++ Award goes to coalition of nature conservation organisations and individuals ++ In the Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki, the focus is on cooperation ++ Great successes in protecting the Oder and Vistula river++
Stretching over 1048 km, the Vistula is Poland's longest river and remains largely unspoilt. Sandbanks and small islands characterise its middle course.
© Marek Elas
Protest against the dam project in Siarzewo on the Vistula (Wisła in Polish). Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2024.
© Justyna ChorosRadolfzell. The EuroNatur Award 2023 goes to the Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki (KRR) from Poland for its outstanding commitment to protecting free-flowing rivers in Poland and dedicated cross-border cooperation. The organisation, called "Save the Rivers Coalition" in the international context, is comprised of over 50 organisations and more than 40 individuals. The willingness to work together and join forces to increase the impact for nature conservation resonated strongly with and impressed the EuroNatur board.
The Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki consists of organisations that protect Poland's rivers, streams and wetlands, as well as scientists, individuals, local authorities and institutions that care about the fate of Poland's rivers and ecosystems. Among other things, the continuous successful work of the entire coalition to protect the Odra and Vistula river systems and the campaign against the construction of the E40 waterway are honoured.
"We are convinced that a peaceful and democratic Europe will only have a lasting future if we develop successful human-nature relations that are based on a broad social foundation. The Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki brings together nature conservation organisations, individuals from science and local administration as well as state institutions to preserve rivers, not least across borders," says EuroNatur President Thomas Potthast, explaining the choice of this year's EuroNatur Award recipients. With this award, the river protectors stand in a row with personalities such as the "brave women of Kruščica" from Bosnia-Herzegovina or the Ukrainian primeval forest protectors of Free Svydovets. They also received the EuroNatur Award for their exemplary commitment to protecting Europe's natural heritage.
Background information:
EuroNatur award: In addition to those mentioned in the text, the author Jonathan Franzen, the diplomat Gudrun Steinacker and the municipality of Mals in South Tyrol have also received awards. The EuroNatur Award is not endowed. It is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in nature conservation. The EuroNatur Prize 2023 will be awarded on Thursday, 26 October 2023, at 5 pm on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance. Dorota Chmielowiec-Tyszko (FER - Fundacja EkoRozwoju), Justyna Choroś (OTOP - Polish Society for the Protection of Birds) and Piotr Nieznański (WWF Polen) will receive the award on behalf of the coalition.
Contact:
Anja Arning, EuroNatur: anja.arning(at)euronatur.org, phone: +49 (0)7732-927213