EMPOWER stands for European Management Programme for Oiled Wildlife and other marine wildlife Emergency Responses. EMPOWER is a network of organisations that have joined forces to improve the professionalism and capacity of responses to marine wildlife emergencies. The initiative was started in 2008 by the Sea Alarm Foundation, together with a core group of Founding Members. 

Why EMPOWER?

Marine wildlife emergencies that occur as a result of an oil spill incident are bound to challenge the existing preparedness system of the country that is facing the pollution event. Similar to an oil spill response, an oiled wildlife response needs to be well prepared and carried out according to a pre-defined plan. Due to the very nature of the work, the success of a wildlife response strongly depends on the quality and performance of the volunteers and the quality of the organisations that direct and manage them. While oil spill response is a well-developed professional field, for which national experts are trained and in a continuous state of preparedness, oiled wildlife response is still in its infancy. This is where EMPOWER steps in.

EMPOWER aims to develop European oiled wildlife response towards levels that meet the international standards of professionalism that apply in oil spill response. This requires the national and international development of infrastructure, resources and training opportunities.

The wildlife aspect of planning is increasingly receiving attention from national oil spill authorities in Europe. A growing number of countries either have an integrated wildlife response plan in place or have started the process of looking into it. The existing plans are based on a mutual understanding between the national authorities and the NGOs that they have accredited to carry out the wildlife response. EMPOWER seeks to ensure that these structural relationships between NGOs and oil spill authorities are developed in all coastal European countries and are formalised as part of national oil spill response planning.

 Contact

The EMPOWER secretariat is run by Sea Alarm Foundation. You can contact us via:

Sea Alarm Foundation
att: EMPOWER Secretariat
Rue du Cypres 7 B10
1000 Brussels
t: +32.2.2788744
f: +32.2.5027438
e: empower@sea-alarm.org