Sturgeons, often regarded as living fossils, hold significant ecological, commercial, and recreational value. Their size, longevity, diverse habitat uses, and migratory life cycle—connecting coastal waters with river ecosystems—are crucial for healthy rivers. However, the eight species found in European rivers are increasingly threatened by poaching, bycatch, and habitat loss: WWF - The Fight for the Giants of the Danube.
Under the Bern Convention (article I paragraph 2), Parties are required to give particular emphasis to the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species. Therefore, various measures have been introduced to restore self-sustaining sturgeon populations and their habitats. In 2018, the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons was adopted, providing a framework for national and regional conservation actions.
The Pan-European Action Plan for the conservation of the sturgeon (PANEUAP) is intended to serve as a guiding framework on the Pan-European level. It shall not replace national or regional plans in existence; on the contrary, it shall serve as a guiding framework for their development or renewal. National and/or regional plans on the level of river basins can provide more detailed analysis of threats, countermeasures to be taken as well as milestones, addressing progress on specific results.
This plan is the result of a collaborative effort between the European Commission, the Bern Convention, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and the World Sturgeon Conservation Society (W.S.C.S.). The Plan has also been endorsed by the European Commission under the Habitats Directive. To support its effective implementation, Parties may refer to the technical guidelines adopted at the Standing Committee meeting in December 2024. These guidelines focus on three key areas: identifying and assessing sturgeon habitats and their functionality, monitoring populations, and implementing ex-situ conservation measures to support viable, self-sustaining populations.
Parties are encouraged to raise awareness of these guidelines among relevant authorities and stakeholders, and to use them as criteria when developing and funding sturgeon conservation projects.
Recommendation No. 199 (2018) on the Pan-European Action Plan for the conservation of the sturgeon was adopted by the Standing Committee to support the speeding up of conservation efforts in favour of sturgeons in Europe, in coordination and cooperation with all other competent MEAs, actors and institutions/platforms, both governmental and non-governmental, and to avoid a further loss of biological diversity in Europe and in particular of this flagship species for river ecosystems.
The recommendation also mandates the Secretariat of the Bern Convention to closely monitor the implementation of the Action Plan with relevant stakeholders, possibly through the establishment of a dedicated working group. Furthermore, the Secretariat is tasked with coordinating regular reporting on the implementation of the Action Plan at the national level to monitor progress and facilitate adaptive management.
Moreover, governments are required to appoint National Focal Points (NFPs), who will serve as the primary liaison between the Council of Europe and national governments in implementing the Action Plan. NFPs will collect and report data on sturgeon populations, conservation measures in place, and the challenges their countries may face. Their regular reporting to the Council of Europe aims to ensure the effectiveness of the Action Plan.
The 44th Meeting of the Standing Committee welcomed the technical guidelines supporting the effective implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for the conservation of sturgeons and backed them up by adopting Recommendation No. 222 (2024) on the assessment of the habitat of sturgeons, Recommendation No. 223 (2024) on sturgeon population monitoring and Recommendation No. 224 (2024) on ex situ conservation measures for sturgeons.
- Recommendation No. 222 (2024) on the assessment of the habitat of sturgeons
- Recommendation No. 223 (2024) on sturgeon population monitoring
- Recommendation No. 224 (2024) on ex situ conservation measures for sturgeons
