Issue 7 · December 2005 Brussels · Moscow · Belgrade · Warsaw IUCN South-Eastern European e-Bulletin Dear readers, 2005 is coming to an end and this is the final issue of the IUCN SEE e-bulletin for this year. There have been plenty of activities in the last three months as you will see in the bulletin. As always, thank you for sharing your work with all of us and we hope to continue this fruitful cooperation in the future. The bulletin is also available on the website of IUCN Regional Office for Europe at www.iucneurope.org. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe Content News 1 EarthVoice Romania – 10 years of IUCN membership 2 Mapping and meeting: IUCN regional projects for the European Green Belt 3 Register for IUCN Members portal 4 Green Home for the Montenegrin Green Belt 5 Albania joins Montenegro in protection of Skadar Lake 6 Illegal trade of reptiles increases 7 Dutch LNV supports South-Eastern European Green Belt project 8 New MSc programme in protected area management 9 Ecological corridor for large mammals in the Balkans 10 Halting the loss of biodiversity on the agenda of IUCN project in Stara planina 11 Turkey prepares Action Plan for the Grouse 12 Slovenians intensify research on Martino’s vole 13 Republic of Srpska develops two new by-laws of the National Protection Act 14 Juku migrates from Estonia to Serbian and Croatian forests 15 Aliakmonas survey reveals new populations of gulls and terns in Greece 16 Action plan for vultures in Serbia 17 Birding for beginners 18 Green Action fights poaching in the Velebit mountains 19 Future steps for Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve 20 IUCN National Committee in Turkey 21 WWF promotes sustainable tourism in Gornje podunavlje 22 Proposal for protection of a geological site in Serbia 23 Balkan Peace Park Info Centre opened in Albania 24 Two new vacancies in IUCN HQ and Bonn 25 The Swiss based “pandas” need a fundraiser 26 Executive Secretary sought by CERI 27 Training centres for protected areas – lessons learnt for SEE Events 1 Integrating development and conservation to help the Caucasian Black Grouse 2 DAI launched at Skadar Lake 3 Sunce NGO presents status of Croatian otters in Italy 1 4 EuroMAB 2005: challenging the SEE territorial development strategies 5 Novi Sad hosted the first SEE Green Belt conference 6 WWF benefits from The Nature Conservancy’s conservation planning tool 7 IUCN European offices discuss management issues 8 Europarc’s training seminar for developing stakeholder partnerships 9 Macedonian Ecological Society and partners strengthen plans for Balkan Lynx protection 10 Cleaning and birdwatching in Slano Kopovo reserve 11 Trilateral agreement on the way in Prespa? 12 International designations and wetland management 13 CERI General Assembly 14 GMO-free Rhodope 15 Launch of the Regional Volunteer Program for Reconciliation 16 SEE mountains at UNEP agenda 17 Croatia hosts Biodiversity in Europe conference 18 CBD COP8 Publications 1 Connecting nature and cities 2 Global vision for transboundary conservation 3 Socio-economic report on Mediterranean coasts and wetlands News 1 EarthVoice Romania – 10 years of IUCN membership EarthVoice Romania was founded in 1993 as a non-profit organization with the mission to implement the scientific, educational and management products into various social, economic and other decision-making sectors. This NGO is a member of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) since 1995. EarthVoice Romania is also a member of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). EarthVoice Romania’s work is related to the implementation of international Conventions and European Union Directives, as well as to the national strategy for biodiversity conservation. The organisation is oriented towards awareness raising and education of communities about biodiversity issues and sustainable development, while it also focuses on development of management plans for protected areas at national scale. Special attention is given to the development of the institutional framework to support adaptive management of ecosystems. More information is available from Nicoleta Geamana, Project Coordinator, [email protected]. 2 Mapping and meeting: IUCN regional projects for the European Green Belt The first IUCN’s project that will cover the entire route of the European Green Belt is starting by the end of 2005: a GIS mapping and a creation of a geo-database, using the Corine Land Cover data, which will show the land cover types and land uses. Later on, the protected areas along the borders will be overlaid. The aim of the project is to draw the existent data together and standardise them into one format. The output will serve a dual purpose, being a scientifically rigorous database for Green Belt stakeholders to target their actions, and a communication tool to decision makers and the public. Donors for this project are the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN, for the Central European Green Belt) and the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU, for the Fennoscandian and South-Eastern Green Belt). The second project relates to the strengthening of cooperation between different stakeholders along the Green Belt. A BfN-financed project, facilitating a series of four regional workshops is being conducted for the Fennoscandian (2006), the Central European (2008) and the South-Eastern European (SEE) Green Belt (2005, 2007). The first Central European meeting was held in Mitwitz, Germany, in October 2005, while the first one for SEE took place in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro, in November 2005. For further information please contact Alois Lang, Green Belt Coordinator, IUCN SEE, [email protected]. 2 3 Register for IUCN Members portal Gland, Switzerland: The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has launched the IUCN Members’ Portal, the space which is restricted to IUCN Members and staff. All IUCN Members are invited to register at www.iucn.org/members/portal.htm and they are welcome to use the portal for getting various information such as funding and partnership opportunities, announcements of events, as well as for interaction with other IUCN Member organisations via the discussion forums. For information on how to become a Member of the largest global conservation organisation, please visit www.iucn.org/members. IUCN membership consists of States, Government agencies, political/economic integration organisations and national and international NGOs. These organisations normally share and support IUCN objectives and have a substantial record of activities in the field of nature conservation. The role of IUCN Members is crucial for leading the Union as they elect the IUCN Council and help develop and implement the IUCN Programme. The World Conservation Congress is the major gathering of IUCN Members and an important platform for discussing conservation issues and strengthening of partnerships. The deadline for submission of membership applications to be considered by the IUCN Council at the end of 2006, is 15 May 2006. Individuals can only become members of some of the six IUCN expert Commissions: Species Survival Commission (SSC), World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), Commission on Environmental Law (CEM), Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) and Commission on Environment, Economics and Social Policy (CEESP). For further information, please contact Maja Zitkovic, Project Officer, IUCN SEE, [email protected]. 4 Green Home for the Montenegrin Green Belt Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro: In September 2005, Montenegrin environmental NGO Green Home, in partnership with WWF MedPO, started to implement a two-year project “Durmitor-Tara-Prokletije Green Belt - Conserving the biological diversity of the South-Western Balkans”. This project aims to provide suitable conditions for long-term conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources in the Green Belt area of Montenegro. This task will be accomplished by designing a coherent and effective framework for the conservation of the Durmitor-Tara-Prokletije landscape and gathering data needed to support future conservation initiatives, by building capacities of selected key actors, and developing partnerships. The first phase of the project is expected to end in May 2006 with the development of a report covering the mentioned geographical area and including biological, socio-economic and stakeholder assessments, the analysis of the root causes of biodiversity loss, and respective maps. So far, the priority conservation needs have been identified through the preliminary assessment, and in partnership with local NGOs Most and Natura. More information is available from Natasa Durakovic, Project Coordinator, Green Home, [email protected]. 5 Albania joins Montenegro in protection of Skadar Lake Tirana, Albania: On 2 November the Albanian government announced that 495 km2 of the Albanian wing and surrounding habitats of Lake Skadar will be protected, thus combined with the National Park on the Montenegrin side of the lake, this will create a new protected area covering almost 900 km2 across the borders of Albania and Montenegro. IUCN joins the Dinaric Arc Initiative (DAI) partners in congratulating the Albanian government for this designation which creates a solid basis for enhancement of transboundary cooperation with Montenegro in joint management of the site. Strengthening of collaboration on Skadar issues was noted by the Prime Ministers of Albania and the Republic of Montenegro half a month before this designation occurred, during the conference organised under the DAI framework in Vranjina and Shkodra. 3 Lake Skadar is the biggest freshwater body in the Balkans which hosts some of the most important bird habitats and migratory areas of the region. Approximately 250 recorded bird species, including the Dalmatian pelican and golden eagle, and 45 fish species inhabit the lake and its surrounding areas, which are also home to large mammals such as bears. Apart from the lake, the protected area on the Albanian territory includes coastal mountains and Buna (Bojana) delta (the delta is not protected on the Montenegrin side).