on waters forming or crossing borders.

However, more than a decade since an overwhelming great majority of the world’s nations approved the UN Watercourses Convention, it still lacks enough signatories to come into effect although three quarters of the world’s countries share waters and 40 per cent of world population are in border catchments.

“Other major economies would do well to follow Germany’s example in signing up to the UN Watercourses Convention to provide a global framework for minimising the risks of disruption to the water supplies they depend on,” said Flavia Loures, who leads a WWF-initiated global campaign to have the convention brought into effect by 2011.

Water footprint of beer more on the farm than in the brewery

2009-08-18

Stockholm, Sweden: The total water involved in producing beer is overwhelmingly used on the farm rather than in the brewery, according to a report presented to World Water Week by major brewer SAB Miller and leading global environment organization WWF.

Water footprinting: Identifying and addressing water risks in the value chain evaluated the water footprints – a way of understanding water use through the whole value chain – of SAB Miller beers produced in South Africa and the Czech Republic.

Better understanding the quantity, efficiency and geography of water use is enabling the two organizations to understand the impacts of water use, improve water management and work with communities and governments to protect watersheds.

The new report reveals that in South Africa, the total water footprint is equivalent to 155 litres of water for every 1 litre of beer such as Castle lager and Carling Black Label, with the vast majority of water use (98.3%) associated with crop cultivation, both local and imported.

For Plzensky Prazdroj, SABMiller’s Czech operation which produces Pilsner Urquell – the original pilsener beer which provided the blueprint for the majority of the world’s commercial beers - agriculture is again the most significant component; accounting for over 90% of the total water footprint.

However, the overall water footprint of Czech beer production is significantly smaller at 45 litres of water to every 1 litre of beer, with the differences due mainly to a greater reliance on irrigation in South Africa and the proportion and origin of imported crops.

In comparison with other beverages, beer’s water footprint is relatively small, with a recent Pacific Institute study finding that coffee, wine and apple juice all have water footprints more than three times that of beer.

However, the water footprint figure itself does not give the whole picture. More important is the context - where the water is used, what proportion of the area’s total water resource it represents, and whether water scarcity creates risks to the environment, communities and businesses now or in the future..

“The water footprints of SABMiller’s beers in South Africa and the Czech Republic are the first detailed corporate water footprints to be published and are progressive in the way they examine the impact of water use within these countries,” said Stuart Orr, WWF’s freshwater footprint manager.

“Most important is that this information is now used to ensure that their business partners – particularly farmers – are encouraged to use water more efficiently.”

In South Africa, SAB Ltd is working with barley farmers to improve irrigation and yields, and with WWF the company is now considering how to develop this further to protect the watersheds within which it operates.

“Water footprinting enables SABMiller to understand which parts of our supply chain might face water scarcity, or poor water quality, in the future, and means that we can plan now to deal with these future challenges,” said SABMiller head of sustainable development, Andy Wales.

“We will build on our existing partnerships with WWF in South Africa, Colombia, and Honduras to create further local watershed protection projects to reduce risk whilst protecting the environment”

Water stewardship enters new phase

2009-08-18

Stockholm,Sweden – WWF and other NGO, research and business partners today announced the formation of a Global Water Roundtable (GWRT) to develop global standards for freshwater stewardship.

The new standard setting process, unveiled at the annual World Water Week gathering in Stockholm for water professionals from governments, businesses and NGOs, will operate under the umbrella of the Alliance for Water Stewardship of which WWF is an organizing member.

“Water resources around the world are in a crisis and poor water management is a major factor,” said Jason Clay, Senior Vice President for Market Transformation at WWF. “The Global Water Roundtable is a pragmatic, consensus-driven way to recognize those water users who are doing their best to lessen their water footprint.”

The GWRT is modeled after similar standard-setting roundtables convened and facilitated by WWF that focused on 12 species produced from aquaculture and four global agricultural commodities (sugar, soy, palm oil and cotton).

The initiative is supported by a $1 million grant from JohnsonDiversey, a global provider of commercial cleaning and hygiene solutions. The company is also a participant in the WWF Climate Savers programme, under which it has committed to substantial independently verified emissions reductions.

While the GWRT’s initial focus will be on setting agreed standards for responsible environmental and social water use and accountability, the initiative could lead to certification processes recognising responsible water use.

The GWRT will consist of a series of meetings with stakeholders around the world, initially to develop an agreed set of standards covering water impacts, quality and management schemes.

Other organising members of the Alliance for Water Stewardship which will manage the process include World Wildlife Fund, the Pacific Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Water Witness International, The Water Stewardship Initiative, the Water Environment Federation and the European Water Partnership.

WWF rewards Pakistan for tree planting world record

2009-07-16

Lahore, Pakistan - Pakistan set the Guinness World Record for tree planting, beating India in a healthy and productive international competition contributing to preserving fragile and endangered forests.

With 541,176 young mangroves trees planted by 300 volunteers from the local fishermen communities just in one day, the country broke the previous 447,874 record held by historical rival India.

In response to the achievement WWF awarded Pakistan’s Environment Minister Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi the Leaders of the Planet title, an award recognizing individuals making a significant personal contribution to the conservation of the natural world and sustainable development.

"This is a wonderful example of partnership between government, local communities and the private sector for a common cause, for conservation,"said Richard Garstang, the head of WWF Pakistan Wetlands Programme.

"It is good to see a productive competition between Pakistan and India. We hope that tree planting competitions will become as popular as cricket matches,"he said.

The mangrove tree planting event was held in the vast wetland ecosystem of the Indus River Delta in the Southern Sindh Province, some 150 km south east from Karachi - a unique sanctuary of biodiversity designated in 2002 by the Government of Pakistan as a Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance), with support from WWF International Freshwater Programme.

Covered in mud and sweating, the 300 volunteers who have been trained to plant record numbers without using any mechanical equipment, worked all day in a temperature of up to 37° before breaking the score.
Their efforts were also a special contribution to the global fight against climate change.

Scientists say deforestation contributes to about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that reducing deforestation is one of the quickest ways to fight rising temperatures. Forested Wetlands such as mangroves, flooded forests and many peatlands play a crucial role in this respect.

"Mangrove reestablishment strongly correlates with climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and improving community livelihoods," said Anada Tiega, Secretary General of Secretary General of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

A planting interval of just over 2 m was used in order to give the young Red Mangroves plenty of room to spread their canopies as they grow. Planting was confined to the mudflats of the inter-tidal zone - the area between the high and low tide marks. The trees are expected occupy approximately 325 ha of the island.

Mangroves are being cut in Pakistan and other countries for fodder, fuel and timber but their over- utilization has very damaging consequences. Apart from their crucial role in providing habitat for many organisms including fish, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and algae, mangroves also protect the coast from erosion, as well as hurricanes and tsunamis.

Montenegro dams to harm crucial bird, fish habitats

2009-07-15

Rome, Italy/Podgorica, Montenegro – Dam projects planned in Montenegro will likely harm Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans and a protected wetland site that is home to crucial bird and fish habitats, according to a study by WWF and Green Home.

The study – 'Proposed construction of dams on Morača River: environmental risk assessment of Morača canyon and Skadar lake' – shows that four dams planned on the Morača River could create water level changes that would impact on the speed, time and quantity of water flow and sediments transported into the lake.

“The construction of dams on Morača river should be carefully evaluated to assess whether they are the best possible options (cost-effective and less environmentally and socially damaging) as their construction will have an impact on important sites (...) and on the economy of local populations just to mention the most striking impacts,” according to the study.

Lake Skadar and its surrounding wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of global importance.

The lake houses one of the most important bird and fish habitats in the Mediterranean region – providing more than 90% of fish consumed in Montenegro.

Lake Skadar also is one of Europe's five most important wintering sites for birds. Some 150,000 birds migrate to the lake every year to spend the winter season, according to recent censuses.

In addition, Lake Skadar is largely fed by rivers, including the Morača, which provides approximately 60% of the lake's water.

“The results of our studies are more dramatic than we could have imagined,” said Francesca Antonelli, Head of the Freshwater Programme at WWF Mediterranean.

“If the construction of these dams goes ahead, not only the Morača River ecosystem, but also the biodiversity of the largest lake in the Balkans – not to mention hundreds of local jobs and livelihoods – would suffer a serious blow.”

Flooding of the Morača canyon would also severely affect two nature hotspots designated as Emerald Network sites (also soon to be declared Natura 2000 sites) – the Mrtvica River and the Mala Rjeka.

An entire fisheries-based economy that currently supports more than 600 families around Lake Skadar is also under threat. Very rare endemic species of trout could disappear and the fishery of Lake Skadar, mostly based on carp, could shrink by 30% – with a loss of some €1.5 million in annual fishing revenues.

A major hydropower investor in South-East Europe, the Norwegian company Statkraft, has also expressed concern. Statkraft originally considered developing hydropower projects on the Morača River, but is also now expressing growing concern.

“Before investing we want to ensure that the proposed dam designs are environmentally friendly and support social and economic development in addition to being cost effective,” said Bredo Erichsen, Managing Director of Statkraft Albania.

“Statkraft applies strict standards in all hydropower development worldwide. This has been our focus in Albania but investing in Montenegro is more uncertain – unless the opportunities to minimise social and environmental impact and optimise cost and production are clarified.”

In December 2008, the Montenegrin government approved the construction of four dams on the Morača River, with the aim of further exploiting the hydropower potential of the country and ensuring energy independence for its population.

“Any new dams must be planned taking into account European Union environmental standards – and assessed to this effect before construction begins,” said Darko Pajovič, Head of WWF’s partner NGO in Montenegro, Green Home.

“We appreciate that a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the four dams is currently being carried out by the Montenegrin government, but we are somewhat concerned about the results of our own studies. We want to believe that our findings will be taken into serious consideration in the planning of the dams, in accordance with EU standards as set out in the Water Framework Directive.”

WWF has been calling on the Montenegrin government since 2007 to respect provisions concerning dams and other water infrastructure under the EU Water Framework Directive to ensure minimal environmental impact. The process must be in compliance with EU standards, and before construction begins it should be proven that the proposed dams are the least environmentally damaging and most cost-effective option – and that no better alternatives are available to meet energy needs in Montenegro.

“Montenegro claims to be a “green state” – and now is the time for the government to show their leadership in the region towards such a commitment,” Antonelli said.

For more information
Chantal Ménard, t +39 346 235 7481, email cmenard@wwfmedpo.org

Notes to editor

- EU Water Framework Directive
The December 2000 Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the most important legislative tool for freshwater protection across the EU. It obliges Member States to meet a holistic ecological objective, i.e. to achieve good status (ecological, chemical and hydromorphological) for all waters using the river basin as the main water management unit.

- Natura 2000 and the Emerald Network
In 1992 EU Member States adopted the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (CE/92/43). The Habitats Directive, as it is also known, aims to protect biodiversity by means of a pan-European network of protected areas. The Emerald Network is the equivalent of Natura 2000 in non-EU countries.

- Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is the only environmental treaty for a particular type of ecosystem and the first global intergovernmental treaty to combine conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Signed in 1971, it originally focused on the conservation and wise use of wetlands primarily to protect waterbird habitat. However, its basic tenets have broadened over the years to recognize wetlands, including coastal wetlands such as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, as ecosystems that are extremely important for both biodiversity conservation and the well-being of human communities.

Danube Day -- fears amidst the celebrations

2009-06-28

Amidst the celebrations of this year's Danube Day on June 29, WWF is concerned about persisting threats to the Danube as a living river. Government and EU plans to remove “bottlenecks” for navigation could impact up to 1,000 km of the river’s most natural sections.

Plans by the Romanian government to improve navigation between Calarasi and Braile on the Lower Danube could severely impact sturgeon migration routes, possibly pushing the already threatened fish species into extinction. WWF has tabled alternative solutions that would facilitate navigation while limiting negative impacts.

The Bulgarian government is planning to build a massive hydropower plant on the Lower Danube between Bulgaria and Romania. The planned project is likely to severely affect the river, impacting not only biodiversity but also e.g. causing significant problems with erosion.

EU plans for developing the Danube as a major shipping corridor have called for the removal of "bottlenecks" on up to 1,000 km of the river's length. Traditional approaches to improving navigation involving damming, diking and dredging could have disastrous effects on the river, its natural goods and services.

WWF will present these and other concerns at public consultations on the Danube River Basin Management Plan that is being organized by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River in Bratislava on June 29-30.

The consultations are taking place within the framework of the EU’s Water Framework Directive, which calls for all rives, lakes and coasts to achieve ‘good ecological status’ by 2015. European citizens have a key role to play in implementing the directive, which calls for the public to be informed and involved in the preparation of river basin management plans.

WWF has developed alternatives for promoting shipping while limiting damage to the Danube as a living river. The focus should first on measures such as improved ship technology that are cost effective and do not require major changes to the river. Only after such alternatives are exhausted should much more expensive river modifications come into consideration.

Contact:
Andreas Beckmann, WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, +43 676 84 27 28 216

WWF and GlobalGap partner a course to aquaculture certification

2009-06-24

WASHINGTON, DC and KOELN, GERMANY: Food standard certifier GLOBALGAP will offer an expansion to its program so aquaculture producers can be certified in one step for implementing practices that help ensure the production of safe food in conjunction with environmentally and socially responsible farming.

GLOBALGAP will do so by supplementing its existing food safety, environmental and social requirements with the metrics-based environmental and social standards under development by the Aquaculture Dialogues. The Dialogue standards are being created by approximately 2,000 producers, NGOs, scientists and other stakeholders from around the world. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) coordinates the Dialogue process.

“We are thrilled that GLOBALGAP will offer a voluntary add-on module to its existing standards,” said WWF-US Aquaculture Program Managing Director Jose Villalon. “The Dialogue standards will add value to the GLOBALGAP program because they are metrics-based, which is the best way to accurately measure if aquaculture’s impacts on the environment are minimized.”

The Dialogue standards are being created by consensus through an open and transparent process that involves a broad and diverse group of stakeholders. The first set of standards – for tilapia – is expected to be completed in September 2009. Standards for 11 additional species will be finalized over the next year.

“This move is a win for producers because it will help streamline the certification process for them, by offering a one-stop shop audit using the high integrity of the GLOBALGAP system to provide an efficient and cost effective certification process,” said GLOBALGAP Chairman Nigel Garbutt.

Robust standards

“It also is a win for retailers who would like to see a harmonization of the various certification programs on the market. This partnership is significantly different from other partnerships, because robust but separate standards are being offered in combination with each other.”

The WWF/GLOBALGAP partnership, formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed today, is a means to certify producers prior to the creation of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in 2011. The ASC, a new independent organization, will be responsible for working with third party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the Dialogue standards. WWF and several other entities, including the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, are taking the lead in creating the ASC.

At the time of the establishment of the ASC, the boards of the ASC and GLOBALGAP will assess whether and how to continue the partnership.

The WWF/GLOBALGAP partnership is non-exclusive, which means other entities could certify producers who adopt the standards prior to the start-up of the ASC, as long as those entities meet the criteria for standards-holding entities established by WWF. All certification prior to the creation of the ASC will be business-to-business. The ASC certification will be business-to-consumer by providing a consumer label.

As part of this partnership, WWF will work with GLOBALGAP to create checklists, guidance documents and training materials for auditors who will certify aquaculture producers. This work will be completed by the end of 2009, when GLOBALGAP is expected to begin offering the new certification option to producers.