European Wilderness Journal European WILDERNESS SOCIETY WWW.WILDERNESS-SOCIETY.ORG No. 1/2014 JOIN AND BE PART OF IT € 7,50 Donation Fee European Wilderness Journal The future of wilderness in Europe Dear Friends of the wild! Letter to the Editors the past 15 years a lot has been achieved for Europe’s wilderness. These In achievements by various organisations were partially acknowledged by Wilderness is nowhere as important as it is in Europe, the the 10th World Wilderness Congress, the WILD10 in Salamanca, Spain. world’s most densely populated continent. The good news is that, in the last 20 years, great and critical strides have oc- Our vision curred to help raise awareness of and protect wild nature…but Since we need to go further for future generations! The launch of the new this work has really only just begun. The European Wilderness Vision for a Wilder Europe inspired us to set up the European Wilderness Society is the force needed to continue and build this momen- Society, which is a new entity that strives for more and better protection of tum. We all need to join, assist, and promote this important wilderness in Europe. initiative. Vance G Martin, Our objectives President: The WILD Foundation, World Wilderness Congress • Identifying and assisting in the management and lobbying for existing wilderness areas in Europe • Increase the total designated wilderness area in order to balance our hu- The newborn EWS does a great job. Your homepage is man footprint on the continent very attractive and well-made. Congratulations. • Inspire Europeans to care for our wild places across the continent Bernhard Kohler WWF Austria Our mission As its name implies, the new entity focuses its efforts on wilderness, on Europe and on joint actions involving the public. This is a very good initiative to save the population of wolves We are an inclusive entity, which will be supported by individuals, gov- especially in Europe where hunting is a serious problem! ernment, profit and non-profit organisations. Many are already part of the Technical Specialist European Wilderness Society but more are welcome to join and take part in UNESCO MAB Uganda our mission. Like a wast network of partners, scientists, researchers, nature conservationists, media experts, tourism specialists and management teams. This a great opportunity for key core wilderness and wildlife Join us areas. Excellent stuff. Our new society will also focus on the ambitious target of designating 5% of Jim O.Donnell Europe’s land territory as wilderness. Around the world in 80 Years The engaged and very experienced team behind the European Wilderness Society works ambitiously to reach this goal. But together with you we can achieve even more! In case you are keen to publish anything, would like to comment on our European Wilderness Society Web-page or would like fur- ther information concerning the European Wilderness please let us know! Welcome to the European Wilderness Society! Follow, contact and talk to us If you are interested in being notified about European Wilder- ness you can register for our Wilderness Newsletter or follow us on Facebook, and Twitter, or join our open Linkedin group! Our website is a one-stop-shop for information about the European Wilderness. www.wilderness-society.org Zoltán Kun, Chairman | Max A.E. Rossberg, Deputy Chairman | Vlado Vančura, Director Wilderness Development 2 Wilderness Ticker European Natura 2000 Award ▲ Wilderness areas form an important part of the Natura 2000 system with- in the European Union. There is an opportunity to reward best practices of protecting wilderness through nominating your area for the Natura 2000 Award at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/# However our efforts should not stop here! Our team is currently working on drafting a new European Wilderness Convention that will recognise the importance of wilderness in halting biodiversity loss and in delivering pub- lic benefits. „None of Nature‘s landscapes are ugly so long as they are wild.” John Muir, Our National Parks, (1901), Chapter 1, page 4. Wilderness and forest ▲ Forests are important to the ecosystem, not only for conserving Europe’s biodiversity but also to protect the last fragment of extreme- ly rare wilderness. Forests are also a fundamental element of Natura 2000. Nearly 50% of Natura 2000 habitats are forests and around 23% of all EU forests are in Natura 2000 sites! So if European forests are among the main repositories of European biodiversity then conse- quently (whether we like it or not) wilderness is also by definition an extremely important reservoir of European biodiversity. Particularly, wilderness forest is the kind of biodiversity reservoir that people have Threat of winter tourism in the Tatra National Park already been longing for so many years. Iconic protected areas such as the Tatra National Park, Slovakia and the Rila National Park of Bulgaria are under threat by extractive industry and unsus- tainable tourism development. Despite them having been recognised as IUCN Category II Areas and their inclusion in the EU Natura 2000 system, investors are suggesting massive ski lift developments in both areas. Save the date February October International Congress on Rural Tourism of Navarre 18th Forum 2000 Conference National Wilderness Conference Kingdom 12.-14. October 2014, 15.-19. October 2014, in Albuquerque, USA 20. - 21. February 2014, Pamplona, Spain in Prague, Czech Republic www.wilderness50th.org/conference www.forum2000.cz/en/calendar/ August The 7th International Conference on Monitoring and November Management of Visitors in Recreational and Protected Areas IUCN World Parks Congress 20.-23. August 2014, Tallinn, Estonia 12.-19. November 2014, in Sydney, Australia www.tlu.ee/en/mmv7/ www.worldparkscongress.org www.wilderness-society.org 3 European Wilderness Journal Importance of wilderness The general public often wonders why we researchers and increasingly the politicians are so supportive of the wilderness. Here are just some of the vital role the wilderness plays in dealing with challenges of industrial development. Author: Allan Wattson US Forestry Service Member of NAWPA general public often wonders why The we researchers and increasingly the politicians are so supportive of the wilder- ness. Here are just some of the vital role the wilderness plays in dealing with challenges of industrial development. Conserving Biodiversity Protected areas are essential for conser- vation. In a changing climate, they are safe havens for plants and animals to reproduce Capturing and Storing Carbon despite changing conditions. Is wilderness so Protected areas store vast amounts of car- important for the bon in ecosystems such as boreal and tem- Protecting Ecosystem Services perate forests, coastal areas, oceans, and grass Wilderness and protected areas protect, challenges of modern lands. These natural systems help reduce the restore and provide essential ecological, so- levels of greenhouse gases that cause global cial and economic services, like clean water; days society? warming through natural biological processes weather, temperature and humidity regula- that draw carbon dioxide out of the atmos- tion; soil conservation; and genetic reservoirs phere. that may lead to the development of improved Yes! crops, new medicines and other products vital Building Knowledge and Under- to human communities. standing Wilderness in particular, offers unique op- Connecting Landscapes portunities for research on climate change, The unpredictable impact of climate change because these areas are among those least may affect the ability of ecosystems and spe- modified by human influence. Applied sci- cies to adapt to changing environmental con- ence and research in protected areas can im- ditions either in-situ or via migration to more prove our understanding of ecosystems and suitable habitats. Protected area networks are species’ response to climate change, and im- one of the most effective approaches for sup- prove information for planning and manage- porting ecosystem adaptation. Connecting ment to help communities adapt. terrestrial and freshwater habitats across var- ied landscapes enables plants and animals to Inspiring People shift ranges and thrive in new locations. Inspiring natural surroundings provide the perfectsetting for tuning into nature, learn- ing about it, appreciating it, respecting it and pledging to protect it. Managers can serve as Source: North American Protected areas as natural conveners, facilitators, and leaders who inspire solutions for climate Change (2012), North American Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation and engage their communities in partner- for Wilderness and Protected Area Conservation ship for conservation and learning promote (NAWPA) resource stewardship to ensure a sustainable future. ❀ 4 WILD 10 Salamanca Spain www.wilderness-society.org 5 European Wilderness Journal Interview with Michael Meyer Michael Meyer is the Project Manager for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Germany. Michael Meyer started his career as a consultant on management of tourism facilities, working about 15 years on quality assessment and training of staff. Interview: Max A.E. Rossberg European Wilderness Society: In the future this role will be even more Michael Meyer: Mr. Meyer, the European Wilderness Soci- important. People tend to move to cities, People consider wilderness areas as areas ety has been founded to promote the con- rural areas are abandoned. That means without any human influence.