Sustainability Report 2016 / 2017

Projects Pan-European species protection The Morava-Dyje floodplains are especially impor­ tant to the Austrian subsidiary of Werner & Mertz. We have long supported WWF conservation efforts for this natural treasure. After all, the floodplains are among Central Europe’s top hotspots for biological diversity. More than 500 endangered species, includ­ ing the white tailed eagle, corncrake, Danube crested newt, moor frog and Danube carnation, have an important refuge there. The Morava and Dyje rivers are the lifelines in the protected tri- lateral border area. The straightening and development of the Morava in the 20th century along with the draining of marshes and wetlands, however, altered determining ecological proces- ses and subsequently resulted in the slow disappearance of valuable natural habitat. The WWF therefore set the goals of preserving species diversity and revitalizing the area by carrying out ambitious restoration measures. With support from Werner & Mertz since 2009, WWF has been able to save precious amphibian habitats by restoring bodies of water in the wetlands. In Poland Werner & Mertz is engaged in protecting white storks. One activity involves counting the storks, checking their nests in Europe and North Africa and cataloguing their occurrence in selected areas. In 2014 storks were counted in Poland for the seventh time and – for the first time – with the help of re- presentatives fromWerner & Mertz Delta Polska, the distributor of the Frosch brand in Poland. Another local participant, the “Storch” association, works to protect wild plants and animals, particularly the white stork. The stork counters visited local vil- lages near the city of Plock, where they searched for nests and collected data. In France our Rainett brand entered into a sponsorship in 2015 with the Fédération des Conservatoires d’Espaces Naturels for the protection of endangered wetlands. Two-thirds of the wetlands in France have disappeared since the beginning of the 20th century. According to estimates, the wetland area is still being reduced every year by about 10,000 hectares and thus the unusual habitats for endangered plants and animals are also lost. Werner & Mertz lends its support to these initiatives because we realize how important it is to protect and conserve existing natural habitats and to create new ones. 92