Did you know that ...
... one-third of all European vascular plant species can be found in the Carpathians? That means almost 4,000 plant species, and 481 of them are found only in the Carpathians!
… Gerlachovsky Peak (2,655 m altitude) in the High Tatras in Slovak Republic is the highest peak of the Carpathians?
… the European Union’s largest populations of brown bears, wolves, lynx, European bisons and imperial eagles (globally threatened species) are found in the Carpathians?
… 36 national parks, 51 nature parks and protected landscape areas, 19 biosphere reserves and 200 other protected areas are member of the Carpathian Network of Protected areas
… there are 36 registered UNESCO World Heritage sites and 49 important pilgrimage destinations in the Carpathian area?
… the number of hotels in the Carpathians has increased by nearly 60% in the last ten years?
… the Carpathians contain the continent's largest remaining natural mountain beech and beech/coniferous forest ecosystems and the largest area of pristine forest in Europe (outside Russia)?
... the Carpathians are the largest, most twisted and fragmented mountain chain in Europe? They are Europe’s largest mountains by area.
… in the 1970’s, about 1,000,000 people worked in the mining sector in the Carpathians? Today, the number of employees in this sector is about 340,000.
… the Carpathians were put on the WWF ‘Global 200’ list of major ecoregions in need of biodiversity and habitat conservation?
… more than half of the Carpathians are covered by forests? The Carpathian forests are a vital link between the forests of the north and those of the west and south-west of Europe.
WG Biodiversity
Fourteenth Meeting of the Working Group on Biodiversity
The Secretariat is pleased to provide you with further information regarding the upcoming 14th Meeting of the WG Biodiversity taking place on 22-24 May 2023 in Vsetín, the Czech Republic at the Hotel Smetanova.
As per the agenda, the meeting will start in the late afternoon on 22 May 2023 with the official opening and the celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity & 20 years since the signature and the adoption of the Carpathian Convention, which are both observed on 22 May. We will be very pleased to celebrate this special moment in the history of the Convention with you!
The second day of the meeting includes a rich programme allowing for discussion on:
- GBF implementation in the Carpathian region and related development of the Carpathian Biodiversity Framework,
- Implementation of the Action Plan on large carnivores conservation and ecological connectivity though projects (SaveGREEN, LECA and NaturaConnect projects),
- Cooperation with other organizations and bodies, including support to Ukraine in the framework of the Carpathian Convention,
- Institutional aspects, including the review of the progress in implementation of the WG Biodiversity Work Plan 2021 – 2023, preparation for the Carpathian Convention COP7.
The last day of the meeting on 23 May will include a short working session followed up with a field trip, ending around 13:00.
Please register for the meeting via below link. The registration will remain open until 5 May 2023.
Furthermore, in the attached logistic note you can find all the relevant information regarding the meeting venue, including on accommodation. Please kindly note that the host of the WG Biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, has made a block reservation with a special rate at the meeting venue - Hotel Smetanova, which is valid until 1 May 2023, however, the meeting participants should make room reservations individually. For further information, please see the logistic note.
We would like reiterate our thanks to the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic for continuous support in organizing the meeting!
Thank you and we are looking very much forward to meeting you in Vsetín!
