This year’s project monitoring visit was held in Romania, between the 3rd and 5th of October 2018.
A monitoring visit is an annual event, done on behalf of the European Commission, which has to assess the progress of the project “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons” in one of the four project countries.
“LIFE for Danube Sturgeons” will run from 2016 to 2020 and aims to stop the threat to highly endangered wild sturgeons in the Lower Danube and Northwestern Black Sea region caused by illegal fishing and trade. The project is actively implemented in four countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.
WWF Romania and the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority in Tulcea (DDBRA) are partner organisations for the implementation of the project in Romania.
“We value a lot our cooperation with the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority. It is a very well-established and respected organisation, led by a Scientific Council, with solid knowledge and experience in the conservation of the biodiversity of the Danube Delta”, says Cristina Munteanu, Project Coordinator “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons”, WWF Romania.
After a day of administrative and accounts checks, the monitoring visit continued with a one-day trip to Jurilovca village, which is one of the communities on the Danube river, where the project in Romania operates. The other fishing communities are in Borcea, Fetești, Vadu Oii, Galați and Sfântu Gheorghe.
During the stay in the community, the monitoring team met and talked to members of the Jurilovca Fishing Association. Among many topics discussed, the fishermen were interested in other similar European sturgeon conservation projects and what are the solutions found by other European countries in reversing the situation with the disappearing wild sturgeon populations.
At the end of the visit, the team took part in a lesson organised by one of the four Eco-clubs, part of the “Active Youth Academy”, an initiative which has been introduced by WWF Romania in communities on the Danube Delta. Read the whole article on the “Active Youth Academy” in Romania.
Find out more about the Actionez.ro, an Online alert platform in Romania, part of the project activities.
Read the interview with one of the Romanian Sturgeon Advocates.
