Children preparing drawings of tuna to present at the ICCAT meeting, Dubrovnik, Croatia WWF-Mediterranean / S. NOSIL for a living planet R VOL 6 NO 6, DECEMBER 2006 Posidonia, the newsletter for the community of environmental organizations in the Mediterranean. SPECIAL DINARIC ARC ISSUE WWF UPDATE WWF and partners in the Dinaric Arc UNEP and Euronatur join DAI Important discovery in Northern Montenegro WWF PRESS Bluefin tuna crisis: results from Dubrovnik UPDATE FROM NGOs Lastovo Archipelago - a new protected area in Croatia Sustainable rural development on Vis Campaign against new dams in Upper Neretva Sunce for kids Fighting illegal logging in Montenegro POSi DONi A
WWF update: Information WWF AND PARTNERS IN THE DINARIC ARC Marco Pagliani Head of Programme Development mpagliani@wwfmedpo.org This issue of Posidonia is dedicated to the work of WWF and partners in the Dinaric Arc. Also known as the Dinaric Alps and Dalmatian coast, islands, and sea ecoregion, the area is one of the most biodiversityrich corners of the entire Mediterranean basin. It is the region where south-eastern Europe meets the Mediterranean Sea, and includes portions of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. started working in the Dinaric Arc in the early 1990s, mainly through the capacity building programme Across the Waters. As partnerships were gradually built, WWF projects were initiated in the pristine Velebit Mountains and the beautiful islands and sea of central and southern Dalmatia, in Croatia. Later on, new WWF-supported projects started along the Tara river and in the mountains of Northern Montenegro. Currently, a new Dinaric freshwater programme is being developed, addressing key sites such as Livanjsko Polje and the Upper Neretva River Basin (Bosnia), together with Shkodra/ Skadar Lake (Albania/ Montenegro). A programme covering the whole region - the 2012 Protected Areas Programme - will start in early 2007 promoted by WWF to support implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Dinaric Arc. WWF would like to take the opportunity to thank our local partner NGOs Green Home, Most and Natura (Montenegro), Sunce and Green Action (Croatia), Youth Centre Livno and Bura (Bosnia-Herzegovina), and the Civil Society Development Centre Shkodra (Albania) without whose professionalism, enthusiasm, and remarkable dedication WWF s work would not be possible. UNEP AND EURONATUR JOIN DAI The beautiful marine reserve of Miramare just north of Trieste, managed by WWF Italy, was the venue of the fifth Dinaric Arc Initiative (DAI) meeting in early December. UNEP and Euronatur officially joined WWF, IUCN, UNESCO, FAO, UNDP, and the Council of Europe. The initiative is a broad and informal framework of collaboration aimed at boosting the work of its members and their local partners towards the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the Dinaric Arc ecoregion. At the Miramare meeting partners discussed the development of new joint programmes for the regions of Skadar lake and the karst fields of Livanjsko and Sinjsko Polje, as well as DAI involvement in the new 2012 Protected Areas Programme.
WWF update: Information IMPORTANT DISCOVERY IN NORTHERN MONTENEGRO GREEN BELT Marco Pagliani Head of Programme Development mpagliani@wwfmedpo.org During a recent research mission in the central part of the Northern Montenegro Green Belt project area, scientists and volunteers made an important discovery. The team, from the local Montenegrin NGO Natura, discovered a new stand of Macedonian Pine (Pinus peuce), one of Europe s rarest trees, in the area between Malo and Veliko Ursulovacko Jezero. This is in the heart of the wild Bjelasica Mountains, next to the core area of Biogradska Gora National Park. The new population includes at least 50 old specimens of the valuable tree. WWF partners are now engaged in a campaign to secure adequate protection for the area where the pine forest is found, and possibly have it included in the core area of the national park. On Bjelasica, the project team also discovered a rare species of wild carnation, Dianthus nitidus ssp lakusicii, previously not recorded in this part of the Dinaric Arc ecoregion. The Northern Montenegro Green Belt project is funded by the Gsell Foundation, and by the WWF Mediterranean-Across the Waters Small Grants Programme, supported by the Government of Catalonia. The project is part of the DAI Dinaric Arc Initiative and is implemented in coordination with the UNDP office in Montenegro, and carried out in partnership with Montenegrin NGO Green Home, as well as other local organizations Volunteers from the NGO Natura in the newly-discovered Macedonian pine forest on Mount Bjelasica, Northern Montenegro WWF Mediterraean / NATURA
WWF update: Press BLUEFIN TUNA CRISIS - RESULTS FROM DUBROVNIK Gemma Parkes Communications Officer gparkes@wwfmedpo.org ONLINE PETITION The Croatian city of Dubrovnik was the scene of both conservation success and disappointment last November. Representatives of world governments gathered at the ICCAT meeting, held in the city, to decide the future of one of the most majestic fish species, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which spawns in the Mediterranean. WWF collected the signatures of some 12,000 citizens from around the world representing over 130 countries and territories - urgently requesting the EU delegation at ICCAT to support the scientifically recommended recovery plan needed to stop the imminent collapse of bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean. WWF presented the petition to the EU representative at ICCAT, César Deben, asking explicitly for the following urgent measures which are fully in line with ICCAT s own scientific committee recommendations: a much reduced fishing effort, the extension of seasonal closure to cover May to July, and the increase of minimum catch size when the fish reach sexual maturity. On receiving the petition, Mr Deben promised to take these issues into serious consideration in the framework of the ICCAT negotiations. ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, a regional fisheries management organisation) met in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 17-26 November 2006. WWF s work on fisheries is supported by the Oak Foundation. A PLEA FROM CHILDREN In the town centre of Dubrovnik on a sunny Saturday morning children of all ages gathered to prepare an important message for ICCAT. The initiative for local school children was organized with the help of Dubrovnik NGO EKo Ombliki. Each child expressed, in a drawing, their hope for the safe future of tuna in the Mediterranean. Many passers-by stopped to talk to the children, and to staff from WWF, Sunce and Eko Ombliki who were on hand to provide information. A group of the children then presented the drawings to the Executive Secretary of ICCAT, Driss Meski, at the beginning of the meeting. Head of Fisheries, Dr. Sergi Tudela, presenting the petition to César Deben, EU representative at ICCAT, Dubrovnik, Croatia WWF-Mediterranean / G. PARKES Local children showing their drawings, Dubrovnik, Croatia WWF-Mediterranean / S. NOSIL
WWF update: Press THE OUTCOME At the end of the ICCAT meeting, however, WWF declared its deep dissatisfaction with the outcome with the EU delegation refusing to accept the strict recovery plan which is so desperately needed by Mediterranean bluefin tuna. ICCAT approved an extremely weak set of measures which will fail to protect the vulnerable species, with almost no reduction in total catch quota, and a seasonal closure which deliberately excludes the peak of spawning when most adult catches are taken. The EU has betrayed its obligation to sustainably manage fisheries for the sake of the short-term interests of its own bluefin tuna industry. EU fleets are responsible for the bulk of illegal catches of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean as a WWF report published in July clearly demonstrated. The collapse of bluefin tuna would mean losing an amazing species as well as endangering the marine ecosystem. Bluefin tuna WWF-Canon / M. SAN FELIX Gemma Parkes Communications Officer gparkes@wwfmedpo.org FURTHER ACTION Buyers in Japan and Europe have said they will not purchase Mediterranean bluefin tuna until ICCAT signs in the necessary measures to protect the species. Major Japanese retailer Seiyu has declared it will not buy bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean as long as stocks are in danger of collapse. Through corporate social responsibility, Seiyu advocates contributing to a sustainable society and planet by way of intelligent business activity. In the UK, sushi restaurant chain Moshi Moshi has stopped serving bluefin tuna as a direct response to the critical situation of stocks in the Mediterranean. Another restaurant, Memento in Madrid, echoes this reaction. They will not use bluefin tuna in any of their dishes until they are sure it is sustainably managed. WWF will push for a global boycott soon if drastic measures are not taken to save bluefin tuna from commercial and biological extinction in the Mediterranean. For more about the plight of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean: www.panda.org/marine/tuna. WWF report The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic: http://www.panda.org/ about_wwf/where_we_work/ mediterranean/news/ index.cfm?unewsid=74320
Update from Mediterranean NGOs LASTOVO ARCHIPELAGO A NEW PROTECTED AREA IN CROATIA Zrinka Jakl Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce info@sunce-st.org Last September the Croatian Parliament passed a law to create a new marine protected area: the Lastovo Archipelago Natural Park, situated in the central Dalmatian archipelago in south-east Croatia off the coast of Dubrovnik. The park, covering an area of some 200km 2, is the eighth marine protected area in Croatia, and the second largest in the country. The Lastovo archipelago boasts a diverse landscape, including rich marine biodiversity, rare and endemic plant and animal species, holm oak forests, as well as valuable archeological sites and a rich socio-cultural heritage. The successful establishment of the Natural Park is the result of much hard work and dedication. The area was initially identified as a priority area for biodiversity conservation in the Mediterranean in 2003, by WWF and Croatian NGO Sunce. Intensive advocacy and collaboration over the past three years garnered local support, which was vital for the initiation of the political process of declaring this a protected area. The involvement and pressure of the local Lastovo community has been a key factor in the whole process. WWF and several local NGOs and institutions have worked together to raise awareness about the fragility of the islands and the necessity of preserving their wealth. The next challenge is to develop a management plan for the park that will focus on conservation as well as the economic development of the local community. Meanwhile, Lastovo residents smile at the sight of their beautiful coast, protected now for future generations. For more information see www.sunce-st.org s work in Lastovo was funded by the Mava Foundation and currently receives support from the Swedish International Development Cooperative Agency (SIDA). View of Zaklopatica Bay, Lastovo,Croatia SUNCE / I. CAREV Yellow Gorgonian, Eunicella cavolinii, Lastovo, Croatia SUNCE / Z. JAKL
Update from Mediterranean NGOs SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON VIS Zrinka Jakl Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce info@sunce-st.org Velimir Mratinic Vis association of vine growers and wine producers Velemir.mratinic@st.htnet.hr On the island of Vis in Croatia the NGO Sunce has been working towards sustainable rural development with local farmers. Velimir Mratiniæ, for example, is a sheep breeder, water melon grower and cheese producer, president of two agricultural cooperatives, and above all a young enthusiast of nature. In 2005 Velimir and fellow farmer Monika Roki Radisic participated in a two-week exchange organized and supported by WWF Mediterranean in collaboration with the Italian Association of Organic Farmers (AIAB). After the exchange, Monika and Velimira received a WWF project grant to help them develop a pilot project to produce organic wine and cheese, which has been very successful. Through collaboration with Sunce, AIAB and WWF they also learnt how to develop a project, how to apply for funding, and how to establish partnerships with other organizations. Based on these experiences, Velimir was awarded a grant from the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture for the production and certification of a local fig cake product (hib). This is the first time that a farmer from Vis has received this type of grant. One month later, Velimir and the Vis agricultural cooperative were awarded another grant to purchase new equipment. This is a very important achievement for Vis, where sustainable agriculture is a reality thanks to the determination of people like Velimir. The Across The Waters Exchange and Grants Programme are supported by the Government of Catalonia. CAMPAIGN AGAINST NEW DAMS IN UPPER NERETVA Drazan Rosic Environmental Association Bura Mostar buramo@tel.net.ba Environmental NGO s from the Neretva basin region recently launched a huge campaign against the federal government s plans to construct new dams in upper Neretva. The campaign has gathered NGO s, experts from Mostar and Sarajevo Universities, local communities and the media. NGO Zeleni Neretva from Konjic, in collaboration with other environmental organizations from the region, organized a petition signed by more that 10,000 people. Other aspects of the campaign included round tables and public hearings in cities of the region, which attracted huge public interest. NGO Bura from Mostar took part in media coverage of the campaign, with members explaining the pros and cons of constructing new dams and focusing public attention on the consequences of political decisions. The campaign has shown once again how the communities of the Neretva basin region are sensitive to environmental problems, and has confirmed the strength and determination of local environmental organizations.
Update from Mediterranean NGOs SUNCE FOR KIDS Montse Suàrez Capacity Building Assistant msuarez@atw-wwf.org The need for new ideas and experience of environmental education programmes prompted an exchange between Croatia and Catalonia last November. Two members of Sunce and a primary school teacher from Croatia visited a variety of initiatives for school children in Catalonia. Organized by WWF Mediterranean, the exchange included visits to the Government of Catalonia s Green Schools Project and several catalan NGOs including the Centre d Educació Ambiental Can Coll, Fundació Natura, Projecte Rius and Associació Nereo. Participants were introduced to teaching methods and tools that will help them in their work, including the launch of Sunce for kids, a new initiative that will lead to the production of two CDs with resources for educators on biodiversity and waste in urban areas. Funded by the Across The Waters Exchange/Grants Programme and supported by the Government of Catalonia, the National Foundation for Civil Society Development of Croatia, and SIDA. Exchange participants from Croatia during their visit to Can Coll, an environmental educational center in Cerdanyola, Spain / Across the Waters FIGHTING ILLEGAL LOGGING IN MONTENEGRO Siniša Stevoviæ Development, Cultural and Information Centre Most hitss@cg.yu Local Montenegrin NGO Most had outstanding success in their Green Is In campaign recently. On the single day of 20 September, Most and other environmental groups collected more than 4,000 signatures of citizens, asking the Government of Montenegro to increase the surface of protected areas in the country from the current 10% to 35%. This is an important achievement, considering that the total population of the country is 600,000 people. The campaign has had a strong impact on all the media of Montenegro, with the authorities reacting positively to the campaign, and declaring their intention to engage in a dialogue with WWF and its local partners, towards the fulfilment of this ambitious goal. Green Is In, supported by the WWF Northern Montenegro Green Belt Project, has been launched to fight illegal and unsustainable logging, and increase the surface of protected areas in Montenegro. See the Green is In website www.ngomost.org/razno_in.php and civil society portal www.odjek.com. Prepared by Programme. To subscribe, unsubscribe or contribute to Posidonia, please send an email to msuarez@atw-wwf.org Posidonia is available on the web at www.panda.org/mediterranean 1986 WWF WWF Registered Trademark