Nature Conservation Bureau

This report draws on lessons learned from observations made at seven case study sites, all of which permit economic activities, especially recreation, that are not harmful to the biological values and natural functions of the area. There is now a need to translate these experiences into policy instruments. The guidelines, summarised in some 20 pages, offer sound and well-documented advice on how to proceed.

Sharks and their relatives, the rays and chimaeras, are the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that have evolved over 400 million years. Historically considered of low economic value to large-scale fisheries, today many of these fishes have become the target of directed commercial and recreational fisheries around the world, and they are increasingly taken in the by-catch of fisheries targeting other species. This report emphasizes the widely-acknowledged need to improve shark fishery monitoring, expand biological research and take management action.

Sharks and their relatives, the rays and chimaeras, are the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that have evolved over 400 million years. Historically considered of low economic value to large-scale fisheries, today many of these fishes have become the target of directed commercial and recreational fisheries around the world, and they are increasingly taken in the by-catch of fisheries targeting other species. This report emphasizes the widely-acknowledged need to improve shark fishery monitoring, expand biological research and take management action.

Large areas previously occupied by Warsaw Pact forces have been vacated in Central and Eastern Europe after the political changes in 1989 and 1990. Many of these areas are potentially rich in natural resources and variety of habitats. This report identifies sites of national and international importance in four Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic), makes recommendations for appropriate degrees of protection and proposes management plans for a number of key sites.

This report draws on lessons learned from observations made at seven case study sites, all of which permit economic activities, especially recreation, that are not harmful to the biological values and natural functions of the area. There is now a need to translate these experiences into policy instruments. The guidelines, summarised in some 20 pages, offer sound and well-documented advice on how to proceed.