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Workshop for elaboration of a Drava Visitor Guidance Plan for Croatia/Radionica za izradu Plana upravljanja posjetiteljima rijeke Drave u Hrvatskoj

Third and last workshop for elaboration of a Drava Visitor Guidance Plan

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Križovec – Public Institution Međimurska priroda hosted a stakeholder workshop for elaboration of a Drava Visitor Guidance Plan for Croatia, the last in a series of three such workshops, in their Visitor center in Križovec. Representatives of four counties` nature protection institutions, NGOs and regional as well as local development agencies sat together with the organizing DRAVA LIFE project team to review the most recent results of the Visitor Guidance Plan and finalize its measures. Zonation of the Croatian Drava protected areas into ecologically sensitive and low touristic as well as highly touristic areas has been reviewed by representatives of each county for their own region with the aim to minimize negative effects on nature by tourism. A set of basic visitor guidance principles for potential visitor categories of the Croatian Drava area have been jointly defined with the aim to offer a basic set of rules for future tourism-oriented measures and touristic developments. The first snow did not hold back the participants from taking part in the short walk to the Mura guided by team members of the Međimurska priroda Public Institution.

Results of the workshop will be processed over the coming month and the completed Visitor Guidance Plan is aimed to be shared with all state and county agencies required to elaborate a regional development or visitor guidance plan.

Radionica predstavljanja projekta i planova obnove staništa/Drava LIFE workshop and presentation of habitat management plan

Workshop and presentation of habitat management plan in municipality of Cestica and city of Varaždin

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Varaždin – Workshop which presented the DRAVA LIFE project and habitat management plan for the municipality of Cestica and city of Varaždin was held on Wednesday, 07th November 2018,  in the Great hall of Varaždin County. The aim of the workshop was to present the completed and upcoming project activities to the general public and to gather the open suggestions from residents and stakeholders of the municipality of Cestica and Varaždin.

More than 50 participants and representatives of local communities, NGO’s, civil initiatives, representatives of public and business sector attended the workshop organized by NGO Green Osijek and Public institution for management of protected natural values in Varaždin county. Deputy of Varaždin County Tomislav Paljak gave an opening speech at the beginning of the workshop and Jelena Pavlekovic from Public institution for management of protected natural values in Varaždin county thanked everyone for coming.

Project partners Jasmin Sadiković from NGO Green Osijek, Zdenko Kereša and Emil Flajšman representing Croatian Waters, Sanja Kopljar from Public institution for management of protected natural values in Varaždin county and Branka Španiček from WWF Adria presented their project activities, present results and upcoming goals within the Drava LIFE project. Particular emphasis was placed on the reconstruction of the habitat on the Drava River on locations C.1. Otok Virje and C.2. Varaždin, which was presented in detail by the lead partner and project manager Zdenko Kereša from Croatian Waters. Sociologist Dražen Šimleša presented the results of the conducted research gathered from the key stakeholders of the Drava LIFE project, which are largely positive and support the conservation work on the Drava river. The official program finished with a small catering and informal gathering.

Educational workshop on Drava river/Edukacijska radionica o dobrobitima rijeke Drave

Workshop for school children within DRAVA LIFE project

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Legrad – First DRAVA LIFE project workshop for pupils from 5th and 6th grade of Legrad primary school was held on 30th May 2018 in the Sport Fishing center “Smuđ“ in Legrad, organized by project partner Green Osijek.

Ivan Damjanović  from NGO Green Osijek talked about the protection of rivers and Branka Španiček  from WWF Adria held a presentation about endangered species and habitats in the Drava River basin. Only few pairs of river birds such as Sand martin and Little tern are left on Drava river and those numbers are constantly declining. The Drava Life project aims to improve the habitats for these river birds through river revitalization and habitat protection measures. The children could also learn about the project activity for reintroduction and repopulation of the riverine plants German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail that took place earlier this year. German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail are two pioneer species that grow on sand- and gravel bars along rivers and could be found until not that long ago also along Mura and Drava in Croatia.

The main purpose of the workshop was educating pupils and other participants about the importance of river protection and preservation of endangered species. DRAVA LIFE project partners are also working on the development of Visitors guidance Plan and Action Plan for River Birds, organizing visits to restored habitats, implementation of educational programs for citizens and schools, organization of international study trips and visiting other LIFE projects for exchanging experience and examples of good practice.

The workshop participants were closely informed about DRAVA LIFE project activities and the exceptional biodiversity of the Amazon of Europe. After presentations, students got educational materials about the river Drava and more information on EU projects in this area. There was also a small quiz which tested their knowledge. The event was closed in a happy common snack shared by the participating children and the educators.

Workshop Noskovacka Dubrava/Radionica u Noskovačkoj Dubravi
Workshop Noskovacka Dubrava/Radionica u Noskovačkoj Dubravi

DRAVA LIFE workshop for elaboration of visitor guidance plan

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Within the Drava LIFE project WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) organized a two-day workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia.The workshop was second in a row of three planned to elaborate a Visitor Guidance Plan for the project area involving four Natura 2000 protected areas in Croatia, that will integrate into the five-country Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. Experts from nature conservation and tourism sector, regional development agencies along the Drava, as well as NGO representatives and project partners of Drava LIFE have attended the workshop held at the Informative and education center The Drava story in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia. International experts of the Austrian integrative landscape planning office Revital moderated the workshop together with WWF project partners.

Working group debates on proposed maps/Grupa debatira o predloženim kartama

Working group debates on proposed maps/Grupa debatira o predloženim kartama

The participants (partners and experts) elaborated in separate small groups their view on zonation of the Drava sections in Croatia from Dubrava Križovljanska to the Danube confluence into visitor and nature zones. The zonation was based on outcomes of the first workshop on the same topic in November 2017, during which an inventory and mapping of existing ecological sensitivities and existing recreational and educational uses along the Drava was done. The maps of the first workshop had been digitized and prepared as working material for the current workshop.

On the second day the participants made a guided cycling tour. The tour started at the educational centre at Noskovačka Dubrava, led upstream of the Drava to the swimming area close to the village of Sopje and returned inland through the villages of Sopje and Noskovci. During the tour it was possible to see the existing bike route, recreational areas (including picnic areas, landing stages, huts, etc.) bike stations, etc. and to discuss possible actions, problems of illegal huts as well as planned projects along the route.

Results of this workshop will be further processed and serve for preparation and continuation of the Guidance Plan process later during the year in an upcoming international workshop aimed for finalization of the Plan.

Workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia

Workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia/Radionica i i terenski obilazak rijeke Drave u Noskovačkoj Dubravi

workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia.

Workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia/Radionica i i terenski obilazak rijeke Drave u Noskovačkoj Dubravi

Terenski obilazak rijeke Drave
Field trip on Drava river/Terenski obilazak rijeke Drave

Drava Life workshop on reintroduction of German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail on Drava river

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Legrad, Croatia – Within the DRAVA LIFE project, the reintroduction of two riverine plants, German tamarisk (Myricaria germanica) and Dwarf cattail (Typha minima) is planned on several locations along the Drava river in Croatia. A two-day workshop was held in Legrad on 26 and 27 September 2017 and was attended by experts from Croatia, Hungary and Austria. The group learned about good examples of successful reintroduction and how to implement this activity as good as possible. On the second day, a study visit to potentially acceptable locations on Drava river where German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail can be reintroduced, was organized.

Drava Life workshop on reintroduction of German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail on Drava river

„German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail are two pioneer plants that grow on dynamic river habitats such as gravel bars and are indicators of healthy and natural rivers. In the past those two species were inhabited along the Drava river in Croatia, but today, due to the over-exploitation of the river and its regulation they almost disappeared,“ said Branka Španiček from WWF Adria.