Orieta Hulea, CEO of WWF Romania
The 2nd of February is World Wetlands Day, which honors some of the best ecosystems across the world. The Danube floodplain requires urgent conservation measures. WWF collaborates along with JYSK in order to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the ecological rehabilitation from Mahmudia, Tulcea. What can you share regarding this initiative?
Two years ago, we began collaboration in partnership with Jysk for the purpose of ensuring longevity of the restoration work that was carried out within the Danube Delta Mahmudia. A total of 900 ha of agricultural land were connected to the Danube’s flood-pulse in order to bring back open water and reedbeds that provide shelter for fish and bird species, enhancing the biodiversity of the region and benefitting the local population. Nature plays its part but we have to reinforce it by taking additional steps to ensure the proper quality of habitat and this is the area where support from Jysk is valuable. Invasive species must be removed and the natural forests of the floodplain (willows as well as poplars) must be rebuilt. The new nesting colonies of birds will be bolstered by nesting platforms that are further developed.
2. According to an WWF report the WWF estimates that 64% of wetlands around the world have been destroyed over the past 100 years. What can we do to protect the wetlands that we have in our own country?
In the past 150 years in the past 150 years, in the past 150 years, Danube River and its wetlands are often abused. Cuts, dams, dikes as well as bank fixing and dredging has altered huge sections of the system. More than 80 percent of wetlands are gone, and they have lost the benefits to ecosystems they offer. The consequences have been numerous including a drop in numbers of wildlife and fish and a decrease in the quality of water and damage to the wetlands, which are no longer able create the vital biodiversity hotspots that are needed or act as buffers for floodwaters which are becoming more important in the context of climate changes.
Our mission is to rehabilitate the degraded floodplain as far as is feasible, by restoration of wetlands, which improve the natural resources and biodiversity and provide benefits to local communities, such as flood risk reduction, opportunities for ecotourism development, and local businesses that are based on sustainable utilization of the natural resource. We have had successful projects that have been implemented across the Danube (Garla Mare) and Danube Delta (Mahmudia), we are aiming to replicate and expanding this success.
3. The protection and rehabilitation of wetlands, including floodplains, is an important issue for Romanian society. What can we do to raise awareness about this problem?
Wetlands and rivers are essential to the quality of our lives and even to our very existence. Many people are unaware of the variety of goods and services freshwater habitats, like wetlands, provide Not just food as well as water removal, flood management as well as drought mitigation, recreation biomass and biodiversity. These ecosystems are gigantic sponges, taking in rainfall, and gradually releasing it as time passes. They also serve as massive sewer treatment plants, which absorb contaminants, filtering sediments and pollutants by dissolving suspended solids, as well as neutralizing bacteria that cause harm. In addition, they are the most diverse ecosystems in terms of biodiversity that are home to a diverse variety of fauna and flora.
For communication and engagement, we’ve increased awareness and education about the wetlands and rivers to young children and families with the Living Danube tour and special events for businesses by hosting special events for business and to policymakers and experts through meetings and conferences or working group of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River.
What is the involvement of companies play a role in the actions that are taken by WWF Romania?
The issues that the world’s environment faces present day are far too large and complex, as well as too important for any single group to address on their own. Thus, WWF seeks to work with the organizations that have the most potential to address the most urgent threats to the biodiversity living things on Earth and to discover solutions to issues affecting conservation such as overfishing, deforestation water scarcity, climate changes. The business sector is the main driver of the world’s economy which is why we believe that corporations have a particular responsibility in ensuring that ecosystems and natural resources which support their operations are managed in a sustainable manner. They are also expected to lead in the rapid adaptation process and the ingenuous solutions required to make a difference. Working with corporate organizations, WWF aims to change behaviour and achieve conservation results that might not be achievable without it.
What are the plans of WWF Romania in 2022?
In 2022, we will concentrate on promoting nature-based solutions (wetlands restoration) to reduce flood risk and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. We will continue to collaborate with the key local and national stakeholders, and will actively engage them in restoration projects for wetlands to show the numerous advantages (flood risk mitigation as well as fishing and other natural resource provisioning as well as conservation of biodiversity). We will make use of the findings of our field work to show the benefits of restoration to wetlands and increase awareness among the general public and other stakeholders about the importance of these areas.
Alex Bratu, CEO of Jysk Romania & Bulgaria
JYSK Romania is actively involved in environmental initiatives implemented through WWF Romania. What is the process of these partnerships?
In 2020, we began looking for a professional and reliable partner who could assist in supporting initiatives devoted to conservation of nature in Romania. We came across this partner through WWF-Romania. We signed a three-year deal that states that JYSK will provide funding for the crucial project within the Danube Delta, to ensure the sustainability of ecological restoration work in Mahmudia. We visited the area in August, and with the help of experts from WWF-Romania the benefits that ecological restoration can bring to the local population and the environment. Local authorities are also assisting with this initiative. Everyone involved is in agreement about how crucial it is to transform areas that were at one time an integral part of the Delta and restore them to their original state.
Feb 2nd marks World Wetlands Day, and along in partnership with WWF Romania you have preserved and restored the wetlands in the Danube Delta. What effect did this project affect the company and its staff?
Our customers and colleagues have a positive opinion of this project. We went to Mahmudia with 10 colleagues, and everyone was amazed by how stunning the region is, and the diversity of species of birds they saw. They were also impressed by the quality of the project staff from WWF-Romania had a professional approach and gave us a thorough explanation of the importance of ecological reconstruction and how it affects the environmental. We had our colleagues from Tulcea came along, as they believe that their home in the Danube Delta their home and they believe that the project of Mahmudia aids in the development of sustainable tourism. In our collaboration with WWF-Romania the NGO’s volunteers collect money from stores located in Bucharest. The feedback received from our staff members and the WWF-Romania’s fundraisers was extremely positive and several of our colleagues contributed to the cause.
How do your employees perceive how employees view the CSR projects you manage? What strategies do you have in mind in order to motivate employees to participate with JYSK projects?
They are thrilled whenever JYSK participates in an CSR initiative, they are grateful for it, and generally they are also eager to contribute, whether through volunteering, making donations or redirecting 35 percent from their tax bill. There are candidates who inform us in the meeting, that they have seen our CSR project and it is one of the main reasons they chose to apply for a position at JYSK. We strive to involve our employees whenever we can, whether as volunteers at a tree-planting occasion, assembling furniture for a brand new small-group family home, or in other ways. One method to inspire them is to give them positive examples and stories of colleagues who have volunteered to support various causes.
JYSK support is vital in relation to WWF projects. What tips do you have for people who may be looking to establish the process of forming collaborations?
Anyone who wishes to make a difference and protect the environment can find a reliable organization in WWF-Romania. My suggestion is to think about the Sustainable Development Goals are important to your business and invest in a program which will assist in achieving this target. In JYSK we concentrate on five SDGs and the ecological restoration carried out by WWF-Romania assists in achieving the three goals: Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic
