The 10th International Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference was held in Tallinn, Estonia, from 5 to 9 October 2009. This conference is known as the most important event in the field of oiled wildlife response and preparedness.
At the Conference, Hugo Nijkamp presented EMPOWER, the new European initiative to promote the cooperation between authorities and NGOs in marine wildlife emergencies. Very soon interested wildlife organisations will be invited to join EMPOWER by becoming a member of the European EMPOWER network. The presentation gave an overview of the history of EMPOWER, its objectives and the various activities that are envisaged.
In the evening after this presentation, an EMPOWER Question and Answer session was held. Although starting at 1900, the meeting still attracted over 45 conference delegates who demonstrated their serious interest in the initiative. By answering various questions Hugo Nijkamp, who moderated the session, took the opportunity to explain the initiative to the audience. It became clear that EMPOWER offers a unique platform to develop stronger bonds between specialist NGOs in different European countries and their respective authorities. Through EMPOWER, European NGOs can build their own quality standard for marine wildlife emergency response, including standards for oiled wildlife rehabilitation, Impact Assessments and emergency management. Click here to view the Conference website.