01/03/2006 - Vienna/Odessa
– WWF, the global conservation organisation,
welcomes the results of the international
summit to discuss the future of the Danube
Delta that was organised February 27-28
in Odessa, but remains concerned by indications
from Ukrainian officials that construction
of the controversial Bystroye Canal would
continue regardless of the meeting.
In a final declaration, the Governments
of Ukraine, Romania and Moldova pledged
among other things to cooperate on management
of the area as well as work toward establishment
of a tri-lateral biosphere reserve.
However, the conference was overshadowed
by the February 22 announcement of the Ukrainian
Minister of Transport and Communications
Viktor Bondar that 17.8 million USD had
been allocated in the 2006 national budget
for completing Phase 1 of the controversial
Bystroye Canal through the core zone of
the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, a wetland
area of global importance that provides
important socioeconomic benefits for the
local people.
In the official press conference following
the summit, Ukrainian officials indicated
that construction of the Bystroye Canal
would go ahead regardless of the meeting.
The Bystroye Canal has been strongly criticized
by WWF and other organisations, including
the EU, and has been the source of a major
foreign policy row with Romania.
“The case of the Bystroye Canal underlines
the need for a shared, trans-boundary vision
for the sustainable development of the Danube
Delta, including inland navigation and infrastructure
planning, which can drive development toward
win-win solutions that yield both socioeconomic
as well as environmental benefits, for the
Ukrainian as well as for the Romanian and
the Moldovan parts of the Delta” said Michael
Baltzer, Director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian
Programme.
Navigation through the Danube Delta will
clearly increase in future, but the question
is whether this development will take place
within the limits of the natural system
and preserving the area’s exceptional values
and resources. Innovative technologies exist
for ships, infrastructure and logistics
which make it possible to increase transportation
capacities while limiting damage to nature
and local communities.
Tourism also presents a significant threat
but also an opportunity for the future of
people and nature in the Danube Delta, which
is internationally known for its abundant
nature. By developing a cross-border tourism
strategy and infrastructure, and marketing
a tri-national destination, a sustainable
tourism industry can be created which depends
on and profits from a healthy environment
and the natural and cultural uniqueness
of the region.
WWF has been working in the Danube Delta
for more than 13 years to promote conservation,
restoration and sustainable management of
nature for the benefit of both people and
the environment.
A Vision for the Ukrainian Danube Delta,
which was completed in 2003 with involvement
of authorities and stakeholders from the
Odessa Oblast in Ukraine as well as WWF,
presents an ambitious and inspiring plan
for a desirable future for the Ukrainian
part of the Delta.
Notes to editors
• The Conference for the Sustainable Development
of the Danube Delta was organised by the
Governments of Ukraine, Romania and Moldova;
UNESCO; the International Commission for
the Protection of the Danube River Basin
(ICPDR); the Ramsar Wetlands Convention;
the Council of Europe; and WWF, the global
conservation organisation.
• The Danube Delta is one of the world’s
most valuable wetland areas, home to a rich
diversity of flora and fauna, including
the globally threatened Dalmatian pelican
and several species of sturgeon. The area
has been identified by WWF as one of the
200 most valuable ecological regions on
Earth.
