For EUROWA news
Wrapping up year one of the EUROWA project, the last 2015 meeting in Ostend was a team event involving all members of the project team. This event, hosted by the Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend, concentrated on the group working together as part of a module mobilisation.
The EUROWA project is building on the philosophy that oiled wildlife response can be successful if it is well prepared for, run according to an agreed and integrated wildlife response plan that is regularly exercised, and carried out by personnel that are well trained and have benefited from a range of regular exercises in which they have learned how to work together.
A week-long meeting in the UK of all partner organisations and subcontractors got the EUROWA project off to a strong start. As standardising training of oiled wildlife response personnel is a key component of this project, the participants worked on defining the skills and responsibilities of multiple levels of responders–convergent and advanced volunteers, specialists, managers and veterinarians– needed to provide best possible care for oiled wildlife.
Sea Alarm recently informed HELCOM RESPONSE, OTSOPA and the Meeting of REMPEC FOCAL POINTS about the EUROWA Module project and how it is envisaged that the Module will become part of the wider European oil spill preparedness systems.
The integration of oiled wildlife response into existing oil spill response and preparedness systems is taking shape in Europe. Regional Agreements such as HELCOM, the Bonn Agreement and the Barcelona Convention have recognized the need to integrate oiled wildlife response into national plans and preparedness systems, and many member countries either have national plans for oiled wildlife response in place or are developing them.
Information regarding the European Oiled Wildlife Response Assistance Module (EUROWA) can now be found online. Oiledwildlife.eu, the key reference site for oiled wildlife response in Europe, is hosting the EUROWA pages which feature background information, news, publications, and details of events related to the project.
Sea Alarm recently was informed by the European Commission that the EUROWA proposal (European Module for Oiled Wildlife Emergency Response Assistance) has been selected for European funding.
