WWF starts The Green Heart of Europe initiative

RIGA - WWF, the global nature conservation organization, starts a new initiative to save and protect nature across 12 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The Green Heart of Europe aims to protect the five natural riches of the region – forests, wilderness, large carnivores, rivers and wetlands, and the Danube sturgeon.

The Green Heart of Europe will be launched this weekend at WILD 10, the world wilderness forum in Salamanca, Spain, which gathers governments, businesses, conservation and development NGOs as well as local community representatives from around the world to discuss the protection and sustainable development of the most preserved natural habitats on our planet.

The initiative covers the largest remaining area of virgin and natural forests in Europe outside of northern Scandinavia and Russia.

Unsustainable resource use and poorly planned infrastructure cause the loss and fragmentation of forests, wetlands and wilderness. The treasures of the Green Heart of Europe are threatened by illegal and unsustainable logging of virgin and other High Conservation Value Forests, as well as unsustainable agricultural practices.

Further information: contact Konstantin Ivanov, head of regional communications, WWF Central & Eastern Europe; e-mail: [email protected], www.facebook.com/WWFCEE.