On 18 October 2022, SaveGREEN co-hosted a Side-Event on Ecological Connectivity in the frame of the 11th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). The event, which celebrated the newly endorsed Declaration on Achieving functional biodiversity in the Danube-Carpathian Region by mainstreaming ecological connectivity, provided important regional actors to reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding ecological connectivity and biodiversity in the Green Heart of Europe.

The side-event “Achieving functional biodiversity conservation in the Danube-Carpathian Region by mainstreaming ecological connectivity – how to make it happen” was a collaborative event jointly hosted by the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the EUSDR Priority Areas 4 (Water Quality), 5 (Environmental Risks) and 6 (Biodiversity, Landscapes, Quality of Air and Soils), and WWF Central and Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE) on behalf of the SaveGREEN Consortium.

The side-event was opened and moderated by Ms. Irene Lucius, Conservation Director for WWF-CEE, who welcomed the participants and highlighted the urgent need to translate our knowledge of the crucial importance of biodiversity and the role of ecological connectivity into concrete action. She identified three ingredients, political will and cooperation across sectors as well as countries, as crucial components of this effort, and hopes that the new Declaration and this side-event will prove a solid milestone on the way to achieving these aims. 

Following Ms. Lucius’ introduction, a video message was shared by Mr. Ján Kadlečík, Coordinator of the Carpathian Wetland Initiative, inviting all to join the Initiative and its partners in the drive to conserve and restore wetlands and rivers in the Carpathian Region. He too highlighted that only through cooperation, effective communication and the necessary political support will we be able to meet the targets of the UN Decade on Restoration and the EU Biodiversity Strategy.

The next speaker to take the floor was Mr. Harald Egerer, Head of the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention. After thanking the other co-organisers for the organisation of the event and the opportunity to promote the Declaration on Ecological Connectivity, Mr. Egerer highlighted the particular challenge of maintaining ecological connectivity in mountainous areas, where valleys form critical connecting landscape elements for both people and wildlife.

The wealth of biodiversity and intact natural landscapes remaining in the Carpathians represents both an opportunity and responsibility to preserve these natural treasures in order to secure a continued delivery of ecosystems services on which the populations of the region depend. The Carpathians and the Danube are the two largest geographical components of the ecological network of central Europe and all need to join forces to preserve their capacity as functional wildlife corridors and habitats.

Moving from the mountains to the rivers, Mr. Róbert-Eugen Szép, President of the ICPDR, pointed out that ecological health of a freshwater system is directly related to its ability to withstand pressures such as climate change and pollution. Connectivity between sections of the river and between the river and its floodplains is a critical precondition for achieve good water status in water bodies ore maintain it. In recognition of this, the ICPDR River Basin Management Plan 2021-2027 also strongly reflects on river connectivity and highlights actions that are needed to ensure functioning fish migration routes as well as biodiversity in the basin’s rivers. 

While much has already been achieved since 2009, including 127 fish migration aids, 58 river restoration projects, and partial or total reconnection of nearly 61,745 ha of flood-plains/wetlands, Mr. Szép highlighted that the water management community cannot achieve the environmental targets on its own: it will need the support of all relevant sectors, including agriculture, energy and the transport sector.

Speaking on behalf of the EUSDR Priority Area 4, Ms. Danka Thalmeinerová introduced the history and rationale behind the new Declaration on Ecological Connectivity. The importance of maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity as means to recover biodiversity and increase resilience to climate change and other pressures is becoming ever clearer. The Declaration symbolises a recognition of the importance of this issue and responds to the need alluded to by previous speakers for joint collaboration across sectors and borders, by reiterating the endorsees’ commitment to the issue and the necessity of a concerted effort across sectoral and national borders.

To introduce a country perspective to the matter, the floor was then given to Mr. Ihor Korkhovyi, EUSDR National Coordinator of Ukraine, who highlighted the tremendous cost to Ukrainian livelihoods, infrastructure and the environment incurred by the on-going Russian invasion since 24 February 2022. The cost of damages to Ukrainian infrastructure due to the war is estimated at USD 97 billion (1 June 2022) and is rising ever higher. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano in July, the Lugano Conference was adopted, which enshrines the Built-Back-Better principle.

Mr. Korkhovyi stated that the Ukrainian people ‘are convinced that the recovery process should be coordinated with the environmental and climate goals of the European Union and the Green Agenda,’ leading to a ‘green and carbon-neural economy.’

A second national contribution was made by Mr. Michal Blaško, EUSDR National Coordinator of Slovakia, who highlighted the importance of ecological connectivity and several projects implemented in Slovakia including concrete measures in pilot areas. The main challenge at the moment lies in the finalisation of the network of ecological corridors in Slovakia and the whole of the Carpathians, and to anchor these in spatial planning. He proceeded to state that ‘as was mentioned by Mr. Korkhovyi, we are going through extremely difficult times in Europe today, the war in Ukraine started by the Russian Federation, the security crisis in Europe and subsequent energy crisis, and the economic and social crises linked to Covid-19.

It has to be emphasised that in all these crises, the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity didn’t disappear. It is all the more important to keep working together as only together can we tackle these joint challenges.’ Mr. Blaško then noted that, while not a funding mechanism, the Danube Strategy is a policy framework, which, through its Action Plan, identifies the most important issues to be tackled regionally, with biodiversity conservation clearly among them. The managing authorities of all mainstream European funding programmes in the region are required to incorporate the objectives of the strategy. All relevant experts in attendance are therefore invited to take part in the meetings of the managing authorities and networking platforms of the strategy to streamline cooperation towards protecting bio corridors and the biodiversity of our countries.

In the ensuing panel discussion, the speakers Ms. Thalmeinerová underlined that the funding is not the main issue going forward, but rather conflicting sectoral interests. There is an urgent need to work with spatial planners and to look at property and management rights in areas of special value. The second most pressing issue is one of capacity, from the international down to the local level. If we can address these two issues, the funding will come.

Mr. Egerer added the highly destructive impact of the situation in Ukraine and repercussions in shifts of focus away from environmental issues. Mr. Egerer then highlighted the Carpathian Ministerial Conference on 21-22nd November in Poland, which will discuss biodiversity, connectivity, the impacts of the situation in Ukraine and how the Carpathian Convention can support Ukraine.  

Finally, Mr. Blaško reiterated that the money is there. We need the political will among national authorities to shift the focus to a cross-border scope and cooperate with neighbours to address these issues.

 Ms. Lucius closed the event by thanking the speakers and noting that while multiple on-going crises are rendering effective biodiversity conservation ever more challenging, the policy framework has seldom been so promising in light of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the upcoming Nature Restoration Law and the Convention on Biological Diversity COP at the end of the year. The endorsement of Declaration on Ecological Connectivity by the Carpathian Convention, the ICPDR and three EUSDR Priority Areas is a clear signal by some of the most important regional players in the Danube-Carpathian region of their readiness to pursue and expand cooperation in order to mainstream  ecological connectivity and safeguard functional biodiversity.