Living rivers PROJECT PARTNERS ASSOCIATED PARTNERS lifelineMDD: Cross-sectoral partnership for ecological An integrated river restoration • World Wide Fund for Nature Austria - WWF • ICPDR - International Commission for the lifelineMDD Austria, Austria Protection of the Danube River, Austria connectivity in the TBR strategy, as one of the main results • University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, • Austrian National Committee for UNESCO´s “Man MDD of the lifelineMDD project, will be Vienna, Austria and the Biosphere” Programme, Austria based on scientific studies of fish • Regional Management SO, Austria • Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Protecting and restoring The Mura, Drava and Danube form and river birds, sediment transport • Office of the Styrian Government – Department 14 Tourism, Directorate I/6 Flood risk management, one of the most valuable river Austria and climate change. This will set Water Management, Resources and Sustainability, corridors in the Danube Basin, Austria • Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, ecological connectivity the basis for future concerted • Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Environment Directorate, Slovenia a lifeline for people, species and restoration projects within the TBR Conservation, Slovenia • Slovenian Water Agency, Slovenia habitats. Flowing more than 700 MDD. • Municipality of Velika Polana, Slovenia • Croatian Waters, Water Management Department in the Mura-Drava-Danube kilometres and connecting an area • WWF Adria – Association for the protection of for the Mura and Upper Drava Rivers, Croatia of 930,000 hectares stretching Living cooperation nature and conservation of biological diversity, • Public Institution for Management of Protected Croatia Natural Areas in the Koprivnica-Križevci County, river corridor through across Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, A cross-sectoral learning process • Public institution for management of protected Croatia Croatia and Serbia, they connect between nature protection and parts of nature in Varaždin County, Croatia • Public institution agency for management of a unique landscape of the future • World Wide Fund for Nature Hungary, Hungary protected natural values in Osijek-Baranja County, cross-sectoral cooperation water management authorities Croatia UNESCO 5-country Biosphere • World Wide Fund for Nature Adria – Serbia, Serbia based on pilot restoration actions • Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube • Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Development, Croatia will raise institutional competences Province, Serbia (TBR MDD). Once designated, it • Public Institution Nature Park Kopački Rit, Croatia • Pomgrad - Water Management Company, Slovenia will become the largest riverine and strengthen cooperation • West-Transdanubian Water Directorate, Hungary between key stakeholders. • Balaton-felvidéki National Park Directorate, protected area in Europe. Hungary However, connectivity within the Living minds • Deputy State Secretariat for Nature Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary corridor is reduced due to human- Rivers symbolize various values • Public Enterprise “Vojvodinašume” Petrovaradin, made changes to rivers and their for the community living in its Serbia natural processes. Thus, the main vicinity - human connection with • Provincial secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental protection, Serbia goal of lifelineMDD is to improve nature, health, but also a sense ecological connectivity through of pride since the river is a part of • Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, Serbia a cross-sectoral partnership and the cultural heritage for people • Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and the implementation of restoration Consumer Protection, Germany living nearby. By implementing measures. While the Interreg DTP innovative approaches and project coop MDD established building knowledge on topics of cooperation between Protected ecological connectivity, nature Area managers, lifelineMDD protection and river restoration can will strengthen cooperation by help to establish a network of real establishing a cross-sectoral advocates for rivers in the years to stakeholder platform and a joint come. knowledge base. lifelineMDD takes cooperation one step further, crossing over from joint planning lifelineMDD to joint scientific work and pilot implementation of field works.
lifelineMDD is a project co-funded through the Danube Transnational Programme of the European Union (ERDF and IPA funds). The project started on 1st July 2020 and lasts until the 31st December 2022. The total IMPRESSUM budget of the project is 2,987,789.19 €, divided between 12 full partners. This Interreg project is co-financed for Photos: G. Šafarek, A.Koren, T. Törnar, M. Podgorelec, the support and development of the UNESCO-MAB 5-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube, by the B.Erg, P.Rauch, S.Sobočan, M.Dragović, WWF Austria Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (BMLRT). Production: WWF Adria, 2020 Layout: Tomislav Turković Contact: Kerstin Böck, Project manager, WWF Austria, [email protected] lifelineMDD Edition: 1300 copies www.interreg-danube.eu/lifelinemdd Printed by: Tiskara Zelina d.d. Facebook, Instagram: lifelineMDD #lifelineMDD
Project co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA) Living minds Living rivers Thus, all results of the scientific Three pilot restoration projects studies will be compiled into one serve as joint learning cases. Local support for restoration 5-country Biosphere Reserve The rivers Mura, Drava and Danube synthesis report, wrapping up Dealing with distinct issues of measures is the key for form the lifeline of the TBR MDD. challenges detected and solutions connectivity and being situated implementation success. By Mura-Drava-Danube (TBR MDD)* This 700 kilometres long unique recommended as a basis for a in different river types, they implementing innovative * nominated to UNESCO by Austria, Slovenia, river corridor is widely known for joint River Restoration Strategy, provide excellent practical cases approaches, the understanding of Croatia, Hungary and Serbia in April 2020 its rich biodiversity and diverse a commitment to science- for transboundary cross-sectoral the importance of a near-natural habitats, but it is also under based improvement of the river learning, planning and joint review river landscape for people and immense pressure due to human- ecosystems. of results in the field. nature will be strengthened. made changes. To preserve this Local communities will have the lifeline, joint solutions and efforts opportunity to get active for are needed, such as establishing a Living cooperation Austrian Mura Enhancement of an their rivers and to learn about first 5-country scientific database. old river branch reconnection river dynamics and connectivity River restoration in a Fish and river birds are dependent through educational and different transboundary river corridor Slovenian Mura Riverbed on a healthy dynamic river volunteering activities, such as such as the TBR MDD can be widening and lateral sediment system with a balanced sediment clearing steep banks, removing challenging, especially when mobilization transport. The effects of climate embankments or other direct cooperation among different change on their interlinkage Bačko Podunavlje Biosphere involvement actions. sectors, but also across the borders are still to be determined. In is insufficient. One of the main Reserve Improvement of water On the other hand, a train-the- order to support science-based aims of lifelineMDD is therefore management and retention in the floodplain and oxbows trainer approach ensures long management decisions and to strengthen transboundary term knowledge exchange by push forward an agreement on cross-sectoral cooperation including teachers, youth workers transboundary restoration plans, between nature protection and and nature education guides in scientific studies on biotic and water management and to educational activities. It will include abiotic elements will be conducted. develop an integrated TBR MDD The TBR MDD River Restoration content know-how, didactic and River Restoration Strategy. The Strategy incorporates the synthesis pedagogical methods and tools, main pillars to achieve it are a joint report of scientific studies and as well as build up general guiding learning process, scientific studies, the River Restoration Toolbox, skills for educators. restoration pilot actions, and suitable state-of-the-art restoration The firstTBR MDD Nature experience exchange. measures for different ecological Academy, based in RIVERS’COOL river types, and summarizes joint Velika Polana, will offer a chance plans for future restoration works in for the local community to learn the TBR MDD. in nature about nature. The To ensure long-lasting cross- educational programme will focus sectoral cooperation and on biodiversity and ecological successful implementation of connectivity in the TBR MDD, and the TBR MDD River Restoration the benefits that people have from Strategy with the aim of better preserving them. protection and restoration of the ecological connectivity in the river corridor, a potential framework for stakeholder platforms will be developed. Joint efforts and stronger integration of stakeholders in the future, through formal or informal networks, aim to ensure a living cooperation beyond project duration.