Zlatna Greda, Kopački rit

DRAVA LIFE celebrates 25 years of LIFE for Nature in EU

Event will be organized on Sunday,  28th May in Zlatna Greda, Kopački rit in Eastern Croatia. Program of the event will be:

  • Educational workshops for children about nature, biodiversity and rivers
  • Public event – exhibition, materials dissemination and visits to NATURA 2000 sites
  • Press conference – presentation of our Drava LIFE project, LIFE Programme, NATURA 2000

Event venue: House in nature – Eco centre Zlatna Greda, Zlatna Greda 16, 31328, Lug, Croatia

Contact: Jasmin Sadiković, jasmin@zeleni-osijek.hr

Workshop Koprivnica © Magdalena Wagner (7)

Workshops for the development of NATURA 2000 Drava management strategy and the development of the Action Plan for river birds

Koprivnica, 4.-5.04. 2017 – Within the DRAVA LIFE project the first workshops were organized for the development of a NATURA 2000 Drava management strategy for the Natura sites along the Croatian Drava and the development of an Action Plan for river birds within the planned 5-county Transboundary Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube”. The workshops were attended by experts from the nature protection sector, ornithologists from Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia, and the DRAVA LIFE project team.

The workshop for the development of a management strategy aimed at collecting data on the current management practices, threats and solutions of the N2K sites (EU Nature protection areas) along the Drava River and how they should be managed.

The workshop for the development of an Action Plan for river birds focused on seven species of river birds: sand martin (Riparia riparia), bee-eater (Merops apiaster), kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), common and little tern (Sterna hirundo and Sterna albifrons), little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius) and sand piper (Actitis hypoleucos)). All of them them are threatened by habitat loss due to river regulation, gravel and sand extraction and hydropower dams. Those species depend on dynamic riverine habitats like gravel and sand but also steep banks.

The workshop was organised in the concept of the World cafe so that all experts could actively participate and contribute to the discussion of threats and solutions for the breeding success of these endangered key river bird species.

         

After the workshop participants visited the new bird watching towers and the educational path at the mouth of the river Mura set by the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Natural Values in Koprivnica-Križevci County within the DRAVA LIFE project, and the colony at Libanovec – the largest colony of sand martins in the upper course of the river Drava in Croatia.
    

The next workshops are planned for autumn 2017.

LIFE INFO dan u Zagrebu

LIFE INFO Day in Croatia

In order to inform potential applicants and stakeholders, the National contact point at the Ministry of Environment and Energy organized on March 21st 2017 LIFE INFO Day in Zagreb. For 25 years LIFE program has been providing support to various sectors through co-financing of more than 4,300 projects with over 3 billion euros. The objective of LIFE projects is to ensure the development and implementation of innovative responses to the challenges associated with the environment and climate change.

LIFE INFO Day presented information on the types of projects co-financed through LIFE program, thematic priorities, rate of co-financing, how and who submits the project proposal. Also, activities and results of seven LIFE projects currently under implementation in Croatia were presented, among which also the DRAVA LIFE project.

“LIFE INFO Day was a great opportunity to present our project and activities to participants, but also the concept of river restoration in general. Also, this was an opportunity to connect with other stakeholders and the development of future project ideas,” said Branka Španiček from WWF Adria, who presented the DRAVA LIFE project.

LIFE INFO day broadcast live, a recording can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g8MovyG8Jxk

Ušće Mure u Dravu / Mura-Drava confluence © Goran Šafarek

DRAVA LIFE project is an example of good practice in ecological flood protection

Zagreb – “DRAVA LIFE – integrated river management” is the first EU LIFE project of river restoration in Croatia. In the first year of the project, which is full of challenges, but also rewarding with the first results, the partners have focused on creating a solid organizational structure, getting conservation and technical experts on board for the planning of the actions, development of communication materials for public such as web page https://www.drava-life.hr/en/home/, and learning about best international practices in river restoration in Europe.

River ecosystems and the species that depend on them are among the most endangered in Europe and the world. The Drava River is also intersected by 22 hydropower plants in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, leaving only a short section of 300 kilometres of free flow in Croatia till the confluence with the Danube. The objective of this 5-year European LIFE project is to improve the state of its ecosystems and natural resources.

“Restoration of side arms of the Drava will provide better flood protection within the existing floodplain areas, and contribute to the local lowering of the water levels during high water, and minimize the risk of floods in inhabited areas along the river. The project will also have a positive impact on groundwater supplies because revitalization will improve infiltration of river water in underground aquifers, which will help to stabilize the reduced groundwater levels,” said Zoran Đuroković, General Manager of Hrvatske vode.

The DRAVA LIFE project will restore 1000 meters of river banks, create 13 hectares of new dynamic river zones with natural shores, rebuild 15 kilometres of side arms and improve 300 hectares of floodplain forests. In order to learn about best practices in river restoration in Europe, partners visited the upper Danube in Austria in October last year, where they managed through continuous work on LIFE project to significantly improve the ecological state of the river and its tributaries, to stop the trend of declining numbers of fish and birds, and to bring back endemic species, which is the goal of the project also in Croatia.

Slaven Dobrović, Minister of Environment and Energy, has highlighted? the DRAVA LIFE project as an example of good practice in ecological flood management based on the use of natural flood areas, in the world known as the “river space”. “The main objective of the project is to improve the ecosystem of the river Drava in Croatia. Restoration measuresd will be of immense benefit to threatened habitats and species in Natura 2000 areas and will contribute to better protection against floods in populated areas along the Drava river and increase the recreational value of the area,” said Minister Dobrović.

The association Green Osijek is coordinating the project that is one of the first in Croatia that brings together public sector and civil society organisations, nature conservation and water management in the cross-sectoral cooperation for better protection and restoration of river habitats. “The project is important because of its innovative character of the seven restoration sites that will use different methodology to improve and revitalize the river habitats, its banks, backwaters and wetlands. In addition to the restoration actions project popularizes nature protection in local communities and increase the understanding of the importance of its preservation,” said Jasmin Sadiković, project coordinator from the Association for nature and environment protection Green Osijek.

An extremely important part of the project is to raise awareness of the public and local residents about the importance of natural and preserved river for man and living creatures that depend on them. “Through high-quality communication materials and a comprehensive web site, our aim is to reach as many people as possible so they get familiar with this important project for the river Drava and the people who live along it. Through the organization of various events, exhibitions, setting the educational infrastructure in the form of an educational center and trails with informative panels, we will connect local residents with the project to improve their knowledge of the Natura 2000 network, particularly on protected river birds,” said Branka Španiček, project officer in WWF Adria

Public institutions for nature protection of Virovitica-Podravina, Varaždin and Koprivnica-Križevci County, which are partners in the project, emphasize the importance of positive experiences in the promotion of inter-sectoral cooperation and opportunity to visit best EU LIFE projects in other countries to learn and transfer best practices to Croatia.

© Mirko Lukavski / Povijesno društvo Koprivnica

DRAVA LIFE project presented at the international conference “The history of the Drava River – link between the regions”

Koprivnica – Historical Society Koprivnica and Croatian Society for Economic History and Environmental History held a conference on 18th and 19th November in Koprivnica on the topic of the Drava River. The event was attended by more than 30 researchers from Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia, who presented their latest findings on the Drava River.

The presentations covered a wide historical period, from the 17th century to the present, covering the diverse set of topics. Much of the topics were historical and showed the rich history of the areas along the Drava river, but there were also topics related to nature protection, demographics and new trends in the management of this area.

Branka Španiček predstavlja DRAVA LIFE projekt / Branka Španiček presents DRAVA LIFE project“One of the most important trends is the revitalization and restoration of rivers. By reconnecting side channels to the main stream we are giving rivers more space, which has a positive effect on biodiversity, but also in flood protection. DRAVA LIFE project, which started in the area of the Drava River in December 2015, is the first project that deals with the restoration of rivers in Croatia. We presented to the present scientists the main objectives and activities of the project, with particular emphasis on the benefits for the nature and the local population,” said Branka Španiček, DRAVA LIFE project coordinator in WWF Adria.

Since the conference proved extremely successful, Koprivnica was declared an informal center for research of the Drava River and more conferences will be organized in the years to come.

Sudionici su posjetili i rijeku Dravu / Participants visit the Drava River

Participants visit the Drava River © Mirko Lukavski / Povijesno društvo Koprivnica