At the Social Center in Hlebine on Thursday, March 7th, a presentation of the project “DRAVA LIFE – Integrated River Management” was held. The local population was presented with the achieved results so far, as well as the announced plans and activities for the upcoming period.

The Mayor of the municipality, Božica Trnski, received the book “Drava Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” by author Goran Šafarek. The book, made within the framework of the DRAVA LIFE project, summarizes the most relevant data about the river and illustrates them with beautiful pictures. It provides information on the physical characteristics of the river, its social and cultural importance, species and habitats, threats, and the future of this river landscape, taking into account the restoration projects currently underway on the Drava River. We thank everyone who attended!

This year ahead of us is full of activities, both in the field and in the municipalities and places covered by the DRAVA LIFE project. If you wish to receive our news, we invite you to subscribe to the newsletter on the homepage of our website.

Objava Community Gathering in Hlebine pojavila se prvi puta na Drava Life.

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.

Objava Workshop for school children within DRAVA LIFE project pojavila se prvi puta na Drava Life.