Environment umbrella organization

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Environment Association
(UWD)
logo
purpose Umbrella organization for Austrian environmental and nature conservation organizations
Chair: Franz Maier
Establishment date: March 27, 1973
Number of members: 1.4 million
Seat : Vienna
Website: Umweltdachverband.at

The Umweltdachverband (UWD), based in Vienna, is the umbrella organization for 36 environmental and nature conservation organizations and Alpine associations from Austria with around 1.4 million members.

history

In 1973 the Austrian Society for Nature and Environmental Protection (ÖGNU) was founded. At the inaugural session on March 27, who founded Friends of Nature , the Alpine Club , the Tourist Club , the Nature Conservation Association and the Mountain Rescue the ÖGNU to support the burgeoning at that time thought Ecology in Austria.

The first president was Herbert Moritz (March 1973 to December 1984), followed by Herbert Salcher (December 1984 to June 1986) and Alfred Stingl (June 1986 to June 1993). Gerhard Heilingbrunner was from June 1993 to November 2014, and Franz Maier has been honorary president of the environmental umbrella organization since then.

The managing directors were Helfried Ortner (June 1973 to December 1974), Erhard Zach (January 1975 to May 1978), Franz Hiess (until November 1978), Heinz Kaupa (November 1978 to June 1983), Walter Scharf (June 1983 to September 1992) , Willi Linder (January 1993 to August 1993), Bernadette Damböck (September 1993 to August 1994), Franz Maier (September 1994 to July 2008), Michael Proschek-Hauptmann (August 2008 to March 2017) and Gerald Pfiffinger since March 2017.

function

The focus of the work is the sustainable protection of the life resource water , the commitment to climate protection and renewable energies , the commitment to domestic protected areas and the preservation of the diversity of genes, species and ecosystems as well as the further development of the Austrian sustainability strategy .

His tasks include project and public relations work, association management and lobbying .

Integrated areas that serve special interest groups are essential for the function of the umbrella environmental association. CIPRA Austria (Commission International pour la protection des Alpes) coordinates the international activities for a sustainable development of the Alpine region . The EU Environment Office is the information hub between the EU and Austrian environmental organizations. The FORUM environmental education develops and promotes ecological education projects in Austria for schools, associations and environmental education.

With Austria 's accession to the EU , international cooperation in the environmental protection sector has become more important. Therefore, the environmental umbrella organization u. a. Member of:

  • the World Conservation Union (IUCN)
  • the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE)
  • the Federation of Nature & National Parks in Europe (EUROPARC)
  • the European Environment Bureau (EEB)
  • of the Austrian UNESCO Commission
  • the Green Budget Europe platform
  • the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA)
  • the association for the protection of the mountain world e. V.

On the other hand, some of the largest environmental associations in the country do not belong to the environmental umbrella organization. Since 1993 the Austrian organizations of Greenpeace , WWF , Friends of the Earth ( GLOBAL 2000 ) and other associations and initiatives have been coordinating their activities through the ÖKOBÜRO within the civil society initiative .

Content focus

Water and water protection

The work of the umbrella environmental association in the area of ​​water mainly focuses on the implementation of Directive 2000/60 / EC (Water Framework Directive) , the Flood Directive and all related processes. The UWD may enter a. for EU-directive-compliant water protection , an Austria-wide strategic hydropower planning and the introduction of a water price as a resource fee z. B. in the form of a hydropower levy.

Energy and climate

In the field of energy, the UWD has drawn up a comprehensive position paper that provides for certain measures to counteract climate change . Specifically, the EU is calling for a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and a natural energy transition by 2050. In addition to the change of direction towards a real energy turnaround, the UWD is committed to the environmentally friendly use of renewable energy sources, consistent energy saving, more energy efficiency, greening the tax system and the abolition of environmentally harmful subsidies .

Rural development

The association is concerned with the task of implementing the EU program for the development of rural areas in the small-scale cultural landscape of Austria. The aim is to achieve certain nature and environmental protection standards and are funded in Austria as part of the Rural Development Program. Measures from this program include the agri-environmental program ÖPUL, compensation payments, subsidies under Natura 2000 and forestry issues.

Alpine protection / implementation of the Alpine Convention

Together with CIPRA Austria, the UWD is working on compliance with the Alpine Convention for the protection of the Alpine region in Austria. Most recently, the Alpine Convention was largely responsible for the suspension of the "Building a Bridge" project over the Kalkkögel near Innsbruck.

natural reserve

In nature conservation , the UWD is trying to expand areas that are declared as protected areas. This includes the expansion of the area of ​​the national parks in Austria and the expansion of the network of nature and biosphere parks . Another area of ​​responsibility of the UWD is intensive commitment to the implementation of Directive 92/43 / EEC (Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive) and the European Union's bird protection directive for the establishment of additional Natura 2000 protected areas in Austria. There has recently been a particular success with the designation of the Isel as a Natura 2000 area.

sustainability

Sustainability is a principle of resource use that follows the imperative to preserve the essential properties of the resources, as well as to maintain the stability and regeneration of the system behind them. The UWD sees the implementation of corporate social responsibility programs as part of corporate social responsibility as an important cornerstone for more ecology, when the environment and nature play a central role. In particular, the UWD advocates a uniform definition and binding rules for companies.

education for Sustainable Development

The umbrella environmental association is heavily involved in its projects in the field of education for sustainable development . The FORUM Umweltbildung - the portal for environmental education in Austria - develops and implements ecological education projects for schools, associations and adult education as the largest area of ​​the UWD and works on the greening of schools.

Members

List of members (as of January 2018):

Former members:

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Ökobüro - Alliance of the Environmental Movement
  2. Demand paper Energy & Climate UWD. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010 ; Retrieved May 5, 2015 .
  3. ^ Rural Development 2020 program of the Ministry of Life
  4. Tiroler Tageszeitung - Kalkkögel project: bridging not possible
  5. ^ Tiroler Tageszeitung from March 3, 2015: State government wants to designate the entire Isel as a Natura 2000 area
  6. FORUM environmental education
  7. Member organizations of the umbrella environmental association. Retrieved January 5, 2018 .