Sea Alarm attends the Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference in Cape Town
Last week, Sea Alarm was represented by Daniela Barreras-Biesot and Edel Shanahan at the Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference (EOW) in Cape Town where they successfully gave several presentations and participated in one of the main plenary sessions. We were also joined by a number of our colleagues from the EUROWA network and the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies from Germany. Daniela was also part of the Programme Committee for the conference.
In this year’s EOW, Sea Alarm gave three presentations:
- Wildlife response preparedness building in a changing world
- Innovation of exercises in times in which iconic wildlife incidents are less frequent
- EUROWA – Building a Regional, lntegrated Oiled Wildlife Preparedness and Response Solution which was presented jointly with the EUROWA member Pro Bird.
The ongoing EUROWILD project funded by the EU’s Erasmus Plus programme was given the spotlight in the EUROWA presentation as an important support for the network. The project allows the network to develop new EUROWA training courses for wildlife assessment, field search and rescue, and an online BASIC course. It has also provided funding for a EUROWA Network General Assembly meeting to be held in November in Spain and an Authority Workshop that will take place in 2026.
European authorities were also featured at the EOW. The Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) in Germany presented a joint paper with Sea Alarm and Pro Bird, A Joint Project: Tactical Plan for Oiled Wildlife Preparedness and Response in German Marine Waters. The presentation covered the ongoing collaboration between the CCME, Pro Bird and Sea Alarm to develop a tactical plan between the 5 coastal German states, the first of its kind in the country. The tactical plan also includes a multi-year implementation plan for developing national preparedness which includes training and exercises.
The Netherlands also had the spotlight in the conference, with Son Respons presenting The Netherlands: a unique example of how to create international tiered response capacity. Son Respons outlined the progress that has been made with Rijkswaterstaat (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) through collaboration, organising multiple EUROWA trainings, and the development and investments in oiled wildlife preparedness. Both Son Respons and Sea Alarm have been working closely with Rijkswaterstaat on the programme over many years.
Sea Alarm was also invited to take part in the closing plenary session Unique or common challenges? Developing wildlife response preparedness in Africa: A case study and panel discussion with SANCCOB, a representative from ExxonMobil and The Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAP), and ITOPF. The session was moderated by OSRL.
Overall, the EOW was an important moment for the international community to meet to discuss progress in oiled wildlife preparedness and response and to connect once more.
