Case Studies
This case study is part of the IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors illustrating initiatives around the world that are working toward maintaining, enhancing, and restoring ecological connectivity. See all case studies here.
The ecological corridor Mura-Drava-Danube and future five-country biosphere reserve
By Arno Mohl, WWF Austria, Ivana Korn Varga, WWF Adria, and Emöke Györfi, WWF Austria
Key lesson
Conserving river connectivity can be achieved through a series of protected areas and a vision that prohibits dams and other developments that would impair the long-term connectivity of river systems, but promotes benefits that are compatible with connectivity.
Context and challenge
For a long time, large parts of the river landscapes along the former Iron Curtain between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea in Europe remained largely unaffected by serious encroachments. With the end of Communism in Europe in the late 1980s and the subsequent enlargement of the EU eastward, these forgotten river paradises were catapulted into another age. Suddenly, they were in areas of human economic interest. On the one hand, this pressure has threatened to irreversibly destroy the last intact areas.
On the other hand, new opportunities for cooperation in nature conservation and sustainable development have emerged. Transboundary Biosphere Reserves (TBRs) are an appropriate tool to tackle this major need for large-scale cross-border river protection, management and restoration. Current examples can be found on the lower reaches of Drava and Mura rivers and in the adjacent floodplains of the middle Danube River between Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia (Mohl et al., 2009).
Black stork (Ciconia nigra) © Adobe Stock
Approach
As borders between states are political rather than ecological, ecosystems often stretch across national boundaries, and may be subject to different, or even conflicting, management and land-use practices. TBRs provide a tool for common management. A TBR is an official recognition at the international level and by a UN institution, UNESCO, with the political will to cooperate in conservation and sustainable use through common management of a shared ecosystem (UNESCO, 2017). The initiative for the five-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube between Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Hungary goes back to 1993. It has been developed as a counterproposal to emerging threats of new hydropower dam projects after the fall of the Iron Curtain and as a tool to connect and better protect all national river areas of the corridor under one international management framework (Schneider-Jacoby & Mohl, 2012).
Campaigning against large-scale water management and hydropower dam projects which were threatening the riverine area has been an important approach to achieve protection of this valuable ecosystem. The campaign has increased public and political awareness, created pressure on governments and triggered the establishment of 13 major protected areas, including the 88,000-ha regional park Drava-Mura in Croatia. Mostly part of the Natura 2000 network, these protected areas fall under several categories. Setting up an ecological network for conservation has laid the foundation for transboundary cooperation for harmonised conservation, integrated management and restoration within the future Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube.
Since 1993, WWF, EuroNatur and local NGOs have been campaigning to protect the unique landscape of the three rivers in a five-country TBR (Figure 1). Increasingly, governments and NGOs cooperate to jointly achieve, stepwise, the TBR. They are establishing Europe’s largest protected river corridor (700 km, 1,000,000 ha) through innovative cross-sector cooperation and harmonised sustainable regional development that also supports cross- border reconciliation (WWF, 2013). Once fully established, the biosphere reserve will form an ecological network for conservation that consists of core zones embedded in buffer zones and transitional zones.
Figure 1. The future five-country UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube © World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Examples of ecological corridors
Spanning Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovenia, the lower courses of the Drava and Mura Rivers and related sections of the Danube are among Europe’s most ecologically important riverine areas – the so-called Amazon of Europe. Despite numerous human-made changes in the past, this region hosts amazing biological diversity and is a hotspot of rare natural habitats, such as large softwood forests, wet meadows, river islands, gravel and sand banks, steep banks, side branches and oxbows (Figure 2).
The area is home to the highest density of breeding pairs of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Continental Europe, and other endangered species such as the black stork (Ciconia nigra), beaver (Castor fiber), otter (Lutra lutra) and the nearly extinct ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris). Many of the species are indicators of a natural river corridor, including the little tern (Sternula albifrons). Every year, more than 250,000 migratory waterfowl use the rivers to rest and feed. The largest and best-preserved floodplains and forests can be found around the confluence of the Danube and Drava, shared between Croatia, Hungary and Serbia. Most parts of this transboundary area are assigned to the core zone of the TBR. In addition to high levels of biodiversity, the river and floodplain areas are vital to the local communities. Local fishers rely upon the fish populations for their livelihoods. The extensive floodplains lower the risks from floods, secure favourable groundwater conditions and provide self-purification of water, which is essential for drinking water, forests and agriculture. People also enjoy recreational activities along the rivers by walking, swimming, fishing and canoeing (WWF Austria, 2014).
Figure 2a. The Drava River in Croatia © Arno Mohl.
Figure 2b. Floodplains of the Danube in Croatia © Mario Romulic
Results
Driven by the vision of establishment of the five-country TBR, major progress has been made over the past 30 years toward better protection and management of the river corridor:
- Thirteen major protected areas along the Mura, Drava and Danube, which are forming the TBR’s backbone, have been established by the governments of the five countries.
- So far 270 km of natural river stretches have been successfully defended from being destroyed by large- scale water management and hydropower dam projects.
- In 2009, Croatia and Hungary signed a joint declaration to establish the TBR, followed in 2011 by a five-country ministerial declaration. In 2012, the riverine areas in Croatia and Hungary were granted biosphere reserve status, soon followed by those in Serbia (2017), Slovenia (2018) and Austria (2019). The strictly protected core and buffer zone, which consists of those 13 major protected areas, amounts to 280,000 ha. It is surrounded by 650,000 ha of transitional zone.
- Triggered by the TBR, several projects co-funded by the EU are already being implemented across the five countries in the area, aiming to achieve better protection and sustainable development. Within the ‘coop MDD’ project, the protected area administrations of the Mura- Drava-Danube region have been cooperating since 2017 to jointly focus on common goals and trans-border nature protection measures. The ‘Resilient riparian forests as ecological corridors in the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve’ project started in June 2019, aiming at preservation and sustainable management of floodplain forests in the TBR. At the same time, the ‘Amazon of Europe Bike Trail’ ecotourism project started. Furthermore, river restoration is being implemented to create new natural habitats and recreational areas for people to truly experience the stunning landscape along the rivers.
Also in 2019, the dossier was prepared for the five-country TBR nomination, which will harmonise all existing biosphere reserves in the region under one international designation. The next step is for UNESCO to finalise and approve the nomination. Once officially designated, the five-country TBR should take steps to achieve a fully functional biosphere reserve in line with UNESCO requirements. This includes establishing a joint management structure and implementing a joint action plan and projects.
Further information:
http://www.amazon-of-europe.com/
http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/coop-mdd
http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/refocus
http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/amazon- of-europe-bike-trail
References
Mohl, A., Egger, G., Schneider-Jacoby, M. (2009). ‘Fließende Grenzen – Grenzflusse im Spannungsfeld zwischen Schutz und Nutzung.’ (‘Flowing boundaries – Tensions between conservation and use of border rivers’.) Natur und Landschaft 84(9/10):431–435.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) (2017). Transboundary Biosphere Reserves (TBRs). http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/regional-and-subregional- collaboration/transboundary-biosphere-reserves-tbr/ (Accessed: 20 February 2020).
Schneider-Jacoby, M., Mohl, A. (2012). ‘Mura-Drava-Danube: Five countries – three rivers – one biosphere reserve’. Danube News 25:5–8.
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Austria (2014). ‘Saving the Amazon of Europe. Mura-Drava-Danube: Rivers at the crossroad between protection and destruction’. Vienna: WWF Austria. [Leaflet].
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) (2013). 2013 IRF European Riverprize Application, Mura – Drava – Danube (Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia). Vienna: WWF on behalf of the five countries.