Vienna, 17 December 2018 – The Convention for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathian Mountains was awarded a WWF Gift to the Earth award today, its highest accolade, at a ceremony at UN Environment offices in Vienna.
Arching across the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary, and down to Romania and the tip of Serbia, the Carpathians are Europe's last great wilderness area - a bastion for large carnivores, with over half of the continent's population of bears, wolves and lynx, and home to the greatest remaining reserve of old growth forests outside of Russia.
“The Carpathian Convention is the product of cooperation between governments and different stakeholders, including from civil society, science, the public and private sectors that all share a dream,” said Harald Egerer, head of UN Environment Vienna Office, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention. “It is for this dream and our efforts to sustainably develop the region and preserve it for future generations that I believe we are receiving this Gift to the Earth award from WWF.”
Covering an area five times the size of Switzerland and larger than the Alps, the Carpathian Mountains are home to 18 million people. Many of them depend on the natural resources of the region for their livelihoods and well-being. Forestry, tourism and agriculture are important for local economies, including income and employment. More significantly perhaps, the region and its natural resources provide a host of ecosystem services, including climate regulation and water management.
The region’s exceptional natural treasures are increasingly threatened by unsustainable development. Demand for biomass is driving the harvesting of the region’s forests, both legally and illegally.
The Carpathian Convention has played an important role in leading and coordinating action by its member countries and relevant stakeholders. These actions have not only sought to address a host of environmental challenges across the very diverse Carpathian Mountains, but also to identify and promote opportunities for sustainable local development.
“WWF has given a Gift to the Earth, its highest award, to the Carpathian Convention. This award recognises the important role that the Convention has played in facilitating action by its seven member governments and relevant stakeholders to preserve the exceptional natural values and promote sustainable development in the globally-important Carpathian mountains region, as well as in serving as a model for cross-border cooperation. The Carpathian Convention presents an example of the necessity and potential for working together across national borders and across sectors,” said Andreas Beckmann, Director of the WWF-Danube-Carpathian Programme.