Leonore Gewesseler, the Ribelle Austrian minister who saved the Nature Restoration Law. To her the golden panda
He owes to her, who voted against the opinion of his own government, the passage of the law on the restoration of nature. Award also at the Waldrappteam Förderverein for the conservation of Hibis hermit
There Nature Restoration Law he would have been rejected by the Council of the European Union if Leonore Gewessler He had not opposed the directives of his own government: for this reason the Austrian minister was awarded on Saturday with The 2025 gold panda from WWF Italia, in Jesi (Ancona), on the occasion of the National Forum of Members and Volunteers. The first without the presence of the founder Fulco Prato, disappeared on March 1, 2025 to 90 yearsand dedicated this year to Green Dealto the strategies to be implemented for those who fight for the protection of natural capital in a world shaken by wars and social inequalities and the role of volunteering.
The restoration of degraded habitats
The awards are assigned every year to entities and people who have distinguished themselves for commitment in the field of defense of the environment and nature. In the category Institutions & Policythe WWF rewarded Gewessler that with his favorable vote during the session of the Council of the European Union of 17 June 2024 the definitive approval of the first European regulation intended for Restoration of degraded habitats. There Nature Restoration Law It is, in fact, one of the main pillars of the European Green Deal« A fundamental tool to reverse the route of the current crisis of biodiversity, » the minister still moved by videocal, recalling the obstacles encountered by the provision strongly opposed by the European right with over 2 thousand amendments and from a massive disinformation campaign. And the emotion of that day: «When the stakes are to guarantee a healthy and happy life to future generations, it is necessary to make courageous decisions. That’s why I voted in favor of this law ». The text includes restoration of at least 20% of the European and terrestrial European territory by 2030 and all habitats at risk by 2050.
Scientific dissemination
TO Geopoprepresented by Creator Maria Bosco, the award for the category went Environmental communication & dissemination, for the scientific promotion of the contents of Living Planet Report 2024.
The Hermit Ibis guided by man flight
In the category Conservation & projects the commitment has been recognized Of Waldrappteam Förderverein for the project for the conservation of the Hermit Ibis (Gerrongus hermit). Disappeared in Europe in the seventeenth century due to hunting, the species is returning thanks to a project co -financed by the EU. Ibis migrate from the Alps in Tuscany (in the WWF Oasis of Orbetello, one of the hundred of the association, editor’s note), following a migratory route taught by the researchers, On a journey of over a thousand kilometers. The project was born in 2002 with the aim of testing any possibility of recreating a migratory population of Ibis hermit in Europe, in particular in the areas where the species was present in the past. «As part of the first project Life From 2014 to 2019, a migratory population of Ibis hermit has been resetted in the Alps. Losses due to the illegal hunting of birds in Italy could be almost halved thanks to the protection efforts. Although the objectives of the project have been achieved, models have shown that a population of this dimensions is not yet self -sufficient, « explained the researcher Laura Stefani by withdrawing the prize. For this reason, another question was submitted and a second Life project was approved: Life20 Ibis hermit (Life20 NAT/AT/000 049). By the end of the project, in 2028, it is expected that more than 260 Ibis Eremita Migrino between the northern mountain ranges of the Alps and Tuscany (the calculated minimum number of individuals necessary for the survival of the wild population, editor’s note). At the end of the first Life project, in 2019, the population was made up of 142 individuals. In addition to the colonies existing in the south of Germany and in the province of Salzburg, three other migratory colonies will be established in Switzerland, Carinthia and northern Italy.
Di Tizio: « To carry out the values of the WWF concretely »
« Today we celebrate the work of those who, each in their own field, contributed to the defense of nature, » said the president of WWF Italia, Luciano Di Tizio during the ceremony. «In a historical moment in which some voices seem to mean that the defense of the planet and scientific knowledge are not so important, it is essential to remember that in Italy and in the world Many people engage with competence, passion and ability of innovation To concretely carry out the values and messages that WWF defends every day ».
