European Wilderness Journal Issue 1

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Dear Friends of the wild!

In the past 15 years a lot has been achieved for Europe’s wilderness. These achievements by various organisations were partially acknowledged by

the 10th World Wilderness Congress, the WILD10 in Salamanca, Spain.

Our vision Since we need to go further for future generations! The launch of the new

Vision for a Wilder Europe inspired us to set up the European Wilderness Society, which is a new entity that strives for more and better protection of wilderness in Europe.

Our objectives• Identifying and assisting in the management and lobbying for existing

wilderness areas in Europe • Increase the total designated wilderness area in order to balance our hu-

man footprint on the continent• Inspire Europeans to care for our wild places across the continent

Our mission As its name implies, the new entity focuses its efforts on wilderness, on

Europe and on joint actions involving the public. We are an inclusive entity, which will be supported by individuals, gov-

ernment, profit and non-profit organisations. Many are already part of the European Wilderness Society but more are welcome to join and take part in our mission. Like a wast network of partners, scientists, researchers, nature conservationists, media experts, tourism specialists and management teams.

Join us Our new society will also focus on the ambitious target of designating 5% of

Europe’s land territory as wilderness. The engaged and very experienced team behind the European Wilderness

Society works ambitiously to reach this goal. But together with you we can achieve even more! In case you are keen to publish anything, would like to comment on our European Wilderness Society Web-page or would like fur-ther information concerning the European Wilderness please let us know! Welcome to the European Wilderness Society!

The future of wilderness in Europe

Follow, contact and talk to us If you are interested in being notified about European Wilder-ness you can register for our Wilderness Newsletter or follow us on Facebook, and Twitter, or join our open Linkedin group!Our website is a one-stop-shop for information about the European Wilderness.

www.wilderness-society.org

Zoltán Kun, Chairman | Max A.E. Rossberg, Deputy Chairman | Vlado Vančura, Director Wilderness Development

Letter to the EditorsWilderness is nowhere as important as it is in Europe, the world’s most densely populated continent. The good news is that, in the last 20 years, great and critical strides have oc-curred to help raise awareness of and protect wild nature…but this work has really only just begun. The European Wilderness Society is the force needed to continue and build this momen-tum. We all need to join, assist, and promote this important initiative. Vance G Martin,President: The WILD Foundation, World Wilderness Congress

The newborn EWS does a great job. Your homepage is very attractive and well-made. Congratulations.

Bernhard Kohler WWF Austria

This is a very good initiative to save the population of wolves especially in Europe where hunting is a serious problem!Technical SpecialistUNESCO MAB Uganda

This a great opportunity for key core wilderness and wildlife areas. Excellent stuff.

Jim O.DonnellAround the world in 80 Years

3www.wilderness-society.org

Save the date

„None of Nature‘s landscapes are ugly so long as they are wild.” John Muir, Our National Parks, (1901),

Chapter 1, page 4.

Wilderness Ticker

Threat of winter tourism in the Tatra National ParkIconic protected areas such as the Tatra National Park, Slovakia and the Rila

National Park of Bulgaria are under threat by extractive industry and unsus-tainable tourism development. Despite them having been recognised as IUCN Category II Areas and their inclusion in the EU Natura 2000 system, investors are suggesting massive ski lift developments in both areas.

FebruaryInternational Congress on Rural Tourism of Navarre Kingdom20. - 21. February 2014, Pamplona, Spain

AugustThe 7th International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreational and Protected Areas 20.-23. August 2014, Tallinn, Estonia www.tlu.ee/en/mmv7/

October18th Forum 2000 Conference 12.-14. October 2014, in Prague, Czech Republic www.forum2000.cz/en/calendar/

NovemberIUCN World Parks Congress 12.-19. November 2014, in Sydney, Australia www.worldparkscongress.org

National Wilderness Conference 15.-19. October 2014, in Albuquerque, USA www.wilderness50th.org/conference

European Natura 2000 AwardWilderness areas form an important part of the Natura 2000 system with-

in the European Union. There is an opportunity to reward best practices of protecting wilderness through nominating your area for the Natura 2000 Award at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/# However our efforts should not stop here! Our team is currently working on drafting a new European Wilderness Convention that will recognise the importance of wilderness in halting biodiversity loss and in delivering pub-lic benefits.

Wilderness and forestForests are important to the ecosystem, not only for conserving

Europe’s biodiversity but also to protect the last fragment of extreme-ly rare wilderness. Forests are also a fundamental element of Natura 2000. Nearly 50% of Natura 2000 habitats are forests and around 23% of all EU forests are in Natura 2000 sites! So if European forests are among the main repositories of European biodiversity then conse-quently (whether we like it or not) wilderness is also by definition an extremely important reservoir of European biodiversity. Particularly, wilderness forest is the kind of biodiversity reservoir that people have already been longing for so many years.

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Importance of wilderness

Author: Allan Wattson US Forestry Service Member of NAWPA

The general public often wonders why we researchers and increasingly the politicians are so supportive of the wilderness. Here are just some of the vital role the wilderness

plays in dealing with challenges of industrial development.

The general public often wonders why we researchers and increasingly

the politicians are so supportive of the wilder-ness. Here are just some of the vital role the wilderness plays in dealing with challenges of industrial development.

Conserving BiodiversityProtected areas are essential for conser-

vation. In a changing climate, they are safe havens for plants and animals to reproduce despite changing conditions.

Protecting Ecosystem ServicesWilderness and protected areas protect,

restore and provide essential ecological, so-cial and economic services, like clean water; weather, temperature and humidity regula-tion; soil conservation; and genetic reservoirs that may lead to the development of improved crops, new medicines and other products vital to human communities.

Connecting LandscapesThe unpredictable impact of climate change

may affect the ability of ecosystems and spe-cies to adapt to changing environmental con-ditions either in-situ or via migration to more suitable habitats. Protected area networks are one of the most effective approaches for sup-porting ecosystem adaptation. Connecting terrestrial and freshwater habitats across var-ied landscapes enables plants and animals to shift ranges and thrive in new locations.

Capturing and Storing CarbonProtected areas store vast amounts of car-

bon in ecosystems such as boreal and tem-perate forests, coastal areas, oceans, and grass lands. These natural systems help reduce the levels of greenhouse gases that cause global warming through natural biological processes that draw carbon dioxide out of the atmos-phere.

Building Knowledge and Under-standing

Wilderness in particular, offers unique op-portunities for research on climate change, because these areas are among those least modified by human influence. Applied sci-ence and research in protected areas can im-prove our understanding of ecosystems and species’ response to climate change, and im-prove information for planning and manage-ment to help communities adapt.

Inspiring PeopleInspiring natural surroundings provide the

perfectsetting for tuning into nature, learn-ing about it, appreciating it, respecting it and pledging to protect it. Managers can serve as conveners, facilitators, and leaders who inspire and engage their communities in partner-ship for conservation and learning promote resource stewardship to ensure a sustainable future. ❀

Source: North American Protected areas as natural solutions for climate Change (2012), North American Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected Area Conservation (NAWPA)

Is wilderness so important for the

challenges of modern days society? Yes!


WILD 10Salamanca

Spain

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European Wilderness Society: Mr. Meyer, the European Wilderness Soci-ety has been founded to promote the con-cept of Wilderness in Europe. Most of these wilderness areas are in less developed areas with little tourism. As you have been very active in identifying tourism trends, what role could wilderness play in the future when it comes to alternatives to the main-stream tourism concepts?

Michael Meyer: Wilderness areas already play a crucial role for people. These areas provide ecosystem services such as clean water, clean air, for-est products (wood, herbs, game) etc. On top of this main function, these areas are important for recreation and educational purposes.

In the future this role will be even more important. People tend to move to cities, rural areas are abandoned. That means they move further away in distance and in knowledge from what nature actually is. In addition, our world moves faster in comparison to 50 or 100 years ago. People are stressed from their jobs and from the daily pressures. In wilderness they can slow down and learn about nature and them-selves.

European Wilderness Society: What are the key requirements for wil-

derness areas in attracting tourists?

Michael Meyer: Wilderness areas need to be authentic

and as unspoiled as possible. People living in and around wilderness areas have to be proud in being there and invite tourists to learn about their daily living.

European Wilderness Society: What are the key success factors when

developing a tourism strategy incorporat-ing wilderness as its key element?

Michael Meyer: People consider wilderness areas as areas

without any human influence. They think no people live „there“. For most of the wil-derness areas in Europe this is certainly not true. Therefore, one of the key success factors for a tourism strategy is the owner-ship by local people for designing and im-plementing such a strategy. Wilderness is dependent on people and vice et versa. The second key element is the full support of all governmental bodies involved in managing a wilderness area, no matter if at national, province, district or community levels.

European Wilderness Society: What do you suggest to the European

Wilderness Society (EWS) when it comes to incorporating tourism in its portfolio?

Michael Meyer: The EWS could be THE platform for

promoting sustainable tourism in wilder-ness areas in Europe. It should provide all the existing tools and methodologies avail-able to make sustainable tourism a success together with the tourism business sector, governments, NGOs and science. ❀

Interview with Michael Meyer

Interview: Max A.E. Rossberg

Michael Meyer is the Project Manager for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Germany. Michael Meyer started his career as a consultant on management of tourism facilities, working about 15 years on quality assessment and training of staff.

In 1999 he became a member of the board of Ecological Tourism in Europe (ETE) to work on the topic of sustainable tourism development in and around protected areas fore-most within Central and East Europe. Since 2006 he is also working for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) giving advice to member states on sustainable tourism plan-ning and biodiversity-based tourism product development.

He is a member of the roster of experts of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and co-author of the Interna-tional Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development of the CBD. His specialties are coaching of tourism planning processes, capacity-building of local communities and entre-preneurs and sustainable tourism product development.


One of the outcomes of the conference was something that has the boring title of Resolution 17. What does this number

really mean?

Milestone ResolutionThis is a resolution which calls for improving the legal protection of

wilderness through a European Wilderness Convention.The European Parliament passed a resolution on wilderness in February 2009, some of the recommendations having been realised through:

• the development of a definition of wilderness• the development of guidelines on wilderness management in the

Natura 2000 network• and a wilderness register that documents and maps wilderness in a

subset of countries in Europe

Finding wildernessA review of status and conservation of wild lands throughout Europe,

completed for the Scottish Government, revealed that the word “wil-derness” is not officially included in most of the national protected area legislation of European countries. However, strictly protected area types that are found in the national legislation in most of the European coun-tries do give rise to areas across Europe that have wilderness character-istics. Some of these areas, like the Swiss National Park in Switzerland and the Lagodekhi State Nature Reserve in Georgia, have had this strict protection in place for 100 years or more.

Wild10 We commend the Alpine Convention as an example of a supranation-

al agreement between countries that share geographical regions, with protocols for specific common actions defined and pursued by the de-cision-making body of the Convention and through participation of the signatories to the regular meetings of the Alpine Conference. We recog-nise the example of the ‘model law’ for Biosphere Reserves proposed by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, based on the analysis of various examples of existing legal translations of the biosphere reserves concept into national protected area legislation.

Join Together Therefore our society along with other organisations calls upon all

European Countries to join together in a European Wilderness Conven-tion based on a framework that incorporates the wilderness definition, and has a ‘model law’ for wilderness as a protocol for its protection de-rived from existing national legislation for strict protection. We want to ensure that the framework includes a commitment on Contracting Countries to explore the possibility of establishing additional strict wil-derness reserves in their territories in line with the protocol.

And finally we also encourage Contracting Countries to incorporate their strict wilderness reserves in the European Wilderness Preservation System. ❀

Call for the Wild in Legislation

Two of our colleagues are among the initiators of the European

Wilderness Convention!

The 10th World Wilderness Congress also known as WILD10 organised in Salamanca turned into a major milestone to promote wilderness protection in Europe.

Author: Gaia Angelini, Policy and Project Director LuminaConsult and Zoltan Kun

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Wilderness Areas㆒ Peneda Gerês National Park, Portugal㆓ Fulufjället National Park, Sweden叅 Majella National Park, Italy㆕ Archipelago National Park, Finland⓹ Soomaa National Park, Estonia⓺ Cepkeliai-Dzukia National Park, Lithuania柒 Retezat National Park, Romania⓼ Rila National Park, Bulgaria⓽ Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria❿ Oulanka National Park, Finland⓫ Paanajärvi National Park, Russia⓬ Küre Mountains National Park, Turkey⓭ Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Georgia⓮ Poblet National Park, Spain⓯ Archipelago La Maddalena National Park, Italy⓰ Swiss National Park, Switzerland⓱ Hainich National Park, Germany⓲ Hohe Tauern National Park Salzburg, Austria (Certified)⓳ Brandenburg Foundation‘s 4 territory, Germany⓴ Unteres Odertal National Park, Germany㉑ Kalkalpen National Park, Austria (Certified)㉒ Triglav National Park, Slovenia㉓ Słowiński National Park, Poland㉔ Gorce National Park, Poland㉕ Prespa National Park, Albania㉖ Nemunas Delta Nature Reserve, Lithuania㉗ Kamanos Nature Reserve, Lithuania㉘ Viesvile Nature Reserve, Lithuania㉙ Punia-Prienai Forest Nature Reserve, Lithuania㉚ Žuvintas Nature Reserve, Lithuania㉛ Biebrza National Park, Poland㉜ Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, Belorussia㉝ Bieszczady National Park, Poland㉞ Zacharovanyj Kray National Park, Ukraine㉟ Natural Park Gradistea Muncelului-Cioclovina, Romania㊱ Belasitsa Natural Park, Bulgaria㊲ Rodna National Park, Romania㊳ Aukštaitija-Labanoras National Park, Lithuania㊴ Gorgany Nature Reserve, Ukraine㊵ Calimani National Park, Romania㊶ Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National Park, Romania㊷ Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, Belorussia㊸ Polistovsky Nature Reserve, Russia㊹ Severo-Osetinskij Zapovednik, Russia㊺ Khosrov Forest State Reserve, Armenia㊻ Lagodekhi Protected Areas, Georgia㊼ Arevik National Park & Boghagar State Reserve, Armenia㊽ Shikahogh SR & Zangezur State Sanctuary, Armenia㊾ Stepnoi State Nature Sanctuary, Russia㊿ Astrakhan Biosphere State Reserve, Russia

Potential Wilderness Areas� Desertas Islands National Park, Portugal� Garajonay National Park, Spain� Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland� Wild Nephin / Ballicroy National Park, Ireland� Cairngorms National Park, UK� d‘Aigüestortes National Park, Spain� Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy� Jotunheimen National Park, Norway� Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park, Italy� Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Italy� Alta Murgia National Park, Italy� Duna-Ipoly National Park (Csarna valley), Hungary� Slovensky raj National Park, Slovakia� National Park Poloniny, Slovakia� Kolkheti National Park, Georgia

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The Wildland Research Institute (WRi) at the University of Leeds,

UK, is a world leader in wilderness/wild-land research, and had a prominent role in WILD10, the 10th World Wilderness Con-gress last October in Salamanca, Spain. WRi gave two plenary talks under the congress heading of „Make the World a Wilder Place“, contributed significantly to a new draft Vision for a wilder Europe, contributed to 5 congress resolutions, moderated 6 sessions, and sub-mitted 10 papers. So it is no surprise that WRi welcomes the new European Wilderness So-ciety and others, such as Wild Europe, who support the ideals of wilderness.

International Wilderness ResearchWRi aims to identify and develop the re-

quirements, strategies and policies for a tran-sition to a greater presence of wild landscapes. In support of this specific intent WRi has de-veloped many of the approaches, tools and methods used in mapping wildness at local to continental scales and, together with World Universities Network (WUN) funding, WRi was the initiator of the International Wilder-ness Research Network (iWRN) to promote and develop a network of „mapping champi-ons“ for wilderness throughout Europe.

The Gold Standard WRi also offers a body of knowledge about

self-willed land, non-intervention manage-ment and the gold standard for wilderness (see e.g. Wild or natural — the challenges Europe faces in setting aside wilderness). In-terests in wildland, wilderness and wilding are often interdisciplinary, so the activities of WRi combine social and natural sciences, as well as the arts. WRi has had a longstanding partnership with social and natural scien-tists at the Aldo Leopold Research Institute, Missoula, USA, working with tribal and in-digenous knowledge and helping develop approaches to mapping wilderness character. This led recently to a new project about tradi-tional phenological knowledge, funded by the US Forest Service.

Interesting Times for Wildernistas A new step in the development of recognis-

ing European wilderness is the WILD10 reso-lution on establishing a supra-national agree-ment in all European countries for a European

Wilderness Convention. The proposal is based on a framework that incorporates the wilder-ness definition and has a ‚model law‘ protocol for wilderness protection derived from exist-ing national legislation. Under that European wide umbrella, every country can maintain differences in its legislation and in its cultural approach to wilderness and still afford essen-tial protection to this threatened resource.

Finding Words for Wilderness Some European languages don‘t even have

a specific word for wilderness. An example of the need to take a country-specific approach is the work of WRi in Scotland. This began through WRi developing a method to map wildland within the two Scottish National Parks. The approach was then adapted by Scottish Natural Heritage to map wildness across all of Scotland. The mapping can now be used in support of long and difficult dis-cussion and policy making, about the world famous Scottish wild land, (the Scottish High-lands are visited by people from all over the world); about ecosystems services; and about renewable energy development. For further information about WRi and its activities see http://www.wildlandresearch.org ❀

The Wildland Research Institute (WRi) in Europe

The general public often wonders why we researchers and increasingly the politicians are so supportive of wilderness. Here are just some of the vital roles which wilderness

can play in dealing with challenges of industrial development.

Author: Mark Fisher, Steve Carver, Alison Parfitt


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The European Bison (Bison bonasus), also known as Wisent, is exem-

plary as one of the few herbivore wilderness species listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Two subspecies are recognized, the lowland (Bison bonasus bonasus - extinct in the wild in 1919) and the Caucasian (Bison bonasus caucasicus - extinct in the wild in 1927).

Safegard European WildernessThe EWS works to safeguard European

wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature for future generation. The ambition of EWS in this long-term project is to re-establish a viable, self-sustaining popu-lation of European bison in the eastern Car-pathian Mountains in order to revive wilder-ness values to this area and to offer support to the local communities. The initiative started within a Global Environment Facility (GEF) operation between 1999 and 2006: a World Bank Project on Biodiversity and Conserva-tion Management.

Bison ReintroductionThe reintroduction area is situated in the

South of the park, a potential wilderness area with low human disturbance. The area

(Cracăului Valley) is a forested area of around 5000 ha. The European bison has been roam-ing free in this area since the program started in the spring of 2012. The releasing area was evaluated by Polish and Romanian specialists and was considered as being suitable for fur-ther European bison reintroduction.

The project includes the transfer of six captive-bred females from four samplings on the British Isles, to provide additional release stock for the on-going Romanian European bison population. The transport of the ani-mals from the British Isles is planned to take place during March 2014. The free bison from the Cracăului area has already started to concentrate in the proximity of the fenced area and they are expected to stay there until spring. Therefore if everything will go accord-ing to plan, the new bison coming from the UK will be able to adapt and integrate with the Cracăului bison.

Detailed Work since 2005The reintroduction of Europe’s largest land

mammal represents one of the most challeng-ing tasks in the restoration of European wil-derness heritage. With respect to bison con-servation, the first achievements were seen in

2005 in Romania: there was the first quaran-tine farm for European bison, the first genetic tests, the first regular system for veterinarian treatments, the first bison imports of genetic basis from Western Europe, the training for the staff involved and the establishment of a “Bison Management Centre” (acclimatization enclosure of 180 ha, feeders, facilities, bison herd dedicated to reintroduction purposes, with 20 animals).

Scientific SupportTechnical studies undertaken by the Ro-

manian Forest Research Institute - ICAS (1994) and The Zoological Society of London (1998) revealed the suitability of the Vanatori Neamt Natural Park to support a viable free roaming bison population. Further studies by Polish and Romanian experts confirm these results. It is worth mentioning that during the GEF project, the program has benefited from the assistance of a team of Polish consult-ants: ecologist (Prof. Kajetan Perzanowski), genetician (Prof. Wanda Olech), veterinarian (Prof. Wojciech Bielecki) and bison breeder (Mr. Mieczyslaw Hlawiczka) with a huge experience in bison management. ❀

Bison reintroduction

Author: Vlado Vancura

The European Wilderness Society (EWS) is engaged in the reintroduction of the European Bison to the Vanatori Neamt Nature Park in Romania.


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Wilderness in FocusHohe Tauern NP, Austria


Once bearded vultures were found in almost every moun-tain range of southern Europe

and the Alps. In numerous legends the bearded vulture,

with its glowing red eyes, was feared and it was believed they attacked even young children. As a result, they were hunted and almost eradicated. The vultures have been reintro-duced in the Austrian Alps through a captive breeding programme by the Hohe

Tauern National Park and its partners.


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Believe it or not, there is still wilderness in Central

Europe in the most populated and modified mountainous area on our globe – the Alps. Dif-ficult terrain provides an opportunity to safe-guard the remains of wilderness that cannot be developed, just a couple hours drive from big European cities such as Vienna, Salzburg or Munich.

Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg

One such place is certainly the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg, where the very concep-tual pro-wilderness approach defined almost 10 000 ha of wilderness in a demanding Euro-pean wilderness quality standard.

In the middle of Austria

Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg is the largest national park in the Alps. A land of con-trast would describe it shortly. The park is an area with a wild, primeval landscape and simul-taneously it has fields cultivated by mountain farmers over several centuries. Wilderness in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg in-cludes typical high Alpine zones and high level of Alpine biodiversity e.g. Alpine ibex (Capra

ibex), Red deer (Cervus elaphus), Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), Alpine marmot (Mar-mota marmota), Mountain hare (Lepus timi-dus), Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra), bats, birds, lichens, etc.

Research and Experience Uniqueness of this wilderness area is high-

lighted by free-running natural processes and original landscapes, the high Alpine spacious glaciers, and it is an excellent area for research, monitoring and experiencing sustainable wil-derness. ❀

EuropeanWILDERNESS SOCIETY

WWW.WILDERNESS-SOCIETY.ORG

WILDERNESS

The European Wilderness Society certifies that

NATIONALPARK

HOHE TAUERN SALZBURGAUSTRIA

is a European Wilderness Preservation System Partner according

to the society´s independent wilderness principles and standards.

This diploma certifies that the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg

joins the European Wilderness Preservation System by protecting

9.136 ha of wilderness representing the best of Europe‘s wilderness.

Given at 1st February 2014

valid until 31.01.2016

DIPLOMA

Zoltán KunChairman

Max A.E. Rossberg

Deputy Chairman

Vlado Vančura

Director Wilderness Development


Max A.E. Rossberg

Deputy Chairman

Vlado Vančura

Nationalpark Hohe Tauern SalzburgCountry: AustriaArea: 80.500 haWilderness Area: 9.136 haWebsite: www.hohetauern.at

The Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Salzburg has recieved the European Wilderness Diploma 2014

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Now more than ever before. As such, the European Wilder-ness Society works in partnership with tourism compa-

nies who share common norms and values concerning wilderness. The interested vacationer can find several travel offerings from our partners on our special website www.wilderness-travel.org.

Tourism as education tool Tourism in our view is really not an industry: it is the education tool

of the 21st century. It creates local jobs in rural, economically depressed regions, it highlights different culinary tastes, it offers income possbib-lites to local guides and it brings people from different cultures togeth-er. It also provides the visitor the opportunity to interpret wilderness in a unique setting.

Where does the idea stem from?When many Europeans think of wilderness, they tend to refer to li-

ons and jaguars that can be seen on safari in Africa. But when we think about places like Oulanka National Park or Soomaa National Park, which are two very wild landscapes in Europe, we seldom think about these destinations in the context of a unique travel experience in a true European wilderness area. We realised that we needed to open people‘s eyes and raise awareness of these stunning places to achive our goal of safeguarding wilderness in Europe. Our tourism partners therefore play an important part in the preservation and conservation agenda in these wilderness areas and not only entertain but also educate the general public about the most pressing wilderness issues.

Travel2WildOne of our partners in this endeavour is Travel2Wild. Travel2Wild

was founded by nature-lover travel enthusiasts, who realised that while Europe’s wilderness offers so many wonderful holiday opportunities, people do not associate the words Adventure, Europe and Wilderness together. At the moment, Travel2Wild offers several tours to eight un-dicovered wilderness areas in Europe. Their plan is to cover all of the wilderness locations across Europe in the next 3 years as an alternative to mass tourism. ❀

Making Europe’s wilderness sexy again

Author: Janos Pereczes, Zoltan Kun

We like to think of tourism as a tool to mobilise people for wilderness and not as an industry creating nature conservation problems. People are increasingly seeking adventure;

Europe’s wilderness is in serious need of getting more public support.

We encourage all interested wilder-ness advocates to consider the next vacation in a European Wilderness

- there are many to pick from...


There are very few wilderness areas in Europe that have al-ready been protected for decades. Yet Berezinsky Bio-

sphere Reserve in Belorussia founded in 1925, covers an area of 85.192 ha with 27.204 ha of wilderness, is definately one of them! Because of its biological diversity and unique combinations of natural conditions, the reserve is very important not only for Belarus but also for Europe. There are four types of ecological systems at the Reserve: forests, bogs, water reservoirs and meadows.

Tracks of the past Berezinsky has become a world-famous model of intact primeval na-

ture of forest, marsh, lake and river systems. Thanks to the enthusiasm of many generations of scientists, forest experts and naturists, over 6.000 biological species are found here, including 187 rare ones listed in the National Red Data Book of Belarus.

Natural heritage of Europe The reserve is situated at the watershed of the Baltic and the Black

Seas. The reserve is the oldest of all the protected sites that form the wilderness heritage of Europe.

Ecology of the futureCovering nearly the whole spectrum of natural complexes of the Re-

serve - forests, mires, meadows, rivers and lakes - the ecological routes are designed for different kinds of visitors and welcome organised groups accompanied by experienced guides and specialists. ❀


Wilderness in FocusThe Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve in Belorussia is the oldest European

preserved natural territory

Berlin

Vienna

Bratislava

Lisboa

Madrid

Paris

London

Roma

Budapest

Bucaresti

Sofia

Tirana

Kiev

Warszawa

Dublin

Bern

Ljubljana

Minsk

Moskva

Tallinn

Helsinki

Riga

Vilnius

Stockholm

Oslo

Ankara

Baku

Tbilisi

Yerevan



16


Welcome back home, dear Wolf!

Author: Max A.E. Rossberg

We are responsible to care for animals that belong to the natural biodiversity. The wolf is part of our natural heritage. Hunting and loss of their habitat as well as several myths

have almost led to their extinction, but they are staging a comeback.

We all know the story of the „big bad wolf “ in fairy tales like „Little Red Riding Hood“ and the gruesome stories about

werewolves that even today return to the big screen in movies. But the mythology also tells the story that the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus were raised by wolves. This cultural-historical background re-veals the often difficult relationship between wolf and mankind leading to the ambivalent roles of the wolf as a hunter and as a prey.

Hunter or prey ?Previously mistaken as a bloodthirsty man-eater, scientific research

has shown that the wolf is actually a very shy predator, that has primari-ly deer and rabbit on the menu. But nevertheless, over the past centuries wolves in Europe have not fared well. Wolves were nearly eradicated in Central Europe since the beginning of the last century. Hunters made a living from the bounties paid by villagers, because they hated the wolf as a competitor threatening their farm animals and the local wildlife.

Enjoys highest level of protection Wolves are the most important and last missing natural predator in

Central Europe. Without the wolf, governments for example need to spend immense amount of resources managing the deer population. This is why more and more regions and countries are working so hard on a reintroduction of the wolf across all of Europe. According to the EU legislation, the wolf is a priority species and therefore enjoys the highest level of protection in most European countries and a pan Euro-pean anti hunting code was agreed upon.

Returning to their original home

Legal protection helped to increase the number of wolves quadruple since the 70s. They are rapidly expanding their territories in Europe from eastern Europe into France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Poland and Italy. Their choice of territory is often a mystery as Hnuti Duha, who are dealing with the monitoring and conservation of large carnivores around the Czech-Slovakian border, have observed. For in-stance, last year, the only one confirmed case was a dead female wolf hit by car near the town Valašské Meziříčí while in another instance a wolf

was already seen in the Netherlands and at the time wolves have been observed in urban areas like Berlin, Hanover and Rome.

Chilling howling, but not dangerous

In general however, wolves are so shy that people hardly get to see them. The only way we are becoming aware of a wolf in our region is the chilling howling of wolves at night. The image of the wolf as a danger to man is still ingrained in the collective mind of Europeans even though it is scientifically proven to be incorrect. We tend to overreact as can be seen in the case of the derogation agreement, which permitted 120 wolves to be killed annually in Slovakia. Our colleagues at Hnuti Duha as well as several in Slovakian and Polish environmental organizations and hundreds of letters written by citizens of these states has started a EU Commission investigation into this unnecessary killing of the pro-tected wolves.

Improve the coexistence between carnivores and humans:In former times, herds consisted of 200 to 300 sheep, watched by at

least 3 or 4 shepherds and their dogs. The dogs wore special spiked col-lars to fend off possible attacks from wolves. With the extinction of the large carnivores this skill and knowledge on how to protect the livestock has been lost. The herds have become larger while the shepherds and dogs have become less – for instance up to 1000 sheep with one shep-herd and no watch dogs has become common.

Old and new techniquesThere are several projects to reduce the impact of the wolf on the

agricultural sector while allowing it to take its role in the natural food chain. Instead of ignoring the hunting ban, old methods should be re-called and used in combination with new technology. This is done by using simple tools, such as electric fences around sheep pens, by using ‘Wolf Patrols’ to monitor populations and guard against illegal hunting and trapping, and by protecting migration corridors from ongoing frag-mentation through the purchase of land and replanting / regeneration, and undertaking a public awareness campaign using the data collected.


Nö.

Stmk.

W.

Ktn.

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WÖLFE IN EUROPAWÖLFE IN ÖSTERREICHIm 19. Jhdt. ausgerottet

Seit damals immer wieder sporadisches Vorkommen von Einzeltieren

Gefährdungsstatus: Rote Liste Österreich „Ausgestorben“

Wolfshinweise 2010, 2011 und 2012

Karelien

150-165Geschätzte Zahl

Baltikum

870-1.400

Iberische Halbinsel

2.500Italien

600-800

Skandinavien

260-330

AUT

STECKBRIEF WOLF (CANIS LUPUS)

Lebt zurückgezogen und scheu in Familienverbänden (Rudeln) mit starken Bindungen

Größe: zwischen 100 und 160 cm

Gewicht: bis zu 38 kg

Reviergröße: bis zu 300 km2

Alter: 8 – 13 Jahre

Nahrung: hauptsächlich Rehe, Wildschweine, Hirsche

Westalpen

250

Balkan

3.900

Karpaten3.000

©WWF Österreich 2013 Bild

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Deutschland-Westpolen150

Tourism and wolfLandscape and nature are the business foundation of regional

tourism. Accordingly new media-friendly wild species like the wolf actually boost regional tourism opportunities. Tourist regions where wolves have returned not only have nothing to fear, but actually attract

interested visitors. The wolf is not the devil, it is just an animal we must learn to live with again. Should you need more information concerning wolves please contact the Europe Wilderness Society. ❀

18


Wilderness Stuff

T he European natural world could be even wilder than we might imagine. Large herds of bison and wild horses, huge bears and rivers teeming with salmon were once part of a wild Europe. As western civilisation grew, this

natural paradise disappeared centuries ago and it is hard to imagine how it might once have been. But there are now places in Europe where the wilderness of yesteryear returns. This fi lm is a unique portrait of a pocket of European wild nature that has not been witnessed for generations. This is a story about life in the ‘Wolf Mountains’ of the Eastern Carpathians.

Arolla Film Company was set up in 2009. The aim of the company is to use our unique footage to inspire our audience with a passion for wildlife and by so doing to contribute to the protection of particular areas of wilderness that could regenerate back to their former glory if left alone.

Also in store

Keeper ofthe wilderness

The wolfMountains

Th

e w

olf

mo

un

tain

s

Arolla Film, s.r.o.,

Komenského 501/18,

033 01 Liptovský Hrádok,

SR, [email protected]

www.arollafilm.com

© 2013 Arollafilm

ENPAL 16:9

When buying this DVD you support the Aevis Foundation

www.aevis.org

Willkommen zu HauseDie Wölfe kehren zurück

10 – 14 Jahre (ISCED 2) Schülerarbeitsheft

DVD - The Wolf MountainsThe European natural world could be even wilder than we might imagine. Large

herds of bison and wild horses, huge bears and rivers teeming with salmon were once part of a wild Europe. As western civilisation grew, this natural paradise disappeared centuries ago and it is hard to imagine how it might once have been. But there are now places in Europe where the wilderness of yesteryear returns. This film is a unique por-trait of a pocket of European wild nature that has not been witnessed for generations. This is a story about life in the ‘Wolf Mountains’ of the Eastern Carpathians.

Magazine for Kids - Welcome HomeThe WWF Austria has developed a series of educational and informational set of

material focusing on the return of the Wolf into Austria. Especially interesting is the 16 magazine targeted at the 10-14 year old teenagers informing them about the history, habits, dietary plans, hunting skills and the role the Wolf plays in the food chain of our natural environment.

▲▲


Join and be part of it!

TeamZoltan KUN, Chairman of the Society, EU Advocacy and Fundraising,Max A.E. ROSSBERG, Deputy Chairman, Sustainable Tourism ExpertVlado VANCURA, Director Wilderness DevelopmentAnni HENNING, Senior Editor, Marketing CommunicationsSusanne WERTH, Marketing Assistant, Marketing CommunicationsGaia ANGELINI, International Policy DirectorBodo ROSSBERG, Art Director

We acknowledge our advisorsStephen Carver, Wildland Research InstituteMark Fisher, Wildland Research InstituteAllison Parfitt, Wildland Research InstituteDr. Michael Jungmeier, E.C.O. Institute of EcologyMichael Meyer, OETE Stiftung und UNWTO

© 2014 European Wilderness SocietyDechant Franz Fuchs Str. 5; 5580 Tamsweg; AustriaPhone: +43 (0)676 913 88 04Email: [email protected] | www.wilderness-society.orgAll rights, errors and changes are reserved. Photo Credits: Stephen Carver, Michael Meyer, Max Rossberg, Bruno D’Amicis, NP Kalkalpen, Wild Foundation, NP Majella, Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, Vanatori Neamt NP, Vlado Vancura, Sebastian Catanoiu, WWF, fotolia.deDesign: www.diemedienwerkstatt.info, 5580 Tamsweg, AustriaPrinted in Austria

SubscriptionBecome one of our 2000 subscribers. If you want to subscribe visit our Website: www.wilderness-society.org

www.wilderness-society.org

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Documents

European Wilderness Journal Issue 1