Posted on 02 December
2013 - Budva, Montenegro – Representatives
of the governments of eight countries –
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Kosovo*, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and
Slovenia – have endorsed today a key agreement
for the protection of the environment in
the Adria region in South-Eastern Europe.
WWF, the global conservation organisation,
welcomes this historic milestone.
Today's agreement sees
the Adria countries formally commit to strengthen
regional cooperation in conservation and
sustainable development, and the establishment
of a first trilateral transboundary protected
area between Albania, Kosovo* and Macedonia.
The first two marine protected areas in
Montenegro were also approved for creation.
This agreement increases the eight countries'
protected territory by more than 13 per
cent and is endorsing the creation of two
new national parks, 10 protected landscapes,
and three marine protected areas.
The eight countries
have committed to assess the economic value
of their natural capital, while integrating
nature conservation goals into economic
development plans for fisheries, forestry,
agriculture, energy, spatial planning, and
cross-sectoral cooperation.
"The beautiful
Adria region in South-Eastern Europe is
rich in natural resources and has been identified
by WWF as a place of global importance for
its abundant biodiversity," said Jim
Leape, Director General of WWF International.
"WWF applauds all governments involved
for their commitment to choose the long-term
benefits associated with sustainable development
over short-term economic gains."
The Adria countries
commit to evaluate the contribution of protected
areas to their own and the region's economy,
and to draft sustainable financing schemes
for protected areas. This will include plans
to build sustainable tourism in these areas
over the next five years.
"WWF is proud to
have supported the Adria countries in the
development of a regional network of almost
80 protected areas, known as the Dinaric
Arc parks network," said Paolo Lombardi,
Director of WWF Mediterranean. "This
transboundary cooperation in the field of
nature protection is happening for the first
time in the Adria region, and should scale
up the development of sustainable tourism
in the region."
Adria is the most water-rich
area in the Mediterranean, and hosts the
largest European virgin forest and healthy
populations of large carnivores – including
bear, lynx, wolf and golden jackal. The
region also boasts the second deepest canyon
in the world and is home to more than 5,000
unique species.
*This designation is without prejudice to
positions on status, and is in line with
UNSCR 1244/99 and the IJC opinion on the
Kosovo declaration of independence.
+ More
Construction begins
on new Virunga hydropower plant
Posted on 19 December
2013 - A second hydroelectric project was
started Monday on a river that runs through
Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
Once online, the hydropower
plant will provide 12.5 megawatts of clean
energy to communities living around the
park, more than doubling the existing hydroelectric
capacity. The facility is also expected
to provide fresh drinking water to more
than one million nearby residents.
Funding for the US$19.7
million project was provided by American
philanthropist Howard G. Buffett.
According to a statement
by Buffett’s foundation, “The provision
of electricity will boost the agricultural
transformation industry from coffee, livestock,
fish and support post-conflict industries
such as tourism, thereby increasing rural
employment and farmers' revenue in one of
the most impoverished areas on earth. The
sale of electricity will also fund the park's
protection for the next 75 to 100 years,
thus securing the area as a pristine World
Heritage Site and home to many unique species
including the endangered mountain gorillas.”
Analysis commissioned
by WWF found that hydroelectric plants powered
by Virunga National Park’s watershed have
the potential to generate US$10 million
per year and could spark an economic stimulus
leading to the creation of 10,000 jobs.
Sustainable development
of hydropower, fisheries and ecotourism
in the World Heritage Site present an alternative
to potentially damaging oil extraction,
which is currently being pursued by an UK
company. Soco International PLC is planning
to begin invasive exploration activities
on Virunga’s Lake Edward, which provides
fish and drinking water to 50,000 people.
Soco is pressing ahead
with operations in the park despite opposition
by local communities, its home government,
and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
WWF in October filed a complaint against
the company alleging violations of human
rights and environmental provisions of the
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
