First Natura 2000 Award winners announced
22 May 2014 10:48 AM
The winners of the first Natura 2000 Awards have
been announced at a ceremony in Brussels. These Awards recognise
excellence in Natura 2000 site management, showcasing the value of the network
for local communities and economies.
“My warmest congratulations to these deserving
winners!” said Commissioner Potočnik. “Thanks
to the tireless efforts of people working for and in Natura 2000
sites, our vast network of protected areas is developing into a real success
for European cooperation. These awards showcase some examples of
the great work that is being done across the EU by site managers, public
authorities, conservation organisations and volunteers, farmers, foresters,
hunters and fishermen, scientists, teachers and many others besides. This is
their day, and they richly deserve this success."
Natura 2000 is a network of over 27 000 protected sites
that covers 18 % of the EU landmass and 4 % of marine areas,
protecting and enhancing Europe’s natural heritage. These Awards
recognise excellence in Natura 2000 site management, showcasing the value of
the network for local communities and economies. Reflecting the wide range of
work carried out across the Natura 2000 network, they include five categories:
Conservation, Socio-Economic Benefits, Communication, Reconciling
Interests/Perceptions, and Networking & Cross-Border
Cooperation.
…and the winners are …
The Conservation Award went
to a project to save the imperial eagle in
Sakar, Bulgaria. Thanks to the work of the
project team and the cooperation between conservationists and private
companies, the local population of this globally threatened species has been
brought back from the brink of extinction. By working with energy companies to
insulate dangerous power lines and bury overhead cables, the project
successfully eliminated the risk of electrocution, a serious problem facing
this bird of prey.
A
project in Sighișoara-Târnava
Mare, Romania won
the Socio-Economic Benefits Award, with an impressive
example of Natura 2000 providing economic growth and sustainable livelihoods in
rural areas. The project enables farmers to make a better living by working
sustainably on high nature value land, while also preserving a unique landscape
with rich biodiversity. Thanks to the project, 2300 farming families in the
region generate income of more than €2.5 million annually, and similar
ideas are now being applied in other parts of Romania.
The Communication Award goes
to Raná-Hrádek in the Czech
Republic for promoting the protection of dry grassland habitats
in the Louny region. A ‘Celebration of the steppes’ event attracts
1000 people every year in May, and an annual art competition helps make
children more aware of conservation work. The project raises awareness amongst
EU citizens about the value of natural heritage.
The Reconciling Interests/Perceptions
Award went to a project in the Vijvergebied van
Midden Limburgsite in Belgium. Landowners,
nature organisations and authorities – once in conflict over nature
conservation – now work together here to manage wetlands, thanks to an
innovative approach combining economy, ecology and education.
The Networking & Cross-Border
Cooperation Award goes to a technical cooperation
network in Spainfor developing quality
standards for management and a reference website on the state of the Natura
2000 network in Spain. Rebollar de Navalpotro in Guadalajara is one area where
these actions have been successfully applied, showing how Natura 2000 is both a
network of species and habitats and a network of people.
Background
Anyone directly involved in Natura 2000 –
businesses, authorities, NGOs, volunteers, land owners, educational
institutions or individuals – could apply for this Award, and a total of
163 applications from across Europe were received. From these, a shortlist of
22 applications was submitted to a high-level jury, who then selected the
winner of each category.
Following the interest shown in this Award, the quality
of the submissions and the importance of highlighting the fantastic
conservation work being carried out across Europe, the European Commission aims
to make this Award an annual event.
For
more information:
Pictures of the winnings sites can be downloaded
here: Natura 2000 Awards press material.
For
more about the winners and the role that Natura 2000 sites play in helping to
protect Europe’s biodiversity can be found on the Natura 2000 Award
website:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/
For
more about Nature in Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm
https://www.facebook.com/NatureInEurope
Contacts :
For
the press:
Joe
Hennon (+32 2 295 35 93)
Andreja
Skerl (+32 2 295 14 45)
For
the public: Europe Direct by
phone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or by email
|