Nature and people are indivisible, as everything is linked and we are all interconnected. In order to save species, we must save their habitats, which are embedded in a broader environment. As such, we must tackle climate change, pollution, and the impacts of human development and this mean that businesses should be active partners in the conservation of nature.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) came into existence on 29th April 1961, when a small group of passionate and committed individuals signed a declaration that came to be known as the Morges Manifesto. This apparently simple act laid the foundations for what has grown to become the world’s largest independent conservation organisation. More than 50 years on, the black and white panda is a well-known household symbol in many countries. From its origins as a small group of committed wildlife enthusiasts, WWF has grown into one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations – supported by five million people and active in over 100 countries on five continents.
WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of our planet’s natural environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. In order to achieve this mission, WWF focuses its efforts on two broad areas: biodiversity and ecological footprints. The first is to ensure that the earth’s web of life – biodiversity – remains healthy and vibrant for generations to come. The second is to reduce the negative impacts of human activity – our ecological footprint. We are working to ensure that the natural resources required for life – land, water, air – are managed sustainably and equitably.
Conservation of natural values can only be effective if local people are involved in the management and if they recognise all the benefits brought to them by nature
Through innovative partnerships that combine on-the-ground conservation, high-level policy and advocacy, and which work to make business and industry more sustainable, we are strategically focusing on conserving critical places and critical species that are particularly important for their habitat or for people. We are also working to reduce humanity’s ecological footprint – the amount of land and natural resources needed to supply our food, water, fibre and timber, and to absorb our CO2 emissions.
The decisions, actions and inactions of one species – ours – over the next decade will determine the fate of all life on Earth. Across the world, biodiversity and natural habitats are disappearing faster than ever before.
Millions of people, in rich and poor countries alike, are already feeling the consequences – uncertainties over food and water security increased vulnerability to natural disasters and diseases.
Biodiversity in Serbia
Serbia is a country with rich genetics, species, and ecosystem diversity. The highland and mountainous regions of the country, as part of the Balkan Peninsula, are one of six European centres of biodiversity. Despite covering only two per cent of the territory of Europe, Serbia hosts 39 per cent of European vascular flora, 51 per cent of European fish fauna, 49 per cent of European reptile and amphibian fauna, 74 per cent of European bird fauna and 67 per cent of European mammal fauna.
The complex and dynamic climatic and orographic history of the Balkans has shaped immense diversity of vegetation, flora and fauna. Numerous endemic species that live in a restricted area, often in just one gorge or on a single mountain top, make this region distinct at the global level.
WWF in Serbia
WWF has been operating actively in Serbia since 2009, under the framework of the Danube-Carpathian programme. The Danube basin and Carpathian regions, often called the Green Heart of Europe, including many spectacular wilderness areas, some of the largest remaining virgin and natural forests, and the last remaining intact rivers and wetlands. Conservation of water habitats and sustainable use of water resources are among the top priority objectives of WWF in Serbia.
Healthy and preserved natural wetlands are crucial not only for biodiversity but also for human wellbeing. As such, we are focusing our work on the restoration and conservation of wetlands. To date, we have restored ca 40 ha of wetlands, while an additional 50 ha are being restored this year and in the following years, we will continue our work on improving the wetlands of the Danube region.
The conservation of large river systems like the Danube, the Drava and the Mura is greatly dependent on cross-border collaboration. Nature recognises no borders and countries have to work together in order to efficiently deal with all the challenges confronting nature. Therefore, WWF is driving an international initiative to establish the Mura, Drava, Danube transboundary biosphere reserve. This area, which is also recognised as the Amazon of Europe, would be the first biosphere reserve in the world established within the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme and would include five countries.
Strengthening the network of protected areas is one of WWF’s global goals. Conserving natural values can only be effective if local people are involved in the management and if they recognise all the benefits brought to them by nature. WWF is working together with the management bodies of the five protected areas in Serbia: national parks Tara, Djerdap and Fruška Gora, the Gornje Podunavlje special nature reserve and Avala protected the landscape. Our work is mainly focused on enabling participatory processes and on developing innovative approaches in protected area management.
Many species in Serbia are endangered and are dependent on specific conservation measures. The threats which endangered species face in Serbia are numerous. One of the most serious threats that we have been combating in the last few years is the poisoning of wild animals with pesticides and other chemicals. Almost 50 specimens of white-tailed eagle have been poisoned in Serbia in the past few years. Together with responsible government institutions, NGOs and local governments, we are running a campaign and targeted activities against illegal poisoning.
Sturgeons are one of the most endangered groups of fish in the world. Due to their specific way of life, which includes large distance migrations from rivers to seas and back, they are particularly sensitive to river regulation and river stream interruption (dam building). WWF in Serbia and other Danube countries is implementing specific programmes for the conservation of remaining sturgeon populations.
The brown bear, as an indicator of large, continuous and preserved forest ecosystems, has also come into the focus of the WWF’s work. In the Tara National Park, together with the park management and experts from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Biology, we are working on satellite tracking of this large omnivorous species and on the genetic characterisation of its populations in Western Serbia.
We are at a turning point right now, as we are just starting to recognise the economic value of nature’s assets. The study “The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity” demonstrates the importance of valuing and placing the right price tag on natural capital. Only by doing this can we ensure that investments are directed at maintaining and enhancing, rather than exploiting and destroying, natural capital.
The biodiversity and ecosystem services offer opportunities for all business sectors, mainly because integrating environmental concerns into company management can increase the cost-effectiveness of operations, ensure the sustainability of supply chains and attract new customers. However, the report also underlines that nature considerations can also provide the basis for new businesses.
Conserving biodiversity and using biodiversity and ecosystem services in a sustainable and equitable way can provide the basis for unique business propositions, enabling entrepreneurs and investors to develop and scale-up biodiversity businesses. However, the economic benefits of these services are not widely recognised or captured in markets, resulting in ecosystem degradation and the loss of our natural capital. Biodiversity and ecosystem conservation offers an array of new opportunities for business, which can either develop green products and services or trade biodiversity “credits”.
We cannot live without the goods and functions that nature provides, not just well-known ones like water, food, minerals, and fibre, but also ecosystems that perform a number of functions beyond these tangible resources. Ecosystem functions are of crucial importance to the society by providing services such as climate regulation, biodiversity, soil formation, plant pollination, pest regulation, water purification, and flood mitigation, the provision of genetic resources and landscape diversity, as well as recreational and spiritual values.