WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE RIPPLES OF CHANGE

All around the world, water is under threat. And because water is essential to us all, we must work together to help protect this life-giving resource.

Take the Danube River Basin. It is the largest river basin in the EU and a significant lifeline for the region. Over the past 150 years, more than 80% of the Danube River Basin’s wetlands have been lost. Human activities such as floodplains being cut off by dykes, bank fixation, infrastructure development, and the pressures of climate change have exacerbated the situation.^[1] As a result of this, the life the river supports has also started to disappear.

Because critical issues such as these require joint solutions, the Living Danube Partnership has emerged. This was a seven-year (2014-2021) cross-sector partnership supported by The Coca‑Cola Foundation that brought together WWF Central and Eastern Europe (WWF-CEE), the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), in partnership with many national and local authorities and stakeholders.

The Persina Island wetland restoration was one of nine projects completed within the Living Danube Partnership. When Stoyan Mihov, the Freshwater Program Manager of WWF- Bulgaria, first arrived at the Persina wetland in Bulgaria, he said: “There was no noise. No life. Because there was no water. It was totally silent.”

By combining the expertise of WWF-CEE with the on-the-ground knowledge of the local and national authorities, universities, and communities, each of the nine projects in the initiative demonstrates the power of collective action when it comes to creating solutions, not only for nature but also for the local population.

It is more important than ever that we all work together to help protect this precious resource.

In Bulgaria at the Persina Island, the Living Danube Partnership worked with the Persina Nature Park Directorate, the owner of the wetland, and local conservation managers[2] to help resolve the problem of declining water levels in the Persina wetland. The Partnership team, together with the Nature Park, modernised the existing water gate so the flow of water to the wetland is now controlled and monitored, improving the inflow of water from the Danube to the island, and retaining more water in the wetland for longer periods once the floods have passed. The improved water supply has enhanced fish habitats and bird nesting platforms were built. Now, recovery wetland is alive with wildlife, and Dalmatian Pelicans are nesting here again – a true sign of recovery.

On the Hungary-Croatia border, the Old-Drava oxbow[3], the longest side channel of the Drava river, had been affected by declining water levels. Here, the Living Danube Partnership supported key partners[4] in implementing a bottom weir with fish pass at the outflow and limited dredging of the oxbow bed[5]. Native tree species were planted in order to improve the biodiversity of the floodplains and, together with local anglers, angling platforms were renovated and more than 40 abandoned and run-down platforms were removed, improving prospects for nature and the local community.

Helping to restore precious rivers, wetlands, and other ecosystems is no small endeavour. To help achieve real positive change, collaboration is key.

Further readings