STURGEON WATCHERS:ALREADY IN UKRAINE

Transcription

1 24 September

2 WWF Phyllis Rachler Seven organizations from six countries team up to take care of a better protection of Danube treasure - sturgeons! Project title: Sustainable protection of lower Danube sturgeons by preventing and counteracting poaching and illegal wildlife trade Project acronym: for Danube Sturgeons Project countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine Project duration: October 2016 December 2020 This is a project under the European Commission s 24 September

3 WWF Jutta Jahrl Funding & Partners The project is coordinated by WWF in Austria with participation of the following beneficiaries: Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority, Romania Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung (IZW), Germany World Organization for Nature (Svetska organizacija za prirodu), Serbia WWF-DCP-Bulgaria WWF-DCP-Romania WWF International Danube-Carpathian Programme, Ukraine 24 September

4 Danube-sturgeons. org Location & Target Groups The project focuses on the 3 key target groups in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine: Fishermen and fishing communities, including young people; Law enforcement authorities; Shops, restaurants, markets, catering companies offering sturgeon meat or caviar. 24 September

5 Danube-sturgeons. org Status of sturgeon populations in Ukraine: Dams construction and spawning sites loss Population s overexploitation 24 September

6 Danube-sturgeons. org Idea: Sturgeon guards, USA The sturgeon program on several Wisconsin rivers in the United States was launched in the mid-1970s at the initiative of the US Department of Natural Resources In 1988, the program for the protection of sturgeon was open to volunteers from the public 24 September

7 Sturgeon Watchers 2017: Students of Kherson agrarian University Students of Odessa ecological University The first introduction into community: June 2017 More than 20 hours in boats More than 25 hours of lectures WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk 24 September

8 Sturgeon Watchers 2017 We are learning and collaborate with PRIDE project! WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk Maria Nikitina 24 September

9 Sturgeon Watchers 2017 Patrolling with Border guards WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk 24 September

10 Sturgeon Watchers 2017 Patrolling with Fish Patrol WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk 24 September

11 Sturgeon Watchers 2017 Danube day in Vylkovo WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk 24 September

12 Sturgeon Watchers 2017 Conclusions and Lessons learned: Offline training course take a lot of time and sometimes it's boring. Online training course is needed! Part of students was motivated and part of them not. We can involve more motivated and inspired volunteer s team through the selection process. We need more time for the practice! WWF DCP in Ukraine, Mila Arseniyuk 24 September

13 Sturgeon Watchers 2017: Conclusions and Lessons learned Oleksandr Voloshkevich, Director of Danube Biosphere Reserve, re-captured the whole 5- day experience in several sentences: With the Sturgeon Watchers initiative, it became obvious that many people at different levels worried about the problem of sturgeon protection and clearly understood the reasons of the ban on fishing sturgeons. Also, the children activities during the Danube Day had a deep effect on their parents because the idea entered the families through the children. All these activities largely influenced the Danube fishing association. They initiated a meeting of fishermen of all 11 enterprises, where each of them was warned that in a case of illegal sturgeon fishing they would be fired immediately. 24 September

14 Sturgeon Watchers New educational approach - online training programme! Selection process - more inspired and motivated volunteers! WWF DCP in Ukraine 24 September

15 Sturgeon Watchers 2018: social science Together with experts of the Danube Biosphere Reserve (DBR), our volunteers studied the migration of sturgeon juveniles in the Danube Delta, using trawling method. During those exploratory trips the Sturgeon Watchers registered three young Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) and one very young, not older than three weeks, Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso). WWF DCP in Ukraine, Inna Hoch 24 September

16 Sturgeon Watchers 2018: social science The volunteers patrolled the Danube waters together with the border guards of the Vylkove department and Fish Patrol Patrolling around they went to check how the rotating IP camera, which was installed last year for a quick response to illegal fishing, actually operates. WWF DCP in Ukraine, Inna Hoch 24 September

17 Sturgeon Watchers 2018: Our volunteers already traditionally organized Danube day for young locals and had a fan with them! WWF DCP in Ukraine 24 September

18 Sturgeon Watchers I Edition 2018 Conclusions, lessons learned and next steps Online training course and selection process it was good solution! We must increase the time to patrolling with low enforcement agencies till two weeks and create two small volunteering group instead big one. During Sturgeon watchers activities was set up herrings ban as a cumulative effect and indirect impact. WWF DCP in Ukraine 24 September

19 Thank you , WWF.