SalvaEco

Alena, prima pensionara a centrului Vier Pfoten, o asociatie mai cunoscuta pentru eforturile de rezolvare a situatiei maidanezilor, a pus, inca de anul trecut, bazele unui proiect unic de salvare, crestere si apoi eliberare in padure a ursuletilor orfani. Acestia sunt crescuti in asa fel incat sa nu ramana dependenti de om. Ajunsi la maturitate, ei vor putea pleca din nou in salbaticie. Proiectul a inceput cu o mica ursoaica, botezata Alena, care fusese gasita si adoptata anul trecut, cu putin timp inainte de terminarea constructiei la orfelinatul de ursi din Muntii Harghitei. Apoi a fost descoperita Bruna, care s-a alaturat Alenei, mormaind fericita ca are o sora vitrega.
Fara ajutor, ursuletii mor de foame sau mancati de lupi
Cand centrul a fost gata, o echipa condusa de inginerul cinegetic Leonardo Bereczky, coordonatorul profesional al proiectului, a plecat in cautarea ursuletilor fara mama. Din grup mai fac parte un medic veterinar din Austria si doi asistenti. Ei au batut Bucegii, Muntii Harghitei, Vrancei si apoi s-au dus in zona Baile Herculane. Attila, puiul de un an, a fost descoperit aproape mort de frig, in zapada si dus de urgenta la Centrul de Salvare. Azi, Attila este sanatos, fara urme de rani si se dezvolta normal. Se joaca toata ziua cu ceilalti orfani ai centrului. De obicei, acesti pui sunt gasiti de catre lucratorii forestieri sau de salvamontisti. Ei au in fata doar varianta unei vieti in captivitate, prin circuri, gradini zoologice sau tarcuri private. intr-un singur an au fost descoperiti zece ursuleti. "Avand in vedere ca pana la varsta de trei ani puii sunt crescuti de mama, care nu numai ca le asigura hrana, dar ii si invata cum sa supravietuiasca si sa-si procure mancarea, orfanii abandonati in padure vor fi victimele ursilor adulti, ale lupilor sau vor muri de foame", ne-a spus Leonardo Bereczky.
Contactul cu omul i-ar transforma in tomberonisti
Ursuletii din "orfelinat" au nevoie de ingrijiri speciale. Ei trebuie pregatiti pentru viata din salbaticie, fara ca, ajunsi la maturitate, sa devina dependenti de om, fara sa astepte de la acesta hrana zilnica. Se cunoaste faptul ca multi dintre aceia care s-au obisnuit sa manance din mana turistilor au devenit ursi problema, hranindu-se cu gunoaie si atacand gospodariile. Asemenea exemple sunt ursii tomberonisti de la Brasov sau cei din Muntii Bucegi – Valea Cerbului, care sunt deja actori amatori pentru videocamerele turistilor. Pe masura ce invata sa se descurce singuri, ursuletii sunt lasati sa faca scurte iesiri prin vecinatatile impadurite. O data ce isi termina "educatia" si "antrenamentul", sunt eliberati si monitorizati permanent, datorita zgarzilor cu emitatoare telemetrice pe care le poarta la gat. Centrul Ursilor Orfani nu este deschis publicului, ci numai catorva oameni de stiinta, pentru a pastra universul acestor animale cat mai aproape de cel natural.

At a recent international summit of NGOs in Vienna ? preceding the EU Ministerial Meeting of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) ? WWF, together with 18 NGOs, called on Danube Basin countries and the European Commission to ensure that future shipping projects do not destroy the river.

"In contrast to many other European rivers, the Danube and its tributaries have a unique biodiversity," said Michael Baltzer, Conservation Director of WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme.

"It is a living lifeline that offers crucial benefits for people, such as drinking water, fisheries, tourism and forests that help flood prevention."

The EU Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) proposes to use the Danube more intensively for inland shipping and so-called "bottlenecks" ? the shallow waters of the Danube with the greatest ecological value are to be modified or destroyed. However, more than 65 per cent of the "bottlenecks" are either existing or potential Natura 2000 sites protected under the EU Habitats Directive.

The work would also affect three national parks ? Dunau Auen in Austria, and Duna-Ipoly and Duna-Drava National Parks in Hungary ? as well as 11 Ramsar wetland sites and one world heritage site in Wachau, Austria along the Danube basin. White pelicans, white-tailed eagles, and sturgeon are some of the species that will be threatened to any development.

WWF and the other NGOs have adopted a resolution that calls for ecologically sensitive implementation of shipping projects along the Danube basin, following the EU Water Framework Directive. It also asks to ensure public participation and to avoid new depth requirements beyond existing legislation. In addition, NGOs are calling for a European Environmental Co-ordinator to be appointed to help protect the environment.

WWF and its partners also urge the government of Ukraine and the European Commission to stop further construction works on the Ukrainian Danube?Black Sea Canal and to restore the damage that has been already done.

Notes:
? In 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This international agreement aims to protect landscapes of outstanding beauty and variety from destruction and to protect them as world heritage.

Three landscapes on t?e Danube have been declared World Heritage sites: the Danube Delta in Romania, the Srebarna Nature Reserve in Bulgaria, and since December 2000, the Wachau Cultural Landscape in Austria.

? The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1973. It aims at protecting internationally significant wetlands, which host rare or threatened animal or plant species. Most States along the Danube have Ramsar sites.

? On May 11, 2004, the Ukrainian government launched the construction of a canal to aid shipping through the Danube Delta. The government has chosen a route called the Bystroye Canal that will cut through the heart of the Ukrainian Danube Delta Biosphere reserve. Up to eight alternatives have been suggested for the route of the canal, including two endorsed by a special Ramsar and UNESCO mission to the Delta.

Potrivit legii, pe etichete va trebui sa se specifice daca alimentele contin ingrediente potential alergenice. Astfel, cumparatorii vor fi avertizati ca produsele contin cereale cu gluten, crustacee, oua, peste, alune, soia, lapte si produse lactate, nuci, telina, mustar, seminte de susan care pot provoca o alergie. Reprezentantul Autoritatii Nationale pentru Protectia Consumatorilor, Alexandru Pais, a precizat ca toate mentiunile de pe etichete trebuie redactate in limba romana, lizibil si inteligibil. Nu sunt excluse formularile intr-o alta limba, cu conditia ca pe eticheta sa fie si cele in limba romana.

"Today, we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system," said the first African woman and first environmental activist to win the peace prize.

Maathai, 64, warned that the world remained under attack from disease, deforestation and war.

"We are called to assist the earth to heal her wounds, and in the process heal our own – indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder," she told the crowd of dignitaries, including the Norwegian royal family and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.
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"This will happen if we see the need to revive our sense of belonging to a larger family of life, with which we have shared our evolutionary process," said Maathai, who founded the Green Belt Movement. She received a gold medal and diploma along with the $1.5 million prize.

Before she took the stage, the usually stodgy ceremony lit up with color and sound as three African dancers and accompanying drummers pounded out a brief piece of African music that echoed off the walls of the large auditorium. Maathai herself wore a brilliant orange traditional dress.

In neighboring Sweden, the other Nobel prizes – for medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics – were awarded.

Bengt Samuelsson, chairman of the board of the Nobel Foundation, addressed the frequently heard criticism that too few women have received the Nobel Prize over the years.

Although only 31 of the 705 Nobel Prizes handed out since 1901 have gone to women, Samuelsson pointed out that there were three this year.

Afterward, more than 1,300 guests, including the laureates’ relatives, Sweden’s royal family, government officials, ambassadors, scientists and business leaders, attended the Nobel banquet.

Absent from Stockholm was the literature prize winner, Elfriede Jelinek of Austria, who cited a social phobia. Although she sent a prerecorded video lecture, she did not send any prepared remarks.

Presenting her award, Horace Engdahl, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said she has "given new currency to a heretical feminine tradition and … expanded the art of literature."

Concluziile s-au desprins in urma intalnirii care a avut loc marti la Kiev intre ministrul Mediului, Sulfina Barbu, si omologul sau ucrainean, Pablo Ignatenko. "Am sesizat o schimbare consistenta in abordarea relatiilor bilaterale. Partea ucraineana m-a asigurat ca lucrarile la Canalul Bistroe au fost oprite. Nu stim la aceasta data cand si in ce stadiu au fost oprite", a declarat ieri Sulfina Barbu.
Trebuie reamintit ca autoritatile romane au cerut Guvernului ucrainean la 19 aprilie sa plateasca taxa pentru infiintarea comisiei de ancheta in cadrul Conventiei de la Espoo privind impactul pe care constructia Canalului Bistroe il are asupra Deltei Dunarii.
Sulfina a precizat ca Ucraina "face eforturi" pentru a-si plati contributia pentru buna functionare a comisiei, ai carei membri s-au intalnit deja in mai multe runde de discutii. "Asa cum s-a stabilit la intalnirea dintre cei doi presedinti, roman si ucrainean, subiectul Canalului Bistroe va fi analizat in cadrul comisiei pentru ecologie si probleme economice, de fapt o subcomisie in cadrul Comisiei Iuscenko-Basescu", a mai spus Sulfina Barbu. Ministrul a precizat ca sunt sanse de 50/50 la suta ca lucrarile la canal sa fie ori reluate, ori oprite definitiv.
Pe de alta parte, oficialul roman a mai aratat ca la Kiev s-a stabilit semnarea pana la sfarsitul lui octombrie a unui acord bilateral de colaborare pe probleme de protectie a mediului intre Romania si Ucraina.

Legat de canalul Bastroe, dupa cum a declarat ministrul Barbu, "noi nu am spus ca ne opunem
unei investitii, ci vrem sa fim parte la luarea deciziilor privind construirea canalului". Ministrul Mediului nu a primit asigurari din partea vecinilor nostri ca acest canal nu se va construi in continuare. "Nu a fost un angajament ferm ca nu vor mai construi", a mai spus ministrul. Totusi, omologul sau ucrainean a facut o concesie si a asigurat-o pe Sulfina Barbu ca, in acest moment, nu se desfasoara lucrari la canal. Nici despre stadiul lucrarilor, ministrul Barbu nu are mai multe detalii. "Stim ca prima faza de constructie este gata si am inteles ca exista si o a doua faza, dar nu pot sa va spun cat s-a facut pana acum", a declarat ministrul Mediului. Nici macar in problema comisiei de experti intrunite pe baza conventiei ESPOO, Sulfina Barbu nu a obtinut decat promisiunea ca partea ucraineana va plati banii pentru pentru constituirea acesteia, dar abia dupa rectificarea bugetara facuta de guvernul de la Kiev. Pana atunci, lucrarile comisiei care trebuie sa evalueze impactul Canalului Bastroe stagneaza.

BiH has ratified the Convention as the last of the 13 participating states.

The meeting of ministers and other senior officials of the Danube basin countries, responsible for managing the water resources and protection of environment in the basin of river Danube, was organized ten years after the adoption of the Convention on Cooperation in Protection and Sustainable Usage of River Danube.

Further, the participants of the Ministerial Conference have adopted a declaration titled ?The Danube Basin in the Hearth of Europe?.

The countries that share the basin of river Danube have expressed their commitment to further strengthening of cross-border cooperation on sustainable managing of water resources within the Danube region.

The Declaration also sets priorities, goals and the main actions for the next ten years.

The Vienna meeting has also marked the Action Programme for sustainable protection from floods in the Danube basin.

The meeting in Vienna was attended by ministers and senior political representatives responsible for managing water resources from Austria, BiH, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldavia, Romania, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the European Commission.

Pentru ca aceasta comisie sa-si desfasoare activitatea, cele doua state, Romania si Ucraina, trebuiau sa achite cate 64.500 euro. Tara noastra si-a indeplinit obligatiile, ministrul Mediului din Ucraina afirmand, la intalnirea de la Kiev cu Sulfina Barbu, ca asteapta rectificarea bugetara ce urmeaza sa fie operata de Guvernul ucrainean. "Este o situatie fara precedent, ca o tara sa nu achite o astfel de contributie. Activitatea comisiei va incepe atunci cand Ucraina va plati partea sa", a precizat ministrul Mediului. Sulfina Barbu a spus ca partea ucraineana "nu a dat asigurari ca nu va mai construi" pana la finalizarea analizei comisiei mixte. La ora actuala, nu se lucreaza, inca, la Canalul Bastroe.

Pe de alta parte, Romania a primit o oferta din partea Bancii Nordice de Investitii pentru un credit de 32 milioane de euro, prin care sa se asigure derularea unor proiecte ce vizeaza managementul si recostructia ecologica in Delta Dunarii. "Pentru aceasta este necesar un plan, care este in curs de evaluare. Ministerul a alocat sumele necesare pentru plan, care se preconizeaza sa fie gata la jumatatea lunii iulie", a adaugat Sulfina Barbu. Anul trecut, Ucraina a demarat si incheiat lucrarile la prima parte a Canalului Bastroe, care a fost realizat in Delta Dunarii ucrainene. Partea romana a reclamat lipsa de consultare, potrivit conventiilor internationale la care cele doua state sunt parti, si impactul negativ asupra ecosistemului Deltei, in general, si a Deltei romanesti, in special. "Nu ne opunem investitiei, dar vrem sa participam la evaluare", a completat ministrul roman al Mediului, Sulfina Barbu. (L.M.)

"Va fi decizia optima, indiferent de cat ne va costa ea. Deocamdata nu avem alternative: banii au fost deja cheltuiti," a argumentat ministrul ucrainean al Transporturilor, Evgheni Cervonenko, pozitia autoritatilor de la Kiev. Totodata, oficialul ucrainean s-a declarat deschis posibilitatii ca Ministerul Transporturilor sa analizeze unele variante "mai ieftine si mai putin periculoase" de construire a canalului Bastroe, acestea urmand a fi supuse la vot in cadrul Consiliului de Securitate si Aparare al Ucrainei. "Noi nu plecam de pe Dunare. Este dreptul nostru," a mai adaugat Cervonenko, refuzand sa detalieze eventualele alternative ale proiectului Bastroe. Declaratiile ministrului ucrainean al Transporturilor intervin in contextul in care presedintele Ucrainei, Viktor Iuscenko, si omologul sau roman, Traian Basescu, au convenit asupra solutionarii diferendelor romano-ucraine prin infiintarea unei comisii care sa gestioneze situatia creata de construirea canalului Bastroe, reglementarea conflictului transnistrean, precum si problema minoritatilor din Romania si Ucraina. Cu ocazia vizitei sale la Bucuresti, presedintele Iuscenko a admis faptul ca problemele ridicate de proiectul Bastroe si Insula Serpilor sunt complicate, insistand asupra importantei constituirii rapide a unui comitet care sa solutioneze aceste diferende, alcatuit din ministrii Transporturilor ai celor doua tari, adjunctii ministrilor de Externe si alti specialisti. La acest moment, autoritatile ucrainene au finalizat primul tronson al canalului navigabil de mare adancime Dunare-Marea Neagra, costurile lucrarilor fiind de aproximativ 13 milioane de dolari, potrivit Agentiei Rusia la Zi. (D.E.)

The wooden Greenpeace ‘Climate Ark’ held symbolic climate refugees. Their message is simple: without action against global warming, the future looks bleak for most of the planet’s population. Global warming will bring more storms, floods and heat waves that will hit the poorest and most vulnerable first.

Among the crowds at the Ark were 4000 online activists from Argentina who turned up in person to demand action – not words – from the politicians gathering in their city.

It took the world 10 years to finally agree the only global response to climate change – the Kyoto Protocol – which limits greenhouse gases. The world cannot afford another 10 years before taking significant action to tackle the problem. Without action, the melting of glaciers, break-up of ice sheets, and sea-level rise will only accelerate.

While the world’s poor feel the impact first, responsibility for tackling the problem lies with the world’s biggest polluters – the rich countries. The US administration is currently ‘climate enemy number one’ as the biggest polluter and most vocal opponent of?action on global warming.

Not only is the US not putting its own house in order, it will be actively lobbying other countries at the talks not to take any action. But US inaction should not be an excuse for stalemate at the talks, or for other countries to put off action.

The question is, are we prepared to act to prevent even worse impacts of climate change and at the same time provide help for the most vulnerable to adapt or will we consign millions to their fates in an uncertain and unstable world?

Keeping the global average temperature increase below 2-C should be the goal of climate policy. That will still be dangerous to millions of people but it is now probably the best we can do.

By staying below 2-C we can limit damage to coral reefs; limit the risk of the Greenland ice sheet collapsing; and limit the rate and extent of sea level rise. Hunger, water scarcity and disease risk seem to accelerate with higher temperature. It isn’t too late to pull the world back from the brink but it soon may be.

There is no choice. Governments must act now to save the planet from a dangerous and uncertain future or all the arks in the world won’t be enough to save the climate refugees.