WWF Adria
German tamarisk

Conservation of German tamarisk

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At the end of April, we sent several plants of German tamarisks to the Botanical Garden in Klagenfurt so they could further develop. We hope we will be able to plant them one day in the natural habitats on the Drava River in Croatia, together with new plants.

Botanical Garden, Klagenfurt

Also, to determine the actual origin of German tamarisks that can be found near the Drava River, with the help of our colleague Dragica Purger, we extracted genetic material of German tamarisk from the gravel pit and drainage channel near HPP Dubrava. We can’t wait for the results and to finally have scientific evidence about the origin of the plants.

 

Drava - Donja Dubrava - Legrad
C3_Donja Dubrava-Legrad (2)

Progress of the DRAVA LIFE project

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On Tuesday, July 6, 2021, the 4th Session of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Committee, of the DRAVA LIFE project, was held via videoconference. The Session was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

Apart from the advisory expert committee formed for project environmental and nature evaluation, the Session was attended also by the project holder (Hrvatske vode), the authorized Designers for the preparation of Study documentation in the EIA procedure, and some of the project partners (Zeleni Osijek, WWF Adria).

It was concluded at the Session that the repeated public hearing was successfully conducted, that the quorum of the members of the advisory expert committee was achieved, and that all preconditions for making the final Opinion of the Committee and ending the EIA procedure were met.

According to the agreed suggestions, corrections, and remarks of the advisory expert committee, the authorized Designers for project Study documentation, and the project holder, the final opinion was that the intended intervention, DRAVA LIFE – integrated river management, is acceptable for the environment and ecological network. Opinion proposes environmental protection measures, mitigation measures on the conservation objectives and integrity of the ecological network area, and the environmental monitoring program. A period of three days has been given to the authorized Designers and other absent Commission members to comment on the Opinion, after which it will become formal.

This is encouraging and reassuring news for our project, which allows us to continue with the planned “in situ” project activities at the revitalization locations, thus taking a step closer to the realization of the project.

JUZDPVZ
Struga

DRAVA LIFE info-points set up in Varaždin County

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Within the project DRAVA LIFE, six info-points in five local government units have been set up in the following locations: municipality Cestica (Veliki Lovrečan), municipality Sračinec (Svibovec Podravski), Varaždin city (location along the Drava park-forest), municipality Trnovec Bartolovečki (Zamlaka settlement) and municipality Sveti Đurđ (Hrženica and Struga).

Placed near the existing/planned cycling trail „Mura-Drava Bike“, info-points are designed as resting points (covered seating area) with informational and educational content intended for local inhabitants, visitors and cyclists. The roof of the info-points refers to the local micro-architecture along the Drava river and at the same time defines the place of rest and presentation of the informative and educational content. Also, the height of the roof cornice enables a framed view from the bench to the surrounding area.

Text, photographs and maps on the info-points present natural assets and protection of the area along the river Drava, the importance of conservation of the river habitats, as well as plant and animal species that are important for that area. Furthermore, visitors are provided with instructions on how they can influence river conservation, along with basic information about the DRAVA LIFE project.

Every info-point is thematic and contains an additional set of information depending on the specific habitats/species that can be found in the immediate vicinity (for example, the first info-point next to the fishing lodge additionally presents the fish fauna, the second one presents gravel bars located in the immediate vicinity). We believe that info-points will become a favourite gathering place of the local population and visitors of the Regional park, contribute to raising awareness of the importance of the area and ultimately result in better conservation of habitats and species.