Mediterranean Echo

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Xxxxxx xxxx / WWF N ationa NEWSLETTER l February S Park, p 2012 © ain W i ld

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Mediterranean echo Newsletter of the WWF Mediterranean Initiative • Issue 7 Equip Mediterranean ecosystems to adapt to climate change • Generate a sea change in Mediterranean marine management • Secure Mediterranean water resources • Build a future for Mediterranean landscapes

WWF takes action to preserve iberian forests The launch of WWF’s Living Forests Report in September was particularly important for WWF in Portugal. Exploring the land-use implications of a growing global bioenergy sector, WWF warns that increased demand for bioenergy could trigger an unsustainable exploitation of forests with fast-growing plantations replacing forests with high conservation values. In Portugal we have one of the highest energy intensities (energy per unit of GDP) in the EU, so investment in reducing energy consumption in the country by improving energy efficiency is essential and a priority. WWF Mediterranean tackles this issue in a recent report on forest biomass from the the Iberian Peninsula, describing the current situation, future plans and targets of governments and the environmental implications of these.

The demand for forest biomass as an energy source has increased all over the world, and the Iberian Peninsula is no exception—not only as a consumer, but also as a provider to countries that pay high incentives for wood biomass usage. Forest biomass consumption in the Iberian Peninsula is higher than the average consumption in Europe, and will keep increasing given the current energy policies in Portugal and Spain. Renewable energy (including forest biomass) can help reduce dependence on foreign energy in Portugal (which in 2009 was around 80%), but this would need careful planning, implementation and monitoring to reduce environmental and social negative impacts of the intensification of biomass production for energy purposes. WWF in Portugal, through the GFTN—Global Forest and Trade Network—and NGP—New Generation Plantations—is working to ensure that the principles of sustainable forest management become important tools for companies in the forest sector. The use of biomass will present challenges that must be taken into account for the production of energy from forest biomass to be sustainable.

Ricardo Vieira, WWF energy expert in Portugal [email protected]

Pinóquio for forests

WWF in Portugal has launched consumers can make to protect “The Forest needs us, we need the forests. WWF calls on consumers Forest”, a campaign featuring the to choose certified products internationally known character as a commitment to reduce Pinnochio to mark the end of the deforestation and conserve forests. International Year of Forests in To see the campaign movie, go to: December 2011. The campaign http://www.wwf.pt/noticias/videos/ calls attention to the services and products that come from the forest and highlights the choices that

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g EU environmental policies such as re Natura 2000. The exhibition was The WWF project “Green Heart of s earcher the result of activities implemented Cork” in Portugal is working with by members of NGOs from the Coca-Cola Company as an entity s ‘buyer’ of environmental services. of of the network in Serbia—Natura

s In November Coca-Cola employees er 2000 Resource Center—and in b had the opportunity to visit the ia Montenegro—Natura 2000 Info Center. The exhibition promotes Herdade do Cascavél, in Coruche, the importance of biodiversity, the to see first-hand the conservation of the largest patch of oak forest in the 15 Ways to Protect Nature ecological network Natura 2000 and energy efficiency and will tour world and the largest aquifer (Tejo- The exhibition “15 Ways to Protect in both Serbia and Montenegro. The Sado) on the Iberian Peninsula. Nature” in Belgrade, Serbia, in project also launched a well-visited “This is an opportunity for October was the perfect way blog about Natura 2000: employees of Coca-Cola to realize for WWF, Young Researchers how the company encourages http://ngonatura2000.blogspot. of Serbia and Green Home the development of the voluntary com. Montenegro to close the 2-year market for environmental services project “Partnership Actions [email protected] in Portugal. The protection of for Biodiversity Protection biodiversity and natural resources in the Western Balkans”. The has advantages for companies project focused on building because they are also protecting communications capacity and their business” said Luís Silva, networking for NGOs in Serbia WWF Forest officer in Portugal. and in Montenegro and raising [email protected]

Forests for the future Forest conservation has always figured prominently in WWF’s work in Greece. Yet it was the devastating forest fires in 2007 that brought the long-standing weaknesses in forest protection policies and mechanisms to the forefront. “Forests for the future” was WWF Greece’s response to this unprecedented catastrophe. With four paths of action—fieldwork, policy work, civil society engagement and scientific support and documentation— staff spent tireless weeks working on the ecological assessment of all major wildfires, producing reports which were sent to all responsible ministries and authorities, and creating a database that contains critical information about the post-fire condition of the burned sites. New educational material was produced, now downloaded and used by scores of teachers. In the areas affected by the forest fires of 2007 alone more than 3,000 primary and secondary students attended presentations and programs. Of first importance were efforts to support volunteer fire-fighting teams, monitoring their activities and needs and leveraging funds for their support. Implementation of the project has had far-reaching effects, bringing together civil society organisations, mobilizing individuals and promoting fellowship. While the project itself has come to an end there is a feeling that the strategic partnerships developed over the last three years will have a positive impact on the future of forest conservation in Greece.

Watch the video: www.youtube.com/wwfgrwebtv [email protected] © © WWF Greece/ Greece/ A n d rea Bonetti rea

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Victory for civil society and nature in Montenegro: failure of the Morača dams tender

In seeking to secure freshwater resources in the Dinaric Arc WWF’s long-term goals are to mitigate the greatest threat to freshwater ecosystems in the region—hydropower development—to protect and preserve the most important habitats in priority basins and to succeed in having sustainable hydropower recognized as a feasible practice in the region. For 3 years WWF and partner NGO in Montenegro, Green Home, have been urging the government of Montenegro to review its plans for the construction of four dams on the Morača River, and to find more sustainable solutions for the energy needs of the country. Then, last September—victory! The government’s plans have been put on hold after not a single investor expressed interest in the tender for the construction of the dams. For WWF and Green Home this is a clear signal that the Montenegrin government needs to turn towards sustainable energy solutions, which are in the best interests of the Montenegrin economy, people and nature. “The result of the tender is not surprising since civil society organizations and numerous local experts have been warning the Government since 2007 of the probable outcome of this tender. The project of dams on the Morača, as it was designed by the government of Montenegro, is not cost effective due to its huge environmental and economic risks.” Jelena Marojevic, Green Home Montenegro.

“The failure of the tender has been very good news for local fishermen on Skadar Lake. If the hydropower plants are built we will be faced with harsh difficulties, from big variations in water levels in the Lake to reduced fish stocks and less tourism opportunities. The people from this region already feel the consequences of the existing hydropower facilities in Montenegro and Albania. Last year we had two big floods due to the discharge of water from those. Additional facilities would only worsen the situation for us”. Nikola Bušković, fisherman on Skadar Lake.

“The failure of the tender for the hydropower plants on Morača has been welcomed by most local people and businesses around Skadar Lake. The immediate threats to local wildlife have been eliminated, and our businesses that depend on this wildlife have been preserved. We were quite disappointed by our government and the whole tender process, as we feel it should do much more to protect its biggest natural values than it does now and do it much more stringently than till now. The government needs to avoid such destructive projects in the future. They also need to look for alternative sources of energy, like sun and wind, which are growing rapidly in Europe and the world, while in Montenegro only a few investments have been made.” Stevan Djurović, tour boat operator on Skadar Lake.

“WWF and Green Home are hoping that the lack of investors’ interest is a strong enough signal for the Montenegrin government to fully withdraw from the plan of major energy projects on the river Morača. Both organizations will continue to encourage the Montenegrin government to look to the sustainable production of electricity and come up with solutions that will reconcile economic development and environmental protection.” Francesca Antonelli, WWF Mediterranean.

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Secure Mediterranean water resources © © AN Innovative and sustainable power energy production started there G E

L in 1970. In the past decade more

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L than 20 experimental floods have AU WWF Mediterranean hopes to S been released from two reservoirs CHEN apply lessons learned from a on the Spöl. WWF Mediterranean / / WWF recent visit to Switzerland to with CSOs and public authorities their work in the Dinaric Arc, me from Albania, BiH, Croatia and d where the WWF Dinaric Arc iterranean Montenegro visited one of the two Sustainable Hydropower Initiative reservoirs (Livigno) in October was launched in 2011 to mitigate to study the artificial flood. They the consequences of planned observed an innovative and unsustainable exploitation of water sustainable practice of power resources for electricity generation production able to secure the health in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of freshwater ecosystems with no Montenegro, Croatia and Albania. economic loss for the electricity A long-term experiment on the company which operates the river Spöl in Switzerland is testing hydropower plant on the river. how to restore riverine dynamics [email protected] to this regulated river which has © been altered substantially since WWF

TURKEY Fire destroys 80% of Hutovo blato wetlands The hydrological situation of Hutovo Blato in Bosnia and Herzegovina, internationally recognised as a wetland of importance under the Ramsar convention, is a good indicator of the hydrology of the entire Neretva and Trebisnica river basin. When something has an impact on Hutovo Blato’s wetlands the lower basin, specifically the Neretva delta, is also affected. In October one of the largest fires in the history of the Hutovo Blato Nature Park caused a great deal of damage to plant and animal Alarming deterioration of Buyuk life. WWF has repeatedly expressed concerns over the insufficient Menderes river management of Hutovo Blato. There has been a steady decline in The “Living Rivers, Living Aegean” protection and control of the activities run in the Park. “What we are Project is raising awareness of seeing in Hutovo Blato is an environmental disaster, with 80% of the integrated river basin management bird and mammal habitats being destroyed in the Svitava area. During in Turkey. Water quality research and after the fire WWF was in communication with Park authorities. of the Buyuk Menderes river has We are now trying to assess the damage and find the best solutions to been given particular importance. rehabilitate the destroyed area.” said Zoran Mateljak, WWF coordinator Biological monitoring studies for Bosnia and Herzegovina. With extraordinary biodiversity on its more have been carried out using than 8,000 hectares, Hutovo Blato Nature Park provides habitats to macrobenthic invertebrates around 200 bird species and is an area rich in endemic fish species. as ultimate indicators of the

[email protected] environmental water quality. Research indicates that the water © © M

iche quality at the source of the river deteriorates drastically along its l Gunther / / Gunther course due to industry, agriculture and urbanization. An atlas of the

WWF Buyuk Menderes river basin, with

- detailed and up-to-date information C anon on the physical, biological and social infrastructure of the river basin, will be finalized in the coming months. [email protected]

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Secure Mediterranean water resources

World Wetlands Day Ecol’Eau Sebou Project

2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the Bioindicators are important for adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the studying the effects of pollution Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year on the environment and have been since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and used in the Sebou river basin in groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of Morocco since 2003. A pilot project the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness launched by the Sebou Basin of wetland values and benefits in general, and the Ramsar Convention in Agency in collaboration with WWF particular. Mediterranean began in September 2009 to strengthen and improve Fascinating ancient Sahara site celebrated the assessment and monitoring of the surface waters of the Sebou A remote seasonal salt lake on the edge of the Sahara leads a list of basin as a routine practice of 15 new Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance declared in integrated river basin management. Tunisia on World Wetlands Day. Chott Elguetar, a 7,400ha site with an Specific attention was given to the intermittent lake, is vital to the survival of the threatened Scimitar- engagement of civil society in the horned oryx (Oryx dammah), Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and Dama process. The results of this project gazelle (Gazella dama—pictured below). It also contains traces of human were presented at the closing religious and industrial activity that have been dated back 40,000 years. regional workshop in Marrakech in WWF has welcomed the announcement, noting that Tunisia’s designation December, with the participation of 15 new Ramsar Sites nearly doubles the country’s total bringing it to of representatives of state and civil 35. society from Morocco, Tunisia mediterranean.panda.org and Jordan. The results include a monitoring protocol, a hydro-

l a GIS system to map the ecological Gunther / / Gunther quality of Sebou surface water. For the first time a Moroccan

WWF basin agency has a fully developed -

C protocol aimed at monitoring not anon only the water quality but also the ecological status of surface water. Great interest was shown in replicating the experience. The Sebou basin agency will continue ecological monitoring and is keen to support the efforts of other basin agencies.

[email protected] © ©

Views on our wetlands in Tunisia l ahcen chi ahcen To celebrate World Wetlands Day WWF Mediterranean launched a photo competition “Views of our wetlands in Tunisia: a habitat for people ll a

and nature” to raise the awareness of young photographers regarding ss

the role of Tunisian wetlands. Photos submitted to the competition / e were exhibited at the important international symposium “Water and WWF Wetlands in the Mediterranean” held in Agadir, Morocco, from 6-8 me d February. iterranean

[email protected]

55 XxxxGenerate xxxxx a sea change in Mediterranean marine management

© Brian J. Skerry / / Skerry J. Brian © Turkey’s Lycian Coast: flagship species and marine habitats need more care The Kaş-Kekova area is still a relatively well-preserved part of N ationa Turkey’s Lycian Coast and is among

l the richest areas in terms of marine Geo biodiversity. Studies by WWF Turkey g ra experts, however, have pointed to p hic Stock / / Stock hic declining populations of two grouper species (Epinephelus marginatus and Epinephelus caninus) due to WWF harpoon fishing and the degradation of sea-grass habitats due to intensive keeping a close watch on tuna and swordfish boat anchoring. WWF Turkey and WWF Mediterranean are working WWF is disappointed by the insufficiency of measures to improve the with the Turkish Government traceability of bluefin tuna—and the management of Mediterranean Agency for MPAs, UNEP/MAP swordfish—adopted by ICCAT, the Atlantic tuna fisheries commission, and RAC/SPA and stakeholders to and cautions that bolder and more complete steps are urgently required. develop a management plan for the It was hoped that this year’s meeting of the International Commission Kaş-Kekova Marine Protected Area for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in November would and address the issues being faced see countries adopt a comprehensive plan to protect Mediterranean in and around the MPA, which was swordfish—as well as take steps to ensure the full traceability of bluefin established in 2006. Protection tuna from ocean to plate—but only half measures were agreed. WWF measures will include the creation welcomes the bringing into force of an electronic catch documentation of no-take zones, establishment of scheme for Mediterranean bluefin but is calling for a thorough and mooring systems and introduction reliable assessment of all fish transfers to tuna fattening farms across of monitoring programs. the Mediterranean—or, in the absence of this, for the banning of tuna farming altogether in the region. On swordfish—another popular and [email protected] overexploited Mediterranean fish—steps have been put in place to allow

for a Mediterranean swordfish recovery and management plan to be © l in

established by 2013, with complete data on catches and fleet size, as d a a p

well as scientific information on the species. “WWF will be keeping / itkin an extremely close watch now to ensure countries comply with this WW fundamental new obligation of swordfish data provision,” said Dr Susana f-canon Sainz-Trápaga, Fisheries Advocacy Officer at WWF Mediterranean. “Good fisheries management requires accurate and comprehensive data, as well as sound science—and the measures adopted by ICCAT members in Istanbul should help provide this.”

EU Fisheries Subsidies The European Commission released its proposal for a new European

Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in December, to run from 2014 to 2020 with an approximate budget of €6.5 billion. The new fund will replace the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) which failed to achieve a reduction of Europe’s oversized fleet. WWF welcomes the removal of harmful subsidies but is concerned about proposed allocations for modernisation of equipment and aquaculture. Strict safeguards are needed to prevent these funds supporting oversized fleets or harming the environment.

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In Croatia, WWF Mediterranean R a j and Sunce are supporting MPA kovic authorities in the process of developing the management plans of five marine protected areas. Last year a standardized national management and zoning plan was agreed by the Ministry of Culture, the State Institute for Nature Protection, and the five MPAs. This important achievement led to the finalization of the management plan of Telascica Nature Park, Lastovo Nature Park, Kornati National Park and Brijuni National Park. The management plan of Mijet National Park is almost complete. The plans Sustainable tourism in MPAs workshop is particularly active in the region of were designed through an extensive the Kroumirie Mogods, northwest Managers, practitioners and consultation process and submitted of the country, a region rich in officials of MPA agencies from 11 for review in December 2011. natural resources and with scarce countries of the south and east economic development. Here, Mediterranean met in October at [email protected] civil society organizations will the MedPAN South/MedMPAnet play a important mediating role

© Ante Žuljevic Ante © 3rd Regional Training Workshop on between development projects and Planning for Sustainable Tourism in local communities. To accompany MPAs in Split, Croatia. This six-day these young associations in their training workshop gave participants development, the WWF Tunis the opportunity to become office has set up a dedicated familiar with a range of options for training program as part of the addressing the impacts of tourism MedPAN South Project led by development and visitor use in WWF Mediterranean. Emerging MPAs. Following the workshop, associations from the region of 11 Implementation Agreements Cap Négro-Cap Serrat, and the are being developed, one for each Tunisian Association of Artisanal country attending the training. Fisheries, will benefit throughout [email protected] the first months of 2012 from a MedPAN South Project achievements comprehensive training program built around five themes. At the end The MedPAN South project has Working with civil society in Tunisia released a new video highlighting of this program, the organizations the challenges of Marine Protected The emergence of Tunisian civil will be better equipped to Areas in the Mediterranean society is one of the major advances develop strategies, implement and how the project contributes brought about by the jasmine them effectively and ensure their to addressing them. Through revolution. Previously constrained governance.

testimonies and beautiful images, by an authoritarian regime, civil [email protected] the video brings to life the work society is today eager to participate carried out in the last three years in the governance of the country, and the impact it is having on the particularly concerning rural region. development and natural resource The video is available in French management. Many associations and English on the project website: representing local communities www.panda.org/msp were created in 2011 and others [email protected] continue to be formed. Civil society

5 questions: supporting a democratic transition in Tunisia

Last September WWF Mediterranean staff from Rome and Barcelona travelled to Tunis to speak to journalists and NGOs, together with colleagues from the WWF Tunis office. Here Christoph Stein (Head of Capacity Building) and Chantal Ménard (Communications officer) share their thoughts on this timely and important mission: Q: Can you give a little background to your recent visit to Tunisia? CS: In less than one year Tunisian citizens will hold a general election and vote in a new constitution. The transitional process in Tunisia is now in its second phase of institutional reform and new government policies, so 2012 is crucial for the way in which the environment will be included in this constitution. We met with journalists and NGOs in Tunis in September to try to define a potential role for WWF in supporting a process towards ensuring that the environment and sustainability are a vital part of that new constitution. CM: We want to follow closely the way in which the environment will be reflected in society as it could develop post- revolution in Tunisia. Our goal for this visit was twofold: first, to meet with journalists, to discuss ways in which WWF can work with them to bring environmental issues to the forefront; and second, to meet with an NGO network —RANDET—to discuss how WWF can support them. CS: There has been an incredible surge in new NGOs in the country. Between January and September 2011 over 1,500 new NGOs were created. With the blossoming of democracy there are far greater opportunities to work with NGOs in the field and to work together on building their skills and capacity.

Q: You had meetings with journalists—what changes can we expect in reporting on environmental issues? CM: Previously when environmental issues appeared in the media in Tunisia they were always presented in a positive light, and there was no debate. The Tunisian media is now working hard to gain credibility in the eyes of the public. Moves are currently afoot to reform the information sector in Tunisia. CS: Everything becomes political, but at a ground roots level, and there is a great air of enthusiasm and commitment. People at all levels are eager for change. Journalists need to think differently about how to report on environmental issues, and they need the tools to do that—which is where we would like to support them. Q. You speak of journalists’ enthusiasm and commitment, what about the NGOs you met? CS: We met with representatives of RANDET (Le Réseau Associatif pour la Nature et le Développement en Tunisie), a 15-member NGO network founded in 2011. RANDET strengthens the involvement of NGOs in the decision- making process relative to environment and development and promotes collaboration between NGOs at the local and national levels in Tunisia. The members of RANDET are all incredibly impressed by the young people who have pushed so hard for change, and they are very interested in working with WWF to strengthen their capacity as a network—building communications and other skills necessary to play a key role in recruiting and mobilizing NGOs for collective actions in Tunisia. Suddenly they are in a new Tunisia and they feel liberated, and very proud of their identity as non-government organizations, of their independence.

CM: They don’t want to be put in a position of being ‘beneficiaries’ of training—they want to be equal partners. It is so important to bring in all existing expertise. And they are so aware of their huge social responsibility. Yes, there are many more environmental NGOs, but they face numerous challenges. There is a responsibility to help this new

8 Interview • the the m

community to grow and to work together in an integrated fashion towards monitoring and advocating for the design initiative editerranean and implementation of environmental laws. CS: In Tunisia, as in Morocco and Algeria, where local communities still heavily depend on scarce natural resources, democratization needs to be linked to sound environmental governance that reaches the poorest and most vulnerable people, most of whom live in rural areas. If people don’t have enough water to drink or for agriculture it is a huge threat to democracy. Environmental NGOs can play a key role in defending the interests of people and nature at the same time. Q: So what might change in the work that WWF does in Tunisia? CS: Opportunities are opening up for Tunisian NGOs to learn from their counterparts in other countries. WWF has worked with Tunisian NGOs in the past with exchange visits and training courses but these were very technical in focus. Now we expect our role to be more one of facilitating the transition of NGOs as a network—with

communications, campaigning and advocacy, network strategies, conflict resolution and mediation. Our discussions •

in September highlighted key questions for RANDET such as: How can we communicate as a network? What would f ebruary 2012 ebruary be the right strategy for the network in the coming years? How to integrate the new NGOs and the younger activists? How can we make sure that our voice is heard in the new political context of Tunisia? Q: Finally, what stands out most from your visit? CM: What stands out is an incredibly vibrant atmosphere, an optimism for the future but also grave concerns for today, for the present. There is everything and its opposite—fear and joy, curfews and freedom, daily routine and a great new horizon. It is an exciting time for environmental conservation in the country, and a perfect opportunity to make a difference in the way this can develop and be maintained. CS: Basically WWF will be in the background to support a broad social media campaign, targeting young people and looking towards the future. We want to ensure that both journalists and NGOs are motivated and informed and can continue working for good governance and sustainable development, advocating for laws that respect the environment and comply with international treaties, pressing for transparent decision making processes, watching closely the impacts of infrastructure projects on biodiversity and ensuring that natural resource management takes into account the needs of local communities. We hope to see an environmental NGO community which will flourish and grow over the coming years. © © C hanta l ménar d / / WWF me d iterranean m editerranean.

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