for a living planet R

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1 Crane (Grus grus) opening wings to land. The crane is the symbol of the new Ramsar site in Bosnia and Herzegovina WWF-Canon / SANCHEZ & LOPE for a living planet R Posidonia, the newsletter for the community of environmental organizations in the Mediterranean. VOL 9 NO 1, SPRING 2009 WWF UPDATE New karst site for Dinaric Arc Europe s living heart A step towards sustainable fisheries WWF tags more tuna, while stocks last MedPAN South - regional capacity building Community participation in El Kala News from Morocco and Portugal WWF IN THE NEWS Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks collapsing No bluefin tuna on Monaco s menus Greece: yes to clean energy, no to new coal Turkey signs up to Kyoto UPDATE FROM NGOs Dinaric Arc: Earth Hour successes Natura 2000 NGO Network in Serbia Algeria: Environmental Education training Understanding EIA and SEA Rome: NGOs exchange visit Resources and announcements POSi DONi A

2 WWF update: Information NEW KARST RAMSAR SITE FOR DINARIC ARC Mato Gotovac Sharing Waters Livanjsko Polje Coordinator The announcement that Livanjsko Polje in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance was celebrated in the town of Livno in April. The extensive Livno karst basin is shaped by seasonal floods which provide habitat for up to 70,000 wintering waterbirds, including probably the most southern breeding pairs of Eurasian cranes (Grus grus), the symbol of the new Ramsar site. During the official celebration local authorities explained how the community can benefit from the international recognition accorded by the Ramsar Convention, to develop a local economy, providing sustainable livelihoods through the production and marketing of high-quality organic products. Livanjsko Polje is the country s third Ramsar site since its accession to the Convention in 2001, after Hutovo Blato Nature Park and the Bardacha wetland complex. The Ramsar site at Livansko Polje covers the entire karst field, one of the largest in the world, stretching over 60km between the high tops of the Dinaric Alps east of the Adriatic Sea. WWF Mediterranean Sharing Waters programme is supported by the MAVA Foundation. For more information on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands see Karst spring in Livno plain (Livanjsko Polje), Bosnia and Herzegovina. WWF-Canon / M. GUNTHER EUROPE S LIVING HEART Semra Fejzibegovic, Neretva Freshwater Assistant sfejzibegovic@wwfmedpo.org Work towards the establishment of a Natura 2000 network in Bosnia and Herzegovina has made great progress in the past few months. Earlier in the year local biodiversity experts underwent GIS training in Sarajevo for the mapping of species and habitats. They benefited from the expertise of the Daphne Institute for Applied Ecology from Slovakia, where a GIS database structure for species and habitats has been defined. The mapping of all species and some of the habitats from Annexes I and II of the EU Habitat Directive which are present in Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried out in March and April. The next step is to begin data collection by field mapping, taking place in May and June. s project Europe s Living Heart Preserving Bosnia and Herzegovina s natural heritage using EU tools (Phase II) is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WWF Norway.

3 WWF update: Information A STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES Gemma Parkes Communications Officer gparkes@wwfmedpo.org The sustainable management of living marine resources in the Mediterranean and Black Seas was the focus of the recent General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), meeting in Tunisia. WWF supported a proposal for a fisheries restricted area (FRA) in the high seas of the eastern Gulf of Lions. If accepted, this would have prohibited any type of bottom fishing in a region where a high concentration of mature individuals of several commercially important bottomdwelling species aggregate. The proposal received strong support from most GFCM member states except the European Community, which objected due to pressure from key EU member states. Finally, the FRA was adopted, but with the much weaker management measure of simply freezing the fishing capacity within the FRA, at least during the first year. The 33rd session of the GFCM met in Tunis, Tunisia, March WWF s work on fisheries is supported by the Oak Foundation. WWF TAGS MORE TUNA, WHILE STOCKS LAST Pablo Cermeño Tuna Officer pcermeno@atw-wwf.org WWF s On the Med tuna trail bluefin tuna tagging project has resumed its activities in the waters near Barbate off southern Spain. WWF scientists are mapping tuna migrations around the basin, seeking answers to key mysteries on the migratory behaviour of this most valuable but also most imperilled fish. On the Med tuna trail is a race against time to gather data before the overstretched fishery collapses. WWF has tagged tuna in collaboration with fishermen from Spain s traditional tuna trap, the almadraba. This method for fishing bluefin tuna has existed around the Mediterranean for over 3,000 years and is intrinsically sustainable given the low vulnerability of tuna stocks to the trap. The fishery supports the livelihoods of hundreds of families but is in jeopardy the fishermen have seen a drop in catches of over 80% during the past two decades. WWF s tuna tagging activities are planned in partnership with key international scientific institutions and fishing stakeholders in the Mediterranean, and are made possible thanks to the financial support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The three-year project is among the most ambitious bluefin tuna tagging work seen so far in the Mediterranean. See Tagging bluefin tuna. / F. BASSEMAYOUSSE

4 WWF update: Information MEDPAN SOUTH - REGIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING Alessandra Pomè MedPAN South Project Leader apome@wwfmedpo.org Towards the long-term goal of creating a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean region, WWF Mediterranean recently launched a project to strengthen MPA management effectiveness in countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean the MedPAN South Project. Over four years, the project will focus on the management of MPAs in five pilot sites (Algeria, Croatia, Libya, Turkey, and Tunisia) and will launch a region-wide capacitybuilding programme for MPA managers, practitioners and authorities in 13 Mediterranean countries. The programme includes regional workshops, a system of technical assistance, and an innovative mentor scheme which provides a unique opportunity for participants to acquire the necessary skills to become trainers for MPA staff in COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN EL KALA Lahouari Djardini Field Project Executant houari50@yahoo.fr The preparation of a local development plan based on the sustainable community-based management of cork forests around the Haddaba village in the El Kala National Park, Algeria, is the focus of a WWF Mediterranean capacity-building project. Project staff are working with local communities in implementing local incomegenerating activities. A training workshop on apiculture was organised in Haddaba village in March. Six women and thirteen men from the local community took part in training over more than 20 days. The programme included a theoretical component, the provision of apiaries and other materials (honey extractors, suits, gloves, smokers, harrows, grills, brushes), followed by a practical the Mediterranean. In April, a group of selected mentors took part in the first training workshop in Barcelona with the challenging task of defining the main lines of the regional capacity building programme, based on each country s needs. In a truly collaborative effort, participants identified a number of themes that affect the region as a whole, and which will be the focus of the MedPAN South capacity building programme. The MedPAN South Project is part of the biodiversity component of the GEF project Strategic partnership for the Mediterranean sea large marine ecosystem, led by UNEP. The GEF project has two strategies: the MedPAN South project and the MedMPAnet project promoting the designation and networking of new MPAs. See component and a technical follow-up by two specialist trainers. A successfully run beekeeping activity would allow the local community to increase their income whilst ensuring the conservation of cork oak forests, enhancing their social, economic and environmental value. In its second year of implementation the project Building capacity for community participation in the management of El Kala National Park has the financial support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Catalonia in the framework of the WWF Capacity Building Programme Across The Waters.

5 WWF update: Information NEWS FROM MOROCCO Maria J. De Lope Freshwater Project Coordinator, Morocco ENP NATIONAL ACTION PLAN Following the establishment of an NGO working group for the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in Morocco last November, an important visit to Brussels was organized in February. Representatives of the ENP working group and WWF Mediterranean presented a report pulling together the comments and recommendations of 19 Moroccan NGOs, as ENP working group members, concerning the implementation of the ENP National Action Plan for Morocco. The two were also able to meet EU officials working on ENP issues in Morocco and attend a seminar in which NGOs from eastern Europe (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) assessed the environmental aspects of ENP Action Plans in their countries. Observations et Recommandations sur la mise en oeuvre du Plan d Action de la Politique Européenne de Voisinage dans le domaine de l environnement au Maroc was co-drafted by the ENP working group, and WWF European Policy Office in the framework of the civil society consultation process launched by the EC. The ENP initiative in Morocco is a component of the project Field and Policy Initiatives for Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation in North Africa and western Balkans funded by the MAVA Foundation. Meryem El Madani Freshwater Project Coordinator, Morocco melmadani@wwfmedpo.org SHARING EXPERIENCE AT WORLD WATER FORUM The case of the Sebou Basin, Morocco, was one of the three studies presented during a side event at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, last March. Experience of the cost effectiveness analysis for improving the surface water quality in the Sebou basin, carried out in the framework of the project Ec Eau Sebou, was shared during a side event on the theme: sanitation, an investment that pays. The Moroccan presentation concerned the most effective measures to implement in the Sebou basin and the most unexpected results obtained. Ec Eau Sebou is a Pilot project launched in February 2007, funded by the EU MEDA Water Programme and implemented by the Sebou Water Basin Agency and WWF Mediterranean, with the support of ACTeon, an environmental consultancy. Sanitation, an investment that pays: side event at the 5th World Water Forum Istanbul, Turkey, March Agence Francaise de développement

6 WWF update: Information NEWS FROM PORTUGAL EARTH HOUR IN LISBON A BIG SUCCESS Portugal joined the global switch-off to celebrate Earth Hour on 22 March with exciting results. More than 500,000 people (around 100,000 households) answered WWF s call, with the involvement of 11 cities. Twenty major companies circulated the Earth Hour message including IKEA, The Coca-Cola Company, Ogilvy and Nokia. 22 March saw a big street celebration with a free concert in Belém Gardens, Lisbon, and the most emblematic monuments of each of the 11 cities were switched off. The participation of communities, cities, citizens, government, companies and media exceeded expectations. RESTORING GUADIANA S BIODIVERSITY On the Portuguese side of the Guadiana river and Coca-Cola Portugal have developed a project to restore the burned areas that surround Guadiana to protect its natural habitat. In April WWF organized a field visit where around 20 Coca-Cola staff participated in forest restoration activities and helped the WWF team and staff of the Natural Park of Guadiana Valley to improve the conservation status of the forest and restore the degraded and burned areas of the Park. Restoration of Guadiana River Basin project is part of an innovative collaboration between WWF and Coca-Cola Portugal. Gorge of the Guadiana River surrounded by Cork oak (Quercus suber) forests. southwest Portugal WWF-Canon / H. JUNGIUS Angela Morgado Communications and Fundraising, Portugal amorgado@wwfmedpo.org PROTECTING THE IMPERIAL EAGLE The cork oak, a characteristic tree of Mediterranean forests, is the natural habitat of emblematic and threatened species such as the Imperial Eagle. On 11 April celebrated Eagle s Day for the second time, with partner Benfica, the biggest football club in Portugal. During the football match, attended by 30,000 people, WWF and Benfica launched a new alert concerning the danger of extinction of the Imperial Eagle in Portugal, underlining the importance of the conservation of its natural habitat cork oak forests.

7 WWF in the news BLUEFIN TUNA STOCKS COLLAPSING Gemma Parkes Communications Officer The population of breeding tunas has been declining steeply for the past decade and will be wiped out completely in 3 years if fisheries managers and decision makers keep ignoring the warnings from scientists that fishing must stop. At the opening of the bluefin tuna fishery in April, WWF released an analysis showing that the bluefin breeding population will disappear by 2012 under the current fishing regime. The loss of giant tunas able to produce many more offspring than medium-sized individuals has had a disproportionately high impact on the reproduction of the species. WWF is calling for the immediate closure of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery to give the species a chance to recover, while continuing to encourage consumers, retailers, restaurants and chefs to join the global movement to avoid the consumption of the imperilled fish. There is growing support to suspend international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna by getting it listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) when contracting parties meet in early WWF s work on fisheries is supported by the Oak Foundation. Full story on Fishermen pull up a large Northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) during a 'Mattanza' (ancient fishing method), off the island of San Pietro, Italy WWF-National Geographic / B. SKERRY NO BLUEFIN TUNA ON MONACO MENUS Gemma Parkes Communications Officer gparkes@wwfmedpo.org The Principality of Monaco is the first country in the world known to have entirely banned the serving of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Head of the Fisheries Programme, Dr Sergi Tudela, joined His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco at a special lunch event in Monaco on 25 March to promote this fact. All restaurants, retailers and chefs in the Principality of Monaco have removed endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna from their shelves and menus until stocks of the fish have recovered and the fishery and trade are managed in a sustainable way. A special poster is being displayed in the windows of Monegasque restaurants indicating that they have taken the endangered species off their menus. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is supporting WWF s bluefin tuna work in the Mediterranean through conservation activities including the tuna tagging project, On the Med tuna trail.

8 WWF in the news GREECE: YES TO CLEAN ENERGY, NO TO NEW COAL George Vellidis Head of Communications WWF Greece Greece has outlined an energy future of strong support for renewable energy, ruling out investment in new coal-fired or nuclear power plants. The announcement was especially gratifying to WWF-Greece, founder with other partners of a No-to-coal coalition which has enlisted strong community support. Last November WWF Greece published a low carbon energy vision for the country which proposed CO2 emissions reductions of close to 70% by 2050, outlining specific ways to achieve the reductions. No-tocoal involved WWF Greece working together with local authorities in seven different sites that would have been affected by new coal power plants as well as organizing mass rallies outside the Greek Parliament. WWF Greece plans to intensify its efforts over the next few months to ensure that Greece plays a positive role within the EU in the critical negotiations towards getting a new and adequate global climate deal at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. Full story on mediterranean. TURKEY SIGNS UP TO KYOTO Deniz Silliler Tapan Press and Publications Coordinator WWF Turkey dtapan@wwf.prg.tr Turkey ratified the Kyoto Protocol in February, following an overwhelming vote in the national parliament. WWF and other environmental NGOs and civil society organizations had long pressed for the decision over government fears it would impede development. Turkey s ratification, 178th nation to do so, leaves the United States and Kazakhstan as the only significant large nations still out in the Kyoto cold. A probable factor in the decision has been pressure for Turkey to close the gap between its environmental standards and those of Europe. Being late in participating in the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and ratifying the Kyoto Protocol means that Turkey will not be obliged to reduce emissions before WWF Turkey proposes a voluntary commitment of keeping the emission rate at its current level at least until 2012 which would be meaningful under the framework of ratifying the protocol. This achievement would be a stimulus to meeting new targets to be set under the 2012 Copenhagen process. Full story on mediterranean.

9 Update from Mediterranean NGOs DINARIC ARC: EARTH HOUR SUCCESSES Natasa Kovacevic Green Home Podgorica, Montenegro Zrinca Jakl SUNCE Environmental Association Split, Croatia Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are key countries for WWF s programmes in the Dinaric Arc. The WWF Earth Hour campaign, culminating in Earth Hour on 28 March, received invaluable support from WWF s partner NGOs in Montenegro and Croatia. Green Home in Podgorica, Montenegro, organised all activities related to the event and managed to involve all levels of the community. Schools were very active, and a group of singers wrote a special song and offered a free unplugged concert. Green Home volunteers played a major role, sharing materials, drinks, solar lamps and t-shirts. In Split, Croatia, the NGO Sunce prepared special leaflets detailing the importance of Earth Hour, handed out by school children in Split and the nearby island Brac. Aside from Podgorica and Split, other cities were involved: Nikšic in Montenegro and Zagreb and Biograd in Croatia joined Earth Hour with their own activities. In Bosnia and Herzegovina events were held in Sarajevo and Banjaluka, with the support of local authorities. Two more cities, Bugojno and Tešanj, joined at the last minute thanks to the initiative of the Municipality of Tesanj and the NGO Eko element from Bugojno. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, the support of communications agency Ogilvy in the framework of the global WWF / Ogilvy partnership was a major contribution to the success of Earth Hour. Earth Hour in Podgorica, Montenegro. WWF-Green Home SERBIA: NATURA 2000 NGO NETWORK Milka Gvozdenovic, Young Researchers of Serbia (YRS) Novi Beograd, Serbia milka@mis.org.rs Young Researchers of Serbia visited the NGO Green Home in Montenegro recently to learn about their Green Resource Centre, a network of Montenegrin NGOs exchanging information and lobbying together on specific campaigns. A similar network is now being launched in Serbia. Thirty NGOs have joined the initiative to create an NGO network on Natura 2000 in Serbia to learn about (and in due time monitor) the Natura 2000 process. The network will be developed in the near future and links made with other institutional partners. With the appointment of the WWF Western Balkan Policy Officer, starting on 1 June, the initiative is due to gain momentum. Young Researchers of Serbia are partners of in the project Serbia, Montenegro and Natura 2000: strengthening the capacity of governments and civil sector to adapt to EU nature protection aquis funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

10 Update from Mediterranean ALGERIA: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TRAINING Souad Bouacida Local Project Coordinator Association for the Promotion of Rural Women of the Wilaya of Skikda Twenty members of NGOs, as well as representatives from the Algerian national departments of forest conservation, agriculture, fisheries, the environment and small enterprises participated in an environmental education training workshop in April organized by the Association for the Promotion of Rural Women of the Wilaya of Skikda. The programme focused on the identification of environmental problems in the region, the causes of these problems, and their possible solutions using environmental education for school children as a tool. The workshop was organized as part of the project Contributing to promoting environmental education for school children in the wetlands of Guerbez Sanhadja funded by. UNDERSTANDING EIA AND SEA Raffaele Mancini Capacity Building Freshwater Officer rmancini@atw-wwf.org Environmental assessments ensure that the environmental implications of decisions are taken into account before development decisions are made. There are Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for individual projects such as dams and there are Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) for plans, programmes and policies. WWF Mediterranean and NGO partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, organized a three-day training on this topic in April in Mostar. Participants learnt about EIA and SEA processes related to water ROME: NGO EXCHANGE VISIT Natasa Kovacevic Green Home Podgorica, Montenegro natasa.green@cg.yu Milka Gvozdenovic Young Researchers of Serbia Novi Beograd, Serbia milka@mis.org.yu Five motivated women gathered in Rome, Italy, in February for an exchange visit on communication, membership development and financial administration. Two members of Green Home Montenegro, and three from the Young Researchers of Serbia were hosted by WWF Mediterranean for three days of focused analysis and working groups. Together the participants explored their own projects and financial administration systems, and studied communications strategies, objectives and tools at infrastructures, and analysed the legal framework within which they are run, how to assess their quality and how to influence the final shape of the investment and halt environmentally and socially harmful projects, programmes or policies. Participants were from the NGO movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, selected public administration bodies and dam operator enterprises. This activity was organised in the framework of the Sharing Waters Project, funded by the MAVA Foundation. WWF. There were also very useful sessions with WWF Italy on membership development and management and the organization of regional networks. The exchange took place in the framework of Across the Waters Capacity Building Programme and was funded by the European Commission Developing the capacity of environmental NGOs, through transfer of best practices from NGOs in the EU Member States.

11 Update from Mediterranean NGOs WWF RESOURCES Illegal wood trade in Portugal Portugal, one of the major tropical timber importers in the world and the world s leader in producing cork and cork products, has no law regulating the imports of timber and timber products. WWF has published the Portuguese Woodworking and Cork Industries Market Analysis Report (March 2009) to alert the Portuguese authorities to the country s role in international timber trade and to support the introduction of a new European law to stop illegal timber trade. New fact sheets In May 2008 at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 9) in Bonn, Germany, representatives of the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia announced their intent to declare 13 new protected areas, enlarge 9 existing ones, and make efforts towards the establishment of transboundary protected areas in south-eastern Europe. To support national governments in implementing the new regional and national commitments has created a number of fact sheets in 7 languages. Contact Chantal Menard cmenard@wwfmedpo.org Bluefin Tuna Bulletin The voice of the bluefin news from on the bluefin tuna fishery in crisis. Contact Gemma Parkes gparkes@wwfmedpo.org. See Opinion Editorial - Wall Street Journal, 5 June 2009: It s Not Too Late to Save the Tuna Think green Environmentalism is often seen as giving things up, but it s really about doing things better and thinking a little differently. Even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference. Find out how to be greener at Cycling is an environmentally friendly way to move. WWF-Finland / K. HAVIA OTHER RESOURCES World Water Report The Third edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report was presented at the 5 th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey on March 16, 2009 and is now available online. The report notes that the key decisions pertaining to water management are taken by those outside the water sector, despite more responsible approaches touted within the sector. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment According to the UN s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history.

12 Update from Mediterranean NGOs OTHER RESOURCES Mediterranean biodiversity and conservation Two important articles describing the state of biodiversity and conservation for the mediterranean biome one of the least protected and most converted habitat types on the planet were published recently. Expanding the global network of protected areas to save the imperiled mediterranean biome is published in Conservation Biology. Threats and biodiversity in the Mediterranean biome is published in Diversity and Distributions. For full text, abstracts and practical one-page summaries contact Julia Gardiner at The Nature Conservancy of California. See the Global Mediterranean Action Network website for more valuable information. International e-survey on implementing ESD A14-page document with interesting outcomes presented in an appealing way summarizes the results of an international e-survey on implementing ESD. Animation for ESD A 5-minute animation clip raises the issue of current unsustainable practices in food production, and livestock breeding, in a very straightforward and appealing way. The clip has been awarded prizes at a number of Festivals. ANNOUNCEMENTS Course on Environmental Economics A new course on Environmental Economics is now available at the SMAP Learning Centre, in English and Arabic. The course is divided into 9 lessons. Theory is presented in clear, accessible language and is complemented by examples, mainly from the Euro-Mediterranean context. Register at or go straight to e-learning Course on Climate Change Registration is open for the UNEP Finance Initiative s e-learning Course on Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for the Finance Sector. The course will enable financial institutions to learn about climate change and how it affects their industry in a flexible, cost-effective and accessible e-learning environment.www2.unitar.org/unepfi EuroMed Heritage project The EU-funded project Foundations for a Strong Future: Youth in Lebanon and Jordan Promote Cultural Heritage was launched recently. The project will provide tools and training for educators to enable them to make cultural heritage more accessible to young people. International science camps The NGO Objectif Sciences International offers environmental education to children aged 7 to 18, by involving them in sustainable science research projects and field expeditions. See or contact dev@objectif-sciences.com Prepared by Programme. To subscribe, unsubscribe or contribute to Posidonia, please send an to msuarez@atw-wwf.org Posidonia is available on the web at WWF WWF Registered Trademark