Beluga, © Valentin Zahariev
WWF Central and Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE) led a consortium of European institutions to produce a series of key reports on the implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons. Covering regions such as the Baltic Sea, Atlantic, Lower Danube and Black Sea, Upper and Middle Danube and the Mediterranean, the reports provide a comprehensive overview of progress to date and highlights remaining gaps.
In addition to these reports, the consortium developed the first ever review on sturgeon bycatch prevention and mitigation measures, as well as technical guidelines on sturgeon population monitoring, habitat monitoring, and ex situ conservation. This scientific toolbox is further complemented by a factsheet with key recommendations for stakeholders available in eighteen languages and a short video about the Pan-European Action Plan.
The work took place under the Service Contract Supporting Conservation and Protection Actions to Implement the Pan-European Sturgeon Action Plan, commissioned by the European Commission.
Bringing together leading expertise from across Europe, the consortium included experts from INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (France), Wildlife Estonia, the University of Padua (Italy), and IGB – Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (Germany), BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, and Dr. Ralf Reinartz, Senior Expert for the Upper Danube (Germany).
The 44th Meeting of the Bern Convention welcomed the technical guidelines supporting the effective implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for the conservation of sturgeons and backed them up by adopting official recommendations to implement the guidelines.
All materials are now available on the European Commission’s website and can be explored below.
Regional reports
• State of implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons – Baltic Sea region 2024
• State of implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons – Atlantic region 2024
• State of implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons – Lower Danube and Black Sea region 2024
• State of implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons – Upper and Middle Danube region 2024
• State of Implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons – Italy Mediterranean region 2024
Bycatch prevention and mitigation
• Report: Review of bycatch prevention and mitigation measures for sturgeons
Technical guidelines
• Technical guideline for sturgeon population monitoring
• Technical guideline for Ex situ conservation measures in sturgeons
• Technical guideline for sturgeon habitat monitoring
Recommendations
• Recommendation No. 222 (2024) on the assessment of the habitat of sturgeons
• Recommendation No. 223 (2024) on sturgeon population monitoring
• Recommendation No. 224 (2024) on ex situ conservation measures for sturgeons
Factsheet
• Factsheet (in 18 languages): A plan to save sturgeons in Europe
