Arhiva Nekategorizirano - Page 6 of 7

Workshop Noskovacka Dubrava/Radionica u Noskovačkoj Dubravi

DRAVA LIFE workshop for elaboration of visitor guidance plan

11/04/2018/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Within the Drava LIFE project WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) organized a two-day workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia.The workshop was second in a row of three planned to elaborate a Visitor Guidance Plan for the project area involving four Natura 2000 protected areas in Croatia, that will integrate into the five-country Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. Experts from nature conservation and tourism sector, regional development agencies along the Drava, as well as NGO representatives and project partners of Drava LIFE have attended the workshop held at the Informative and education center The Drava story in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia. International experts of the Austrian integrative landscape planning office Revital moderated the workshop together with WWF project partners.

Working group debates on proposed maps/Grupa debatira o predloženim kartama

The participants (partners and experts) elaborated in separate small groups their view on zonation of the Drava sections in Croatia from Dubrava Križovljanska to the Danube confluence into visitor and nature zones. The zonation was based on outcomes of the first workshop on the same topic in November 2017, during which an inventory and mapping of existing ecological sensitivities and existing recreational and educational uses along the Drava was done. The maps of the first workshop had been digitized and prepared as working material for the current workshop.

On the second day the participants made a guided cycling tour. The tour started at the educational centre at Noskovačka Dubrava, led upstream of the Drava to the swimming area close to the village of Sopje and returned inland through the villages of Sopje and Noskovci. During the tour it was possible to see the existing bike route, recreational areas (including picnic areas, landing stages, huts, etc.) bike stations, etc. and to discuss possible actions, problems of illegal huts as well as planned projects along the route.

Results of this workshop will be further processed and serve for preparation and continuation of the Guidance Plan process later during the year in an upcoming international workshop aimed for finalization of the Plan.

Workshop and field trip in Noskovačka Dubrava, Croatia/Radionica i i terenski obilazak rijeke Drave u Noskovačkoj Dubravi

Reintrodukcija riječnih biljaka uz Dravu/Reintroduction of riverine plants within the Drava Life project

First reintroduction and repopulation of riverine plants in Croatia

30/03/2018/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Legrad, Croatia – On Friday March 30, 2018, WWF has implemented the first reintroduction of two extinct riverine plants in Croatia on 3 sites along the Drava River in Koprivnica-Križevci County. This activity was done within the DRAVA LIFE project, funded through the LIFE program of the European Union.

The reintroduction is a process of returning the plant species to the area in nature where those species disappeared, but the conditions for their survival are still remaining. Both the german tamarisk (Myricaria germanica) and the dwarf cattail (Typha minima) are pioneer species that grow on new habitats such as sandbanks and river banks in freshwater ecosystems. Both plants` could be found on this kind of habitats along the Drava river in Croatia until the recent past, but today they are almost extinct from the area due to river regulation activities from the past.

“Appropriate habitats for these two species on the Drava river are still here, but these species have disappeared from them due to various anthropogenic influences and changes in the morphodynamics of the river. These species are considered to be indicators of the river that has natural hydromorphological dynamics and a shape of the riverbed that changes. Drava river is still one of them”, said Branka Španiček, DRAVA LIFE project officer in WWF Adria.

The german tamarisk and dwarf cattail are considered to be one of the most important indicators of healthy and natural rivers. Human impacts on rivers (e.g. channelization, construction of hydropower plants as well as gravel and sand extraction) alter vital hydro-morphological processes, reduce river gravel dynamics and affect natural floods, all being essential features for these natural ecosystems to develop and persist. Gravel and sand bars as pioneer habitat types have become very rare in Europe and they are among the most endangered ecosystems. Therefore, they are declared as priority habitats within the European Habitat Directive in the European Union.

The german tamarisk until recently could be found on only two sites at the confluence of the Drava and Mura, on two gravel pits and along the drainage channel near the hydropower plant Donja Dubrava. It is a statutorily protected species in Croatia and listed by the IUCN as critically endangered. Only 26 seedlings found in two gravel pits of German tamarisk were repopulated to 3 previously chosen locations near Legrad in Koprivnica-Križevci county.

“Unfortunately just few young seedlings with well-developed root system have been found on those locations. Mostly adult plants of German tamarisk were dug out and planted on 3 different locations which are most suitable for their survival. Adult plants are still less susceptible to dryness and mechanical disruption than juvenile plants and therefore can be planted in various microhabitats. This method was chosen because it was verified and proven as the most successful method in the reintroduction of riverine plants in Austria, Germany and Switzerland”, said dr. Dragica Purger, a botanist and expert associate in the DRAVA LIFE project for the plants reintroduction and repopulation activity.

The dwarf cattail is on the European Bern Convention list for the Protection of Wild Species and Natural Habitats. The existence of dwarf cattail in Croatia could not been confirmed, and this species is unfortunately considered to be extinct from the territory of Croatia due to the human activities. Several hundreds of adult plants of dwarf cattail with developed roots system have been reintroducted to sand banks along the Drava river near Legrad as well. The plants were brought from Carinthia in Austria, from the Upper Drava ecosystem. Expert Dr. Gregory Egger has accompanied the removal and safe transport of the plants.

If the action turns out successful, German tamarisks and dwarf cattails will once again become indicators of an intact and healthy free flowing river and their reintroduction aims to directly improve the biodiversity of flora and fauna and the natural values of Drava river’s ecosystem.

The event of reintroduction and repopulation of riverine plants was also supported by Ivan Sabolić, Mayor of Legrad and Marina Mihalec, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Đelekovec, who both helped plant a mother plant on an island in the Drava. Partners in the Drava life project from Croatian Waters, WWF, Public Institutions for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature in Koprivnica-Križevci County conducted the reintroduction together, with support from local fishermen and Rafting club Zeus.

2018 – Year of the Tern

05/02/2018/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Zagreb, Croatia – Non-governmental organizations WWF Adria and Biom proclaimed 2018 as Year of the Tern. Both organizations, WWF and Biom, will carry out separate project activities in parallel throughout the year to protect terns and raise awareness on the importance of preserving their habitats along the Drava river. Activities within the DRAVA LIFE project WWF is a part of and of the Interreg Project Conserving populations of terns in the Sava and Drava basin BIOM is involved with, include actions for conservation of these birds habitat.

Terns are birds that can be found in almost all parts of the world, on seashores as well as on river banks, except the northern regions covered by eternal ice. Most of them are migratory birds that spend their winters in warmer southern regions. They are social and can be seen in smaller or larger flocks, nesting in colonies or individually on gravel islands, rock cliffs, sandy beaches, riverbeds, wetlands, while some of them also nest on trees. Their aerodynamic body allows them to swiftly dive through the air when hunting.

The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is the smallest species in the family of terns. It measures between 20 and 28 centimeters and weighs about 25 grams. Apart from its size and white head, it can be recognized by its yellow beak and orange legs. The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is larger, sized between 31-35 cm and weighing around 110-150 grams. Unlike little terns, common terns have red feet and a red beak with dark top and no white forehead. Both tern species are migratory birds that spend the winter season in Africa. They feed on fish, crabs, insects and molluscs.

Little terns have become extremely rare in Croatia. “Due to the constant disturbance, disappearance of suitable habitats and regulation of the river in the past, there are only four pairs of little tern left on the Drava river. In order to increase the number of pairs and to educate the local population, six information panels about the little tern were set up last year along the Drava river in Koprivnica-Križevci County. This is probably the only habitat for little terns on Drava in Croatia”, says Branka Španiček, project officer at WWF Adria.

The nesting population of common terns is estimated to have 400 to 700 pairs in Croatia. Largest colonies are found on the Rakitje and Ormož lakes. “Measures undertaken on natural watercourses such as extraction of gravel out of the river bed, river bank regulation, construction of dams and hydropower plants, water pollution and various sports and recreation activities represent threats which endanger common terns. These activities endanger the success of their nesting. Terns are very often not able to find an adequate place for nesting in the area they inhabit due to the disturbing factors and large fluctuations of water level. Additional disadvantage is the fact that they are subject to predators such as mammals (rats, foxes and otters) and other birds (gulls and crows). This year Biom will protect a colony of common terns from predators on the lake Ormož for the first time by placing an electric fence“, says Biljana Ječmenica, expert associate for protection of nature at the environmental organization Biom.

Beside the need to protect the last nesting pairs of little and common terns and to prevent disturbance of the birds especially during the nesting season from mid-April to late July it is also necessary to restore river dynamics and to allow rivers to create new gravel and sand banks, the usual nesting habitats for these birds. Both projects therefore focus on jointly addressing these threats for both birds and their habitats.

Klaus Michor iz REVITALa kod ulaza u rukavac na lokaciji C.7/Klaus Michor from REVITAL office near the entrance in the sidearm on location C.7

Field visit of locations C.6 and C.7

01/12/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Noskovacka Dubrava, Croatia – In order to develop detailed plans for the restoration of the locations C.6 Miholjački Martinci and C.7. Podravska Moslavina, DRAVA LIFE partners together with representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Energetics of Republic of Croatia and planners visited two above mentioned river restoration locations in Virovitica-Podravina and Osijek-Baranja County on 28^thof November 2017.

During the visit, participants discussed about the best options for the restoration of two side arms. Since the water level of Drava at this point was high enough, participants were also able to see the situation at first hand throughout the w hole side arm system at both locations.

Drava LIFE project partners, ornithologists and other nature conservation experts, regional development and tourism sector in Nature Park Kopački rit./Projektni partneri Drava LIFE projekta, ornitolozi i ostali stručnjaci iz sektora zaštite prirode, regionalnog razvoja i sektora turizma u Parku prirode Kopački rit.

Drava LIFE workshops and excursion in Nature Park Kopački Rit

14/11/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Kopački Rit, Croatia – Within the Drava LIFE project WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) organized three days of workshops from November 6-8 with an excursion into the Nature park Kopački Rit. Experts from the nature conservation and tourism sector, the Departments of nature protection of the Public Institutions of the counties along Drava, the Croatian Agency for Environment and Nature (protected area authorities, international experts of an Austrian integrative landscape planning office (REVITAL), ornithologists from Austria and Croatia as well as NGO representatives and Drava LIFE project partners attended the workshops.

The first workshop on the „Natura 2000 Drava Management Strategy“ was held on Monday and the participants discussed about the objectives and strategies on topics related to flood protection, agriculture, forestry and woods, protection of Natura 2000 sites, tourism, monitoring and education of visitors.

On the second day, participants discussed about a „Nature Visitor Guidance Plan for Drava“. The goal ist to develop an overall concept for the nature-friendly use of the Natura 2000 sites at the Drava in Croatia with regard to sustainable tourism and recreation. Renata Forjan, Head of Department for Visitors’ Management guided all the participants to boat cruising along the channels of Kopački Rit, showed them the interactive information center and had a presentation about visitor guidance and green tourism in Kopački Rit. Jasmin Sadiković, coordinator of Drava LIFE project and CEO of Green Osijek had a presentation afterwards about the Eco centre Zlatna Greda and grassroot initiatives in nature conservation.

On the last day the participants discussed about an „Action plan for river birds“ within the planned cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve „Mura-Drava-Danube“ stretching across five countries. Objectives and actions for the protection of gravel and steep bank breeders like little tern, bee-eater or sand martin along Drava have been defined. After the workshop, the local ornithologist Tibor Mikuška led all the participants to birdwatching areas along the dams of Kopački Rit where they observed flocks of migrating geylag geese and other waterfowl species.

Kopački Rit represents one of the most significant tourist destinations in the continental part of Croatia with all its beauty and ecological value. For more pictures visit our photo gallery.

The results of the workshops will be proceeded and the draft will be finalized in the upcoming months within the working groups. Two additional workshops will be held for Visitors Guidance Plan.

Field trip on Drava river/Terenski obilazak rijeke Drave

Drava Life workshop on reintroduction of German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail on Drava river

03/10/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Legrad, Croatia – Within the DRAVA LIFE project, the reintroduction of two riverine plants, German tamarisk (Myricaria germanica) and Dwarf cattail (Typha minima) is planned on several locations along the Drava river in Croatia. A two-day workshop was held in Legrad on 26 and 27 September 2017 and was attended by experts from Croatia, Hungary and Austria. The group learned about good examples of successful reintroduction and how to implement this activity as good as possible. On the second day, a study visit to potentially acceptable locations on Drava river where German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail can be reintroduced, was organized.

„German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail are two pioneer plants that grow on dynamic river habitats such as gravel bars and are indicators of healthy and natural rivers. In the past those two species were inhabited along the Drava river in Croatia, but today, due to the over-exploitation of the river and its regulation they almost disappeared,“ said Branka Španiček from WWF Adria.

Drava Life study visit/Drava Life studijsko putovanje

Drava Life steering commitee meeting and study visit to LIFE project in Slovenia

18/09/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Varaždin, Croatia – The two-day meeting of working groups and steering commitee of the LIFE Drava project in Croatia took place on September 12nd and 13th at the meeting venue of Hrvatske vode in Varaždin. The lead partner of the project Hrvatske vode VGO Varaždin, Drava Life coordinators Association for Nature Protection and Environment Zeleni Osijek, representatives of Revital and WWF Austria and representatives of WWF Adria all attended the meeting and discussed examples of good practice in river restoration and presented the preliminary drafts for restoration of all seven planned locations and their conceptual solutions.

On the second day of the meeting, a study trip to the neighboring LIFE project in Slovenia was organized. DOPPS representatives and Damijan Denac, director of DOPPS and LIVE Drava project in Slovenia welcomed the DRAVA LIFE partners from Croatia. The field group visited the river side branches at the locations of Mali vasi and Markovci near Ptuj where river revitalization works were already done. This visit carried forward the positive practice and mutual cooperation between representatives of similar EU projects.

Two neighbouring Life projects on Drava/Dva susjedna LIFE projekta na Dravi

Representatives of the DRAVA LIFE project attended the opening of the Ormož Basins Nature Reserve in Slovenia

11/09/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Ormož, Slovenia – LIVE DRAVA Project – The restoration of the ecosystem of the lower part of the Drava River started in Slovenia in 2012 under the leadership of DOPPS and partners from the water management, energy sector and local municipalities. In the area of the basins and waste water treatment plant of the former sugar factory in Ormož, successful restoration was carried out through the project funded by European funds for nature protection of the LIFE + program.

Restoration through the manageable irrigation system from Ormož Lake on the Drava River creates new habitats for birds (e.g. nesting islands and free water surface) within the lagoons. The habitat management system includes water level regulation in the basins and grazing of 14 water buffalos that will prevent excessive growth of vegetation in the lagoons. A service facility as well as four bird watching towers were built. Also, old containers with a functional model for blind and partially sighted people was refurbished. A former processing plant for waste water has been transformed into a management center of the Reserve with an educational garden displaying nature conservation tips for every home.

The nature conservation of this area is dedicated to the protection of endangered wetland birds, which will have appropriate nesting habitats here. The area of Ormož Basins has a great national and international importance due to the appearance of a large number of bird species in the nesting and migration period. In the wider area of Ormož Basins, ornithologists have recorded 266 bird species by the end of 2016, which is 69% of all identified bird species in Slovenia says Dr. Damjan Denac, Director of DOPPS and LIVE DRAVA project manager.

Five representatives of the DRAVA LIFE project from Hrvatske vode VGO Varaždin and Green Osijek attended the official opening of the Ormož Basins Nature Reserve in Slovenia near the Drava River. All the present partners from LIVE DRAVA project thanked the colleagues of the neighbouring Croatian Life project on Drava River for participating.

Tanja Nikowitz iz WWF Austrije / Tanja Nikowitz from WWF Austria

DRAVA LIFE project partners learned about good examples of reintroduction of German tamarisk on European rivers

19/07/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Füssen, Germany – WWF members of the DRAVA LIFE project team participated on a two-day workshop on reintroduction of German Tamarisk (Myricaria germanica) in Füssen, Germany (4-5.07.2017). On the workshop led by the German and Austrian reintroduction experts they learned about most important conditions necessary for the successful reintroduction of the German tamarisk, the genetic diversity of the plant and its importance. Also, the workshop gave insight into practical experience in implementation and communication of activities related to the reintroduction of German tamarisk from various projects in the province of Salzburg in Austria and the Lower Bavaria region in Germany. On the first day of the workshop, a study visit was organized to the locations of successful reintroduction of the German tamarisk and Dwarf cattail (Typha minima) on the rivers Lech in Austria (Tyrol) and Halblech in Germany (Bavaria).

“German tamarisk, once widespread plant species, both on the Alpine rivers of Europe and in the lowland part of the river Drava in Croatia, has almost disappeared from our areas due to human impacts on the river ecosystem and hence loss of dynamic river banks. Within the DRAVA LIFE project we will try to reintroduce this sensitive riverine plant on several locations along the Drava River in Croatia,” said Branka Španiček from WWF Adria.

Little tern publication

Educational boards on Little tern – Ambassador of the Living Drava – set up along the Drava River

13/07/2017/in Nekategorizirano /by bspanicek

Legrad, Croatia – Natural habitats such as gravel and sand bars, which we can find only on the free-flowing parts of the Drava River, are home to some very interesting, but extremely rare species of birds- the Little tern. These habitats, and thus the species that depend on them, are jeopardized by the construction of hydropower plants, river regulation and gravel and sand extraction. One of the main goals of the DRAVA LIFE project is to improve the dynamics of the river through the restoration works, in order to create new habitats of gravel and sand bars.

There are only a few European rivers suitable for Little tern habitats – Loire in France, Vistula in Poland, Po in Italy and Sava and Drava in Croatia. According to last year’s data there are only 4 breeding pairs of Little tern left on Drava. In addition to the infrastructure, their survival is also threatened by the human disturbance as they step on the gravel and sand bars during breeding season, from mid-April until the end of July. To prevent disturbance of birds during the nesting season, partners in the DRAVA LIFE project have set up information boards at six locations along the Drava River.

“This bird, similar to seagulls, is perfectly adapted to life on rivers and fish hunting. It is characteristic of its yellow toe and legs. They build nests on gravel and the eggs look identical to the stones and are extremely difficult to spot. In order to inform the locals, as well as tourists, kayakers and all the others who like to spend their free time on the Drava, we have placed info boards on six locations next to the river, where they can find the most important information about Little tern, its importance , protection and threats. But most importantly, please do not disturb with the birds and do not walk in the gravel bars during nesting and raising of their young,” said Branka Španiček of WWF Adria.

This is just one of a series of DRAVA LIFE activities aimed at restoring the Drava River ecosystem and the habitats of its inhabitants. The importance of protection of the Little tern was also recognized by fishermen and kayakers, and they supported the implementation of this activity by informing their members.

“For the conservation of the last nesting places of the Little tern, it is necessary to renew the dynamics of the river and allow the river Drava to create new gravel and sand bars. This is precisely the main objective of the DRAVA LIFE project,” concluded Španiček.

The partners have also prepared a small brochure, where you can find out more information about this amazing bird species. The publication is available here.