IUCN SEE e-Bulletin Issue 38 · Summer 2014 IUCN South-Eastern European e-Bulletin Photo: IUCN, Sailing to Barcelona/S.Marincic Dear Readers, With great pleasure we share with you the Summer 2014 issue of the IUCN SEE e-Bulletin. It gathers the nature conservation news from our region and brings the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ to the centre of our attention. The IUCN Red List assesses the extinction risk of species globally for already 50 years – we are hereby joining the world celebration of its contribution to nature conservation. The IUCN Red List is the most comprehensive information source on the status of wild species and their links to livelihoods, also seen as a ‘Barometer of Life’. In cooperation with the nature conservation authorities in our region, we have also compiled the overview of national assessments of species’ status. Read more about it in the Focus section. Wish you a pleasant reading, Boris Erg, Director of IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe IUCN SEE e-Bulletin Issue 38 · Summer 2014 IN THE FOCUS IUCN Red List of Threatened Species NEWS & EVENTS 1. European Day of Parks NTENT 2. Croatia celebrates International Biodiversity Day O 3. Wild plants the stars of innovative online toolbox C 4. Communication skills for the Protected Areas’ staff 5. Conservation planning -from Bihac for the Dinaric Arc 6. The World Water Day 7. Floods in the Balkans: long-term solutions needed for people, nature and economy 8. The SEA-Med project 1st Regional Training Workshop 9. Locating bats in Galicica National Park 10. Harmonizing management practices of water ecosystems 11. WWF promoted HABEAS web GIS tool in Bosnia and Herzegovina 12. Opening of the exhibit to celebrate Planet Earth Day 13. Albanian protected areas -national conference 14. European Schools for a Living Planet 15. Four new ‘winged messengers’ among Prespa’s Dalmatian pelicans 16. Balkans Peace Park Project 17. On the brink of extinction in Serbia 18. Energy Efficiency Lighting System 19. Serbian Landscapes checking on Sustainable Tourism 20. Gornje Podunavlje and Kopacki Rit saved from destruction 21. Every stork nest will be counted 22. Birds without Borders 23. Stakeholder Exchange within the GreenNet Project 24. Ulcinj Salina, where one falls in love with birds 25. Another wind farm threat in Slovenia 26. Protected loess profiles in Zemun 27. Tourism promotion for the Regional Natural Park of Uleza 28. The Second Environment Film Festival in Albania PUBLICATIONS & COMMUNICATION 1. Protecting the Planet 2. A call from the wild: SOS Newsletter 3. State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) Report 4. Natural-history heritage of Tomislavgrad (BIH) TRAININGS & SEMINARS – ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Green Belt Conference 2. greenAlps project final conference FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES 1. Terra Viva Grants Directory 2. Plantlife Roger Crofts Community Award 3. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation 4. Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund 5. The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) 2 IN THE FOCUS The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Mushroom in Marchairuz, Switzerland by Joëlle Dufour Honey-eater photographed in the forest in Kayanza province, Burundi by Intu Boedhihartono The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is guiding conservation action and policy decisions over the past 50 years. Throughout 2014 its significant contribution is celebrated worldwide. The IUCN Red List is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and objective global approach for the evaluation of plant and animal species conservation status. It is a living tool which requires permanent revision, in order to reflect the possible changes of the species’ status. The IUCN Red List was first conceived in 1964 and set a standard for species listing and conservation assessment efforts. Ever since, the Species Survival Commission (SSC), supported by the IUCN Species Programme, has been evaluating the conservation status of species and subspecies on a global scale - highlighting those threatened with extinction and promoting their conservation. Over time, IUCN recognized that a more objective and scientific system for determining threat status was needed, one that drew on advances in the science of conservation biology and other disciplines. There was also a need for a more accurate system for use at the national and regional levels. The IUCN Red List Categories evolved over years and the more precise and quantitative Red List Categories and Criteria were adopted by IUCN in 1994. They introduced eight categories based on criteria linked to population trend, size and structure, and geographic range. In 1988 all bird species were evaluated, and in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals assessed for the first time the conservation status of every mammal species in the world. These were major milestones in conservation - not only was the overall status of mammals and birds determined, but it meant an establishment of a baseline for future trends monitoring. For the 1996 list 5,205 species were evaluated resulting in 3 IUCN SEE e-Bulletin Issue 38 · Summer 2014 25% of all mammals and 11% of all birds being listed as threatened. In 2013 there were over 73,600 species on the IUCN Red List and all mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, reef-buliding corals, cycads and conifers have been assessed. The IUCN Red List is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation-related NGOs, natural resource planners, educational organizations, and many others interested in reversing, or at least halting the decline in biodiversity. The IUCN Red List has many uses in conservation including: • Conservation Planning – informing species-based conservation actions and identifying globally important sites for conservation (including Important Plant Areas, Important Bird Areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and Alliance for Zero Extinction sites). • Decision-making – Influencing conservation decisions at multiple scales, from environmental impact assessments to international multilateral environmental agreements. • Monitoring – Indicating the current status of species and revealing trends in their extinction risk over time, to track progress towards biodiversity targets. In the past 50 years many species groups including mammals, amphibians, birds, reef building corals and conifers have been comprehensively assessed. However, there is much more to be done and increased investment is needed to build The IUCN Red List into a more complete ‘Barometer of Life’. To do this the number of species assessed from the current count of more than 73,600 to at least 160,000 has to be increased by 2020, improving the taxonomic coverage and thus providing a stronger base to enable better conservation and policy decisions. Watch the IUCN Red List animated video http://youtu.be/VukyqMajAOU An updated IUCN Red List web portal has been launched recently, enabling the easy serch and access to information. www.iucnredlist.org www.facebook.com/iucn.red.list @IUCNRedList 4 IN THE FOCUS In addition to the IUCN Red List that records the species conservation status globally, countries elaborate separate lists of threatened species, often based on the IUCN Red list Cathegories and Criteria and Guidelines for their application at national and/or regional levels. For most species, the threat assessments concur. In other words, most species are either considered threatened both nationally and globally, or else not considered globally threatened and not listed nationally. The elaboration of national Red Lists in the countries of South-Eastern Europe differs within a wide range. Some of the countries have not initiated the work as yet (Macedonia and Montenegro), others have made some progress on national data gathering (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia) whilst some of them are the region´s leaders, such as Slovenia and Croatia. In the table that can be accessed here you can find summarized information on the national Red Lists published in South-Eastern Europe. The information has been kindly provided by the responsible nature conservation authorities. Baron’s mantella, a variegated golden frog found in the subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of Madagascar by Dennis Hosack 5 IUCN SEE e-Bulletin Issue 38 · Summer 2014 1. European Day of Parks In 22 countries across Europe on 24 May, national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas opened their doors to visitors celebrating the European Day of Parks 2014. This year hundreds of special activities connected to the theme “Parks for Nature. Parks for well-being. Parks for peace.” celebrated the day. Walks, excursions and exhibitions were held by more than 80 protected areas from Finland to Spain and from Ireland to Romania. They have highlighted the significant role that protected areas play in providing a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits to people. National Parks of Montenegro have joined the celebration, with the support of Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, NGO Green Home, UNDP, GEF and NLB Montenegro Bank. During the event in Podgorica, interested citizens learned about the five National Parks that are proclaimed in Montenegro, the offer of the tourism agencies and tasted the authentic products of the communities living in or near the protected areas. The programme included Photo: National Parks of Montenegro Photo: the education (introducing the flora and fauna of Montenegro), promotion (presenting the local products, food, handcrafts and touristic offer) and entertainment (traditional music and instruments like diple and