Irene, Suzanne, and Phyllis (Danube-Carpathian Program)
Danube Delta, Romania © WWF-Canon/Michael Gunther
About the Program: The Danube-Carpathian Program of WWF International (WWF-DCP) was established in 1998 to lead, coordinate and implement WWF’s activities to protect and preserve the Danube and Carpathian ecoregions. This area includes the territory of 19 countries, from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania and Ukraine, and Poland in the north to Bulgaria in the south. WWF-DCP works closely with WWF national organizations in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Poland, and is directly responsible for implementing WWF activities in Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Moldova together with internal and external partners. Our work is organized into three main programs: Freshwater; Forests and Protected Areas, and Agriculture/Rural Development.
WWF-DCP has played a major role in the development of framework political agreements for conservation, including the Carpathian Convention (born from the Danube-Carpathian Summit organised by WWF in cooperation with the Romanian government in 2001) and the Lower Danube Green Corridor Agreement (facilitated by WWF and signed by the governments of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova in 2000). Since 2001, WWF DCP’s Accession Initiative has played an important role in supporting preparations to implement EU program and legislation in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, especially the Habitats and Water Framework Directives as well as agriculture and regional development funding program. More recently, WWF-DCP has begun developing practical models demonstrating conservation and sustainable livelihoods, e.g. through a range of approaches including development of private-sector, municipal and national payments for ecosystem services in the Maramures region of northern Romania. Its involvement as Observer to the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River is greatly appreciated by Danube governments.
The WWF Danube-Carpathian Program presently has a staff of about 70 with a coordinating office in Vienna, Austria, and field offices in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia, as well as representatives and partner organizations in Croatia, Serbia, and Slovakia.
Writers and Blog Content:
Over the last two years, WWF-DCP has become more involved and active in learning, sharing, and lobbying for climate change adaptation strategies in the Danube-Carpathian Region. Our initial blog entries will discuss how our office has started to integrate climate change adaptation into project work and examples of work completed.
Suzanne
As DCP’s Senior Policy Officer, Irene Lucius is lobbying governments and river commissions in the Danube basin to include the concept of building resilience to climate change into river basin management plans and policies.
Phyllis
Phyllis Rachler works on Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation issues for the Danube-Carpathian Program and is working on how climate change adaptation can be integrated into WWF-DCP’s current conservation project and program planning.
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Restoring resilient freshwater ecosystems in the Danube Delta, Ukraine (December 9th, 2009)
By Suzanne Ebert, WWF-DCP
First Encounters (November 2nd, 2009)
by Phyllis Rachler, WWF-DCP
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