Welcome to our first two affiliate members

EUROWA would like to announce a new form of network Membership – Affiliate Members. We would also like to welcome our first two Affiliate Members, the RSPCA in the UK and Associazione Caretta caretta – Lampedusa Turtle Rescue in Italy. 

Affiliate Membership was created to allow organisations with qualified experts to take part in technical network activities, but at a less intensive level than Associate (full) members. Affiliate Members can participate fully in all technical network activities. At formal EUROWA governance meetings, they can participate and make recommendations without having formal voting rights.  

The EUROWA network was born as an NGO network, but Affiliate members can also be from other types of organisation such as universities or veterinary clinics. There are many such organisations in Europe who could provide a valuable contribution to an oiled wildlife response and bring their expertise to the table for developing technical standards and response protocols. Affiliate Members are entitled to train and exercise their personnel according to EUROWA standards and to be part of the pool of responders who could be mobilized to support an incident in Europe. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has been involved in European oiled wildlife preparedness activities since 2009. They have responded to a number of major oiled wildlife incidents in Europe and were part of the first efforts along with Sea Alarm and the Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend to create a European protocol for oiled seabird rehabilitation. The RSPCA is the world’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity, focusing on promoting kindness to animals through advocacy and changes in the law, preventing cruelty, rescuing, rehabilitating, rehoming or releasing animals across the UK. Individual RPSCA experts have providing technical expertise to the network for many years and this collaboration will grow under their new formal Membership. 

The Associazione Caretta caretta was founded in 1996, incorporating two sea turtle rescue centres on the islands of Sicily and Lampedusa. It has since become an international point of reference in the care and rehabilitation of sea turtles. The Association has profound experience in both conservation efforts and in developing medical techniques to treat injured turtles.  Caretta caretta brings important knowledge and expertise on sea turtles into the network’s pool of expertise. 

Are you interested in becoming an Affiliate Member? For further information, please contact secretariat@eurowa.eu