Radolfzell, 05/06/2022: With the European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) founded by eight environmental protection organizations (the Global Nature Fund, the Lake Constance Foundation and the Environmental Action Germany from Germany, Peipsi CTC from Estonia, the Ecological Society ETNA from Poland, the Fundación Global Nature from Spain as well as LBDCA and the Association of Civil Society Organizations Lake Balaton from Hungary) the protection of lakes and wetlands shall get a competent and assertive voice in Europe.
Figures from the European Environment Agency show how much this voice is needed: In the period up to 2015, only about 40 percent of European surface waters (rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters) had good or very good ecological status. The remaining 60 percent require enhanced protection or even restoration measures to meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive.
ELLA's ambition: Healthy water ecosystems in Europe ELLA has set itself a number of goals to improve the situation of European waters:
- Foundation of attention for the protection of lakes and wetlands, their biodiversity and other characteristics and functions in Europe
- Implementation of demonstration and model projects for the restoration of habitats
- Providing opinions and position papers to improve the policy and legal framework for the protection of aquatic ecosystems
- Promoting exchange and cooperation between different stakeholders in lake regions
- Promoting scientific cooperation and the development and public dissemination of knowledge on lake and wetland protection
"ELLA will bring a new dynamic to the important issue of lake and wetland protection in Europe," says Udo Gattenlöhner, Executive Director of Global Nature Fund (GNF) and German representative on the new ELLA Board.
"We want to promote exchange between NGOs working on wetlands in Europe and raise our voice for effective legal frameworks in the EU." ELLA's advantage: Many years of experience, coordinated in the heart of the continent The European Living Lakes Association is based on more than 20 years of close cooperation between the European partners of the global Living Lakes Network coordinated by GNF. The official foundation of a legal entity based in Europe is a reaction to the experience gained through this partnership.
"In order to be better heard in Europe, you have to be a legally registered organization in one of the member states", emphasizes Gattenlöhner.
ELLA will be based at Lake Constance – one of the largest freshwater lakes in Central Europe and cradle of the Living Lakes Network, which was launched here in 1998. ELLA and its members will continue to be active within the Living Lakes framework and will engage in exchange and cooperation between wetland protection initiatives in Europe and other regions of the world.
Learn more about the European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) Contact Global Nature Fund (GNF)
International Foundation for Environment and Nature
Dr Thomas Schaefer
Head of Nature Conservation & Living Lakes
Fritz-Reichle-Ring 4
78315 Radolfzell, Germany
+49 7732 9995 89
schaefer@globalnature.orgwww.globalnature.org