UNIS/INF/194
1 February 2007

World Wetlands Day - Not Enough Progress in Danube Wetland Work

VIENNA, 1 February (UN Information Service) -- On the occasion of World Wetlands Day (2 February), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Global Environment Facility (GEF) Danube Regional Project (DRP) today said that more needs to be done to make better use of wetlands as pollution removers. "While Danube NGOs are doing good work that help protect and restore valuable wetlands in the Danube River Basin, more needs to be done," said Peter Whalley, Environmental Specialist, DRP.

'Wetlands' are places where water and land naturally cooperate to protect water, animals, plants and humans. In addition to absorbing pollution, wetlands provide numerous other valuable services such as reducing the impact of floods and providing homes for aquatic life forms.

Unfortunately, some 80 per cent of the Danube Basin's wetlands and floodplains have been lost due to past human activities over the last 150 years, from river channelling to making room for more farmland.

"Danube countries are missing an excellent opportunity to use wetlands to reduce water pollution, especially from nutrients," said Mr. Whalley. Nutrient pollution is a serious problem in the Danube Basin and one that countries need to address before they can meet European Union water legislation, the 'Water Framework Directive', by 2015. "More attention to wetlands should make it easier for Danube countries to meet this law," he added.

A recent survey, funded through the DRP, asked wetland and water managers throughout the basin what they perceived to be most important about wetlands. The result was that most found wetlands beneficial for habitat protection, flood control and recreational purposes (68 per cent), but only 9 per cent found them useful for nutrient pollution control. 

"The results prove that the case for using wetlands for nutrient pollution needs to be better promoted on Wetlands Day and every day," said Mr. Whalley. To better encourage the importance of Danube wetlands, the DRP is developing a guidance document for wetland managers that includes case studies where wetlands have improved water quality.

The DRP has also funded numerous wetland pollution-reduction projects implemented by Danube NGOs. Examples include a project in Veresegyház, Hungary, where local NGO Tavirozsa restocked a lake with original wetland plants and removed alien fish species -- to reduce the lake's nutrient pollution problem.

In Slovakia, the NGO BROZ cooperated with Slovak State Forests to introduce nature-oriented forestry in the 1,500 hectare Rusovce floodplain near Bratislava. The new management will remove alien trees and plant native tree species such as elm, oak and wild pear. In addition, BROZ together with the State Nature Conservancy, submitted proposals for three new protected wetland sites of nearly 1,400 hectares along the Danube.

In south Moravia, Czech Republic, local NGO Sagittaria prepared and helped implement a new local management plan to increase the capacity of a damaged fish pond. The goal was to naturally reduce excessive nutrient pollution from agriculture and communal sewage. A green buffer strip was set up, fish stocks improved, valuable wetland plants were grown in a special lake enclosure and a public campaign helped build local support.

Note to Editors:

What is World Wetlands Day? 2 February each year marks the date of the signing of the Ramsar International Convention on Wetlands in 1971. Since then each year government agencies, non-governmental organizations and groups of citizens at all levels have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of the values and benefits of wetlands and the Ramsar Convention.

What is the Danube Regional Project? The overall goal of the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project (DRP) is to improve the environment of the Danube River Basin, protect its waters and sustainably manage its natural resources for the benefit of nature and people. The DRP helps 13 Danube countries implement the Danube River Protection Convention primarily through reducing nutrient and toxic pollution and strengthening trans-boundary cooperation in the most international river basin in the world. Through its partnerships with governments, industry, NGOs and local communities, the DRP provides both technical and financial support. It also ensures, through sophisticated public participation and communication activities, that all Danube stakeholders are aware of relevant issues and can put their concerns into action.


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For more information, please contact:

Paul Csagoly, UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project
Telephone: +43 1 26060 4722
Mobile: +43 664 561 2192
Email: paul.csagoly@unvienna.org
 Website: www.undp-drp.org

See more on Danube wetlands on the DRP website:
www.undp-drp.org/drp/themes_wetlands