WWF Central and Eastern Europe

Raising Our Voice: How Can Companies Engage in Water Policy Advocacy? 💧 Join us for a World Water Week side event organized by WWF. 📍 Where: Convendum, Vasagatan 16, Stockholm, Sweden 📅 When: Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | 08:30 – 09:30 📢 Spaces are limited – secure yours now: https://lnkd.in/d6gQuzNm Engagement in water governance is a key step in the corporate water stewardship journey. Recent studies have showed a very strong, politically bi-partisan desire for companies to engage on water-related policy. This session will highlight WWF’s latest efforts to help businesses prepare for meaningful engagement, and invite participants to shape a forthcoming Water Policy Advocacy Playbook. See you in Stockholm! #SWWW2025

🚨 Help us gather evidence that people across the EU care about nature and want strong laws to protect it! Read more to find out how you can help nature in Europe 💚 The European Commission wants to roll back vital environmental protections – and they’re asking for your opinion. We have until 10 September to speak up before it’s too late. ⏳ Tell them to keep their #HandsOffNature 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_m_8sM7 Across Europe, nature is already struggling. Forests are thinning, rivers are drying, wildlife is vanishing due to rampant polluting and extracting. We’re losing clean air, safe water, and the green spaces we rely on for our survival. And now, the Commission wants to weaken the very laws meant to protect nature and people. ❌Some decision-makers call it “simplification” or “cutting red tape”, when in truth it’s dismantling our key environmental protections, one by one. What’s actually being simplified is the path for those who want to profit from the destruction of nature at everyone’s expense. ✍️ This is your chance to speak up and let the Commission know what you think: https://lnkd.in/e_m_8sM7 via WWF European Policy Office #HandsOffNature #RestoreNature #Together4Forests

⚠️Once seen as a tragedy unfolding in distant jungles or coral reefs, the extinction crisis is now on our doorstep. And some loses are already irreversible. Peek at the story of a snail species that once lived in a tiny lake in Central and Eastern Europe. 🐌Until the late 20th century, the snail was abundant. After that, its numbers collapsed due to pollution and disturbance. Around the lake, hotels, spas and holiday homes drew on underground warm water for heating and pools – legally and illegally – lowering the water level. As the lake declined, so did its wildlife. 🌎The ecological impact of losing a species is often delayed, making it easy to underestimate. But extinction is never an isolated event. “The collapse of soil fertility, growing water shortages, rising climate-related health risks and the destruction of habitats are each a symptom of the same overarching crisis.”, said Zoltan Feher, Conservation Director at WWF Magyarország. Read the full article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6B2QkcE

On late summer evenings in Szentendre, just north of #Budapest, something extraordinary happens over the Danube. As the sun sets, millions of delicate white insects rise from the water and dance in the warm air. ☑️ These are the Danube mayflies – living indicators of the river’s health. Their comeback after 40 years of absence shows that the water here is clean and the river still flows freely. 💡 Yet their survival remains under threat. Artificial lights along the riverbanks lure them away from the water, putting their fragile existence at risk. ✨With the support of WWF Magyarország, scientists and local communities have developed creative solutions to guide and protect these “magical dancers” of the Danube. Discover their story written by Zoltan Feher, Conservation Director of WWF-Hungary, here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dEDPjHpq

A glimmer of hope in a devastating fire season 🔥 Thanks to the kindness and quick action of local people, this fluffy baby honey buzzard from Madrets, Bulgaria, has been given a second chance at life after being saved from a devastating forest fire. It is now safe at the Wildlife Rescue Centre – Green Balkans, WWF Bulgaria’s partner in a campaign raising funds for equipment and gear for volunteers who risk their lives to fight dangerous wildfires. 👉 Read more about the issue and what can be done: https://lnkd.in/dxKhRNNX More pictures in the comment section below.

Wolves are vital for keeping our fragile ecosystems in balance. Their natural prey includes ungulates such as deer, elk, and wild boar, making wolves essential to healthy forests. As nature’s regulators, they mainly hunt weaker or sick animals, improving the health of prey populations and reducing damage to forests and agricultural land. 🐺 It took decades of conservation work to bring wolves back from the brink of extinction, and they still need our protection. Celebrate with us the International Wolf Day and 🟢 SHARE this message.

GOOD NEWS 🐟 We released 6,500 baby sturgeons into the Danube. The young swimmers are two and a half months old and about 15 cm long. They will swim freely to the Black Sea, 500 km away, only to return in 15 years' time, when they are sexually mature and ready to reproduce. 📢"We urge fishermen along the river to protect the small fish, as they can easily get tangled in their nets. If this happens, the fish must be immediately released and returned to the river," appeals Stoyan Mihov, Freshwater Program Manager at WWF Bulgaria. The released fish began their life journey at Europe's first floating sturgeon breeding station, which opened in #Vienna in April as part of the #LifeBoat4Sturgeon project. These critically endangered, prehistoric fish are among the most threatened species on Earth. To ensure a future for sturgeons in the Danube, WWF is working on multiple fronts: ✅ Protecting critical habitats 🚫 Fighting poaching 🔁 Supporting conservation stocking Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dcaCjM_w Photocredit 📸 Hans Moyson, WWF-Belgium #sturgeon #conservation #GreenHeartOfEurope #LIFEprogramme #LIFEproject #reintroduction #wildlife

🐂 Newborn bison calves spotted roaming free in Romania’s Țarcu Mountains — a rare and powerful glimpse of nature’s healing power. 🌿 Once extinct in the wild here for over 200 years, European bison are returning thanks to a decade of rewilding led by WWF and Rewilding Europe, with the support of local communities. These calves aren’t just a symbol of survival. As “architects of the forest,” bison help restore entire ecosystems — and their return brings new hope for both people and nature. 🌍✨ Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dy8_d9bS #WWFCEE #Rewilding #EuropeanBison #NatureRestoration #Carpathians #HopeForNature

🔥 Over 90% of forest fires in Bulgaria are caused by human activity. WWF’s latest analysis reveals a troubling trend: wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense, and harder to control—often reaching protected areas and posing a serious threat to biodiversity, people, and the economy. In 2024 alone, nearly 600 wildfires swept through Bulgaria, burning over 17,000 hectares. Most of them were triggered by agricultural burning, negligence, or deliberate arson. Climate change is only raising the stakes. 🌳 WWF Bulgaria is calling for urgent action—from stronger prevention and early warning systems to better equipment for volunteer firefighters. We’re also raising funds to help rescue injured wildlife and support those working on the front lines. 👉 Learn more and support the campaign: https://lnkd.in/dxKhRNNX #WWF #Wildfires #NatureConservation #ClimateCrisis #Biodiversity #VolunteerFirefighters #WWFBulgaria #WWFCEE

🐟 Nine countries along the Danube have joined forces to protect one of the world’s most endangered species — the sturgeon. Launched this July in Bucharest, the #MonSturintheDanube project brings together 13 partners to develop a shared monitoring system that tracks sturgeon populations and habitats across the region. 🔷 This joint effort will help national and EU decision-makers act faster and smarter — using real data to protect spawning grounds and tackle threats like poaching and harmful infrastructure. “Sturgeons don’t recognise national borders – and neither should our efforts to protect them,” said Beate Striebel-Greiter, WWF Sturgeon Initiative Lead. “This joint monitoring initiative is a critical step toward better protection. By generating reliable, basin-wide data, we can provide both national and EU policymakers with the scientific evidence and shared recommendations they need to take meaningful action.” This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-funded by the European Union. 👉 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/d3rCVUa2 Visit the MonStur in the Danube official web page: https://lnkd.in/dpxwWU-c #InterregDanube #DanubeRegionProgramme #EUfunded #SturgeonMonitoring #DanubeSturgeon #WWF #Biodiversity #ScienceForPolicy