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
Thirteen Meeting of the Working Group on Biodiversity
13th Meeting of the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity will be held on 11-12 April 2022 (two half-days) in an online format.
WG Biodiversity meeting will review the progress made in the implementation of the Carpathian Convention Working Group on Biodiversity - Work Plan 2021 – 2023, particularly, WG Biodiversity will receive updates on projects implementation, as well as a review on steps taken for the implementation of the International Action Plan on Conservation of Large Carnivores and Ensuring Ecological Connectivity (adopted by COP6, 2022).
Furthermore, the WG Biodiversity will review and discuss cooperation with relevant organization and bodies, such as the Alpine Convention, the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas and the Carpathian Wetland Initiative, etc. Special attention was given to the ongoing Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the role and contribution of the Carpathian Convention to this process.
Drafts for considerations:
- Draft Memorandum of Cooperation between the CBD, the Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention that is being updated in the light of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
- Draft Declaration - “Achieving functional biodiversity in the Danube-Carpathian Region by mainstreaming ecological connectivity”
Further materials on the Carpathian Convention role and contribution to the post-2020 GBF process, as well as information related to promoting mountain biodiversity within this process:
- Carpathian Convention and its role and contribution to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - assumptions by the Secretariat
- Advocating for mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity - insights from Mountain Biodiversity Day held on 13 January 2021
- Policy briefs (Elevating Mountains and Elevating Mountains 2.0) presenting latest scientific findings on the importance of mountain areas for the protection of biodiversity on a global scale to decision-makers
- Indicators for Elevating Mountains in Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - identified indicators that are considered effective for safeguarding mountain biodiversity and ecosystem integrity proposed within the draft Post-2020 GBF Monitoring Framework.
Documents produced by the Centralparks project:
- Carpathian strategy for enhancing biodiversity and landscape conservation outside and inside protected areas: Full document | Factsheet
- Strategy for local sustainable tourism development based on natural and cultural heritage of the Carpathians: Full document | Factsheet
- Guidelines on communication between protected areas and local communities in the Carpathian – full document
- Centralparks: Carpathian Ecosystem Services Tool
- Educational materials : Centralparks - YouTube
Presentations delivered during the WG Biodiversity meeting:
- ConnectGREEN, Interreg Danube Transnational Programme – final outputs relevant for WG Biodiversity - Cristian Remus Papp, WWF RO
- SWiPE – Successful Wildlife Crime Prosecution in Europe under the EU LIFE Programme – project updates – Cristian Remus Papp, WWF RO
- SaveGREEN, Interreg Danube Transnational Programme – project updates – Christophe Janz, WWF CEE
- LECA – Supporting the coexistence and conservation of Carpathian Large Carnivores under Interreg Central Europe Programme – project proposal presentation - Miroslav Kutal and Martin Dula -Mendel University in Brno
- NaturaConnect: Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Network for Nature and People under the Horizon Europe – project presentations – Irene Lucius, WWF CEE
- Updates from the EUSDR PA6 with a focus on ecological connectivity – Florian Ballnus, EUSDR PA6 Coordinator
- Updates on the Carpathian Wetlands Initiative activities – Jan Kadelcik, CWI Coordinator
- Updates on the Carpathian Network of the Protected Areas activities, including on the 3rd CNPA Conference - Mircea Verghelet, the CNPA SC Chair
- Centralparks project, Interreg Central Europe – presentation of the main project outputs – Isidoro De Bortoli, Eurac Research
- Updates from the Science for the Carpathians, Lubos Halada, S4C representatives
- Presentation of the Carpathian Research Network, Patrik Mraz, Charles University - Herbarium collections & Department of Botany
- Presentation of the renewal of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the CBD, the Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention – Klaudia Kuras, UNEP Vienna Programme Office – SCC
- Presentation on ongoing cooperation with European Environment Agency – Harald Egerer, UNEP Vienna Programme Office – SCC
- Updates on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Carpathian related activities – Harald Egerer, UNEP Vienna Programme Office – SCC
- Alpine Convention and its Alpine Biodiversity Board – updates on cooperation activities – Paolo Angelini, Italian Ministry for the Ecological Transition, Chair of the Alpine Biodiversity Board
