Welcome Estonian Fund for Nature, our newest EUROWA member

The EURopean Oiled Wildlife Assistance (EUROWA) network continues to grow. We welcome the Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF) as our newest member, bringing the network to a total of nine wildlife organisations.

ELF is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to nature conservation. Its mission is to preserve endangered species and their habitats, natural landscapes, and natural associations typical of Estonia but also to promote the sustainable use of natural resources, raise environmental awareness in society, and seek solutions for preserving a clean environment for future generations. The organisation has extensive experience in coordinating and training volunteers involved in various nature conservation projects as well as activities to reduce/mitigate environmental pollution.

Since the mystery spill off Keibu Bay (Estonia) in 2006, which oiled over 10,000 birds, ELF has developed experience in bird rescue and clean-up operations. ELF has assembled and trained volunteers to be ready to help with the elimination of oil pollution by cleaning up the shores and helping wildlife. In addition, ELF has been a part of international discussions on building European preparedness with other oiled wildlife response groups since 2009, several years before the EUROWA network was born.

ELF are a key stakeholder in the Estonian Oiled Wildlife Response Plan and have been collaborating with national authorities for a number of years to raise awareness on oil spill risk and ecological sensitivities in Estonian waters. Recently, ELF participated in a national oiled wildlife training course to further Estonian preparedness.

Joining EUROWA, is a great opportunity for ELF to share its experience with the network members and further train its volunteers based on the EUROWA standards on oiled wildlife response.

We warmly welcome ELF into the EUROWA family and look forward to collaborating with them in the future.

If you are also interested in becoming a EUROWA Member, please do not hesitate to check out our membership page.