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Hello everybody, please read the following information.
Worldwide protest needed:
One of the most important migratory bird areas will be destroyed -
Save the Danube Delta!
Not only amongst birdwatchers the Danube Delta is well known and famous for its rich wild life; it is also a crossing point for 6 migration routes and one of the most important roost areas of the Euro-Asian region. Soon it will be destroyed for migratory birds that are being faced with the prospect of a cordon of thousands of wind turbines along the coast of the Black Sea. Despite the fact that the Danube Delta is an UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1991 there are advanced plans to build up approximately 1000 wind farms along the coast, using the old wind turbines of other European countries, which will be dismantled, transported to Romania, and replaced by new ones - so called "development aid" for the "backward" Romania but in truth nothing more than high profits for the energy groups ENEL (Italy), EdF (France), and EON (Germany) and a death bringing trap for the birds. According to the expertise of the German NABU, a partner of BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, wind farms are a major risk for migratory birds particularly during their night flights, because the birds can't see the rotating arms; 80% of all migratory birds fly by night and up to 70% of them at the height of the rotors. Over and above that, additional damage will be caused by the loss or major damage to habitats and by the disturbance of flying migrants: it was shown that 29 to 87 % of migrating birds showed panic when faced with wind turbines, 30% changed their direction, and so flying groups were split up. Many breeding birds like lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), redshanks (Tringa totanus), sky larks (Alauda arvensis), meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) and whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) refuse breeding closer than 1000 m in distance to a wind turbine. For other birds like geese, numerous shore birds, terns, ducks, and swans it is known that they are keeping a great distance from the turbines. For more rare species this is not yet even assessed. But even around the reed lakes, which means in the breeding areas of the eastern white and dalmation pelican (Pelicanus onocrotalus and P. crispus), of spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), of the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), purple heron (Ardea purpurea), the pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) or the black stork (Ciconia nigra) it is planned to build up wind farms continuing along the whole Black Sea coast. Also the inland feeding areas and the coastal roosting areas won't be spared, as the biggest populations of up to 10,000 specimens of the red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) or the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) will have to cross the wind farms each night. The list of potential damages is much longer, but just these few mentioned make it very clear that:
If the wind farm project is not stopped it will cause irreparable damage to the Danube Delta for migrating birds. Only an immediate international protest can stop these advanced plans!
The Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR, Societatea ornitologica Romana) has already organized a protest declaration and sent it to the president of Romania, but this has limited influence because Romania has had to promise the EU that it will increase its use of renewable sources of energy even though Romania's energy production is based already now 37% on water power, which is higher than the level other European countries plan to reach by 2010 (33%). Furthermore there would be an easier and less dangerous solution, because the Dobrogea, with its more than 300 hours sunshine per month between May and October, is one of the sunniest areas in Europe which in itself suggests a solution by using sun collectors. If still needed the wind farms could be situated in already ugly industrial areas outside the migration or roost regions.
Only a fast and determined protest can stop this dramatic destruction of one of Europe's last extensive natural reserves!
Therefore please send your protest to
Mr. Stavros Dimas
EU-Commissioner for Environment
Email: Stavros.dimas 'at' ec.europa.eu
Please send a copy of your protest letter to:
dorothea.setzer 'at'dgn.de
and forward this information to all people who are interested in this subject.
Kindest regards
Rivieren
Proposal for a letter:
We hereby protest against the planned installation of around 1000 wind farms in the Danube Delta and the Dobrogea! These facilities are a considerable threat for this unique wetland of international importance that was chosen as landscape of the year 2007/2008. We therefore demand that you intervene and stop this devastation of an UNESCO biosphere reserve according to the directives of the EEC/EC/EU and UNEP and the international conventions on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (Bonn convention), on wetlands of international importance (Ramsar convention) and the African-Eurasian migratory waterbird agreement (AEWA)!
.
Worldwide protest needed:
One of the most important migratory bird areas will be destroyed -
Save the Danube Delta!
Not only amongst birdwatchers the Danube Delta is well known and famous for its rich wild life; it is also a crossing point for 6 migration routes and one of the most important roost areas of the Euro-Asian region. Soon it will be destroyed for migratory birds that are being faced with the prospect of a cordon of thousands of wind turbines along the coast of the Black Sea. Despite the fact that the Danube Delta is an UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1991 there are advanced plans to build up approximately 1000 wind farms along the coast, using the old wind turbines of other European countries, which will be dismantled, transported to Romania, and replaced by new ones - so called "development aid" for the "backward" Romania but in truth nothing more than high profits for the energy groups ENEL (Italy), EdF (France), and EON (Germany) and a death bringing trap for the birds. According to the expertise of the German NABU, a partner of BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, wind farms are a major risk for migratory birds particularly during their night flights, because the birds can't see the rotating arms; 80% of all migratory birds fly by night and up to 70% of them at the height of the rotors. Over and above that, additional damage will be caused by the loss or major damage to habitats and by the disturbance of flying migrants: it was shown that 29 to 87 % of migrating birds showed panic when faced with wind turbines, 30% changed their direction, and so flying groups were split up. Many breeding birds like lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), redshanks (Tringa totanus), sky larks (Alauda arvensis), meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) and whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) refuse breeding closer than 1000 m in distance to a wind turbine. For other birds like geese, numerous shore birds, terns, ducks, and swans it is known that they are keeping a great distance from the turbines. For more rare species this is not yet even assessed. But even around the reed lakes, which means in the breeding areas of the eastern white and dalmation pelican (Pelicanus onocrotalus and P. crispus), of spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), of the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), purple heron (Ardea purpurea), the pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) or the black stork (Ciconia nigra) it is planned to build up wind farms continuing along the whole Black Sea coast. Also the inland feeding areas and the coastal roosting areas won't be spared, as the biggest populations of up to 10,000 specimens of the red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) or the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) will have to cross the wind farms each night. The list of potential damages is much longer, but just these few mentioned make it very clear that:
If the wind farm project is not stopped it will cause irreparable damage to the Danube Delta for migrating birds. Only an immediate international protest can stop these advanced plans!
The Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR, Societatea ornitologica Romana) has already organized a protest declaration and sent it to the president of Romania, but this has limited influence because Romania has had to promise the EU that it will increase its use of renewable sources of energy even though Romania's energy production is based already now 37% on water power, which is higher than the level other European countries plan to reach by 2010 (33%). Furthermore there would be an easier and less dangerous solution, because the Dobrogea, with its more than 300 hours sunshine per month between May and October, is one of the sunniest areas in Europe which in itself suggests a solution by using sun collectors. If still needed the wind farms could be situated in already ugly industrial areas outside the migration or roost regions.
Only a fast and determined protest can stop this dramatic destruction of one of Europe's last extensive natural reserves!
Therefore please send your protest to
Mr. Stavros Dimas
EU-Commissioner for Environment
Email: Stavros.dimas 'at' ec.europa.eu
Please send a copy of your protest letter to:
dorothea.setzer 'at'dgn.de
and forward this information to all people who are interested in this subject.
Kindest regards
Rivieren
Proposal for a letter:
We hereby protest against the planned installation of around 1000 wind farms in the Danube Delta and the Dobrogea! These facilities are a considerable threat for this unique wetland of international importance that was chosen as landscape of the year 2007/2008. We therefore demand that you intervene and stop this devastation of an UNESCO biosphere reserve according to the directives of the EEC/EC/EU and UNEP and the international conventions on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (Bonn convention), on wetlands of international importance (Ramsar convention) and the African-Eurasian migratory waterbird agreement (AEWA)!
.
