CERI leaflet I - The Carpathian EcoRegion Initiative

CARPATHIAN ECOREGIONA coalition of NGOsand research institutesworking towardsa common visionfor conservationand sustainabledevelopmentin the Carpathians• covers7 CarpathianCountries• has 45 memberorganisations• aims to support the implementationof the Carpathian Convention• acts as a single focal point for communicationand coordination of projects and researchthroughout the Carpathians• strives to implement conservation on a naturalscale regardless of political boundaries or otherartificial barriers• supports the development of a vision for the futureof the Carpathians, taking into account allthe biological features, their distribution,and how they may be safeguardedand restored in the long-termintegrated with socialand cultural factorsINITIATIVE

Beyond the species level, biological diversity includes patterns in nature up to the landscape level. The many flowersthat form spots of color in a meadow, the songbirds that give forests a different music that fields, the various foresttypes that create zones of color on a mountain that we see from 20 miles away, or the variations in greenness thatcan be detected from satellites in space are all ultimately the consequence of genetic diversity interacting withenvironmental conditions to produce differences between organisms.CERI´sobjectiveto lead and coordinateregion-scale biodiversityconservation and sustainabledevelopment within the frameworkof the Carpathian Convention in orderto secure long-term benefits in the Carpathians.CERI works through targeted projects and internationalworking groups.CERI Working Groups• Biodiversity WG – biodiversity protection• Biodiversity Information System WG – creation ofthe Carpathian Biodiversity Information System• Communication WG – internal and external communicationtools• Tourism WG – sustainable tourism as a toolfor supporting sustainable development in theCarpathians• Environmental and Sustainable DevelopmentEducation WG – awareness raising and publicparticipation• Environmental Policy and Rural DevelopmentWG – regional policies and strategies in theCarpathian region• Management Planning WG – management ofprotected areas and Ramsar sites in CarpathiansCERI´s visionMichael A. Houston, 1994“to achieve the long termconservation of the unique natureof the globally important CarpathianMountains, while supporting its economyand culture for the lasting benefit of peoplethrough international partnership”The CERI was originally created as a project by the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme in 1999 bringing together internationalnetwork of organisations and experts working for the protectionand sustainable development of the Carpathians. Since 2004,CERI has become a separate legal entity based in Slovakia withnational focal points in seven Carpathian countries representing45 member organisations.

Development of a Carpathian Ecological NetworkStrengthening the capacities of the CarpathianEcoRegion Initiative (CERI) in supporting theimplementation of the Carpathian ConventionCERI is the local project implementer of theproject "Development of a Carpathian EcologicalNetwork". The overall objective is to support theimplementation of the Carpathian Convention.Main outcomes:• creation of Carpathian Biodiversity Information System(CBIS) in Ukraine, Romania and Serbia• design of a regional ecological network for the Carpathiansbased on the CBIS to secure the long termprotection of biodiversity of the Carpahtians• elaboration of strategic documents for CERI (e.g.Development Strategy, Communication Strategy)• trainings for CERI members to increase understandingon the principles and techniques of ecologicalnetwork development and implementation of relevantinternational Directives and agreements linkedwith Natura 2000, Emerald,Pan-European EcologicalNetwork(PEEN)Project organizer: Wageningen International (part of WageningenUniversity)Partners: CERI, WWF DCP, Daphne, Orbicon and ECNCThe project is implemented in close cooperation withthe Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention andthe Focal Points of the Carpathian Convention in Ukraine,Romania and Serbia. It is supported through the BBI/MatraProgram of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and FoodQuality of the Netherlands.Program duration: April 2006 – March 2009Contact:• Henk Zingstra (henk.zingstra@wur.nl), International Programme Manager• Anna Guttova (guttova@daphne.sk), Local Programme Manager