During the first week of May, authorities and wildlife experts met in Brussels for the EUROWA-2 workshop Integrated professional oiled wildlife preparedness and response. The workshop was also the launch of the brand new WildX Tabletop exercise package, which allowed participants to explore different strategies for oiled wildlife response in an informative and interactive way. …
SPECIALIST oiled wildlife responders are critical in an oiled wildlife response as the lives of animals and the success of the response, heavily depends on them. EUROWA approaches the SPECIALIST oiled wildlife responder qualification using the “lifelong learning” concept. You do not become a SPECIALIST only by attending a course of a few days. Instead,…
In November, several EUROWA BASIC responders upgraded their qualifications to ADVANCED Responders by completing the advanced EUROWA course in Ireland. During an oil spill, certified ADVANCED responders will make up a crucial part of the workforce in animal rehabilitation, and it is therefore important that there are trained advanced responders in each European country. The…
Vets play a key role in an oiled wildlife response, which is why EUROWA has developed a training path specifically for veterinarians. For the first time, vet students in the Netherlands completed EUROWA Specialist Vet training. The EUROWA Specialist Vet course is aimed at vets and animal keepers who may or may not have experience…
In September of this year, a range of experts met for a two-day workshop in Texel, Netherlands to discuss Risk and Impact Assessment methods for marine wildlife emergencies. Seabird population experts from scientific institutions, regional authorities and veterinarians were invited to gain insight into how to evaluate population impacts during mass marine wildlife stranding events.…
An online workshop, using a combination of theory presentations, instruction videos, and an interactive tabletop exercise using the Mural online collaboration platform, gave a group of European seabird scientists insight into their potential role in an emergency response involving seabirds. The April 20-21, 2022 workshop, organized and facilitated by EUROWA-2 project coordinator Sea Alarm, was…
With travel restrictions easing, EUROWA has been able to resume some in-person training courses, continuing critical hands-on training that was put on hold during COVID. In March, twelve people from four countries attended the Advanced Responder course in Finland. The course was hosted by WWF Finland and the Helsinki Zoo Wildlife Hospital, with classroom sessions…
For the first time since 2019, the EUROWA network was able to meet in person. Seventeen network members and technical experts, with Sea Alarm in its role as Secretariat, gathered in Ostend from 24-28 April. This allowed the group to delve into extended face to face discussions on a wide range of technical issues to…
April marked the first ever EUROWA training workshop on oiled sea turtle response, which was held in Glyfada, Greece. The 3-day workshop was part of the EUROWA-2 project, which aims to establish an oiled sea turtle response training module for the EUROWA network. Sea turtle specialists with long-standing expertise in sea turtle rehabilitation, nesting beaches…
In March, eleven participants from five European countries successfully completed the Skills Module of the Specialist Oiled wildlife responder Wash and Dry training during a two day in-person course. This hands-on session was preceded by a half day online webinar earlier in the year during which participants earned their Knowledge Module qualification. Both training modules,…
In February and March of 2022, as part of the EUROWA-2 project, a pair of workshops on dealing effectively with wildlife challenges during pollution emergencies introduced participants to the ways in which various authorities should be involved in response to wildlife within a wider emergency response. Originally envisioned as in-person workshops, COVID-19 restrictions meant the…
EUROWA (EURopean Oiled Wildlife Assistance) is a network of European oiled wildlife response experts who are working together to improve professionalism in marine wildlife emergency response. EUROWA have been building their network of wildlife professionals for many years and with the help of EU Civil Protection funding through the EUROWA-1 and EUROWA-2 projects, the network is now solidifying.…
As a rehabilitation facility manager, you are not alone! This was a key focus area for the EUROWA Facility Manager’s training which took place online on 1st and 2nd December 2021. Managers’ training is an important element of the EUROWA-2 project work stream to develop and roll out several new training courses for European oiled…
We are delighted to announce that the Bonn Agreement has further cemented its commitment to oiled wildlife preparedness and response issues by granting observer status to the EUROWA network. This was approved at the Bonn Agreement meeting on 22-23rd September, meaning that the EUROWA network can now attend relevant meetings of the Bonn Agreement to…
The EUROWA-2 project is developing tools which will help governments develop their oiled wildlife preparedness through an integrated approach. Responding well to oiled wildlife incidents and other marine wildlife emergencies needs a multidisciplinary, integrated approach where key authorities operate jointly. Over 25 Baltic Sea oil spill response authorities learned more about these tools at the…
Sea Alarm, as Secretariat for EUROWA, and the Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend (WRCO) raised international awareness of the EUROWA network at a Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) webinar. Christophe Blazy, presenting for Sea Alarm, gave an overview on Oiled Wildlife Preparedness and Response, highlighting the risk of oil spills in…
The EUROWA network now has two new communication channels, our website and Twitter. Be sure to subscribe to the EUROWA newsletter on the homepage to keep up-to-date on our activities. Our brand-new website gives an overview of who we are and how we work. You can find lots of resources, including an overview of our…
Authorities from the Baltic, North and Mediterranean Sea regions learned more about the EUROWA-2 project at their meetings during the first half of the year. Sea Alarm, as EUROWA Secretariat, represented EUROWA at these online meetings, the first of which introduced EUROWA-2 to the Baltic countries at the meeting of the HELCOM Expert Working Group…
On March 31st, Sascha Regmann, Vanessa Ryan and Agni Kaldma, representatives of the EUROWA Network, presented at a Baltic webinar ‘Oiled Wildlife Response – Methods and Opportunities’. The webinar was organised by the OIL SPILL Project, which is funded by the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme with the aim of enhancing oil spill response…
During the last week of April, EUROWA member organisations and technical experts came together on Zoom for a network meeting, their first gathering under the EUROWA-2 project. The meeting, originally planned as a three day in-person event, had to be shifted to an online format due to the pandemic, but nonetheless produced some very rich…
On 14th April, the EUROWA Secretariat presented EUROWA at an online meeting of oiled wildlife response stakeholders who are part of the Polish oiled wildlife response working group. The working group is looking into strengthening and further developing national arrangements for oiled animals during oil spills. The meeting was organised and chaired by Jadwiga Moczarska…
2021 marks the start of a brand-new phase of EUROWA cooperation, with the kick-off of the EUROWA-2 project. This 2-year project, co-funded by the European Commission’s Civil Protection Financial Instrument represents an important milestone in development of oiled wildlife preparedness in Europe. EUROWA-2 aims to strengthen Europe’s capability to deal with wildlife pollution emergencies utilising…