The restoring of the Kartal Lake in the Danube Delta is planned in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund. As on 30 January, 2013, 164 countries are the members of the Ramsar Convention. 2 thousand 83 wetlands of international importance with a total area 197 million 849 thousand 428 hectares are situated on their territory. 33 wetlands with total area of 744 thousand hectares protected under the Convention are situated in Ukraine (8 in Odesa region). They are: the northern part of the Dniester Liman, Shagany-Alibey-Burnas lake system, Tiligulskiy Liman, Dniesterís overflows land, Kartal Lake, Kugurluy Lake, Sasyk Lake, Kilia branch. The last four are in the Danube region.

“It is necessary to protect and restore degraded wetlands and marshes to recover the health of the region. WWF works to improve wetland ecosystems, saving of biodiversity and restoration of the natural processes of the Danube Delta for over ten years in the framework of the Danube-Carpathian Programme”, the press service of WWF noted.

As the WWF project manager in the Danube Delta Mikhail Nesterenko noted Small Tataru and Ermakov islands are the successful model projects of WWF demonstrating the possibility of the revival of nature by people. Moreover, after the restoration both islands will become attractive places for ecotourism ― an alternative source of income for the local population.

In the framework of the project “Adaptation of the Danube Delta to climate changes”, WWF together with the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and “Centre for Regional Studies” appraise wetlands in the Ukrainian Danube Delta to determine another model object. Kartal Lake and adjacent marshes near the Orlovka village are among potentially successful regions for restoring. With the active support of the Head of the village Ivan Kironaki, preliminary studies and the development of the project plan for the lake restoring is developing.

INFORMATION: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries, supporting around 1,300 conservation and environmental projects. WWF is a foundation, in 2010 deriving 57% of funding from individuals and bequests, 17% from government sources (such as the World Bank, DFID, USAID) and 11% from corporations.