Danube – Dunji Milanovac (Photo by ForestPress)

Ambitious project for conservation and restoration of Europe’s humid zones
The international project Lower Danube Green Corridor (LDGC) is incorporated in the Danube-Carpathian Program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) covering six countries in the lower reaches of the great river – Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. It seeks the restoration of biodiversity as well as guarantees for the sustainable development of this section of the Danube.

From an environmental point of view the program’s most intriguing section is the Lower Danube Green Corridor due to the region’s flora and fauna - beautifully preserved and unique for Europe. Since mid-1990s four countries have been involved in the project – Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Here is more from Andreas Beckmann, deputy director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Program.
Ivan Hristov from the Bulgarian office of WWF is in charge of that part of the project concerning water. Speaking to Radio Bulgaria he pointed to the importance of the natural wealth of isles in the Bulgarian section.
“The section is the habitat of the largest colonies of wild birds, especially herons. The well-preserved woodlands are the analogue of the jungles found in other parts of the globe.
Among large European rivers the Danube stands out for its impressive fish diversity, despite a major slump in its resources following intensifying inland navigation and building river facilities. The latter have isolated some of the humid zones where fish breeds. For example, the Zhelezni Vrata facility in the Serbian section has been detrimental to the sturgeon population there.”
Apart from robust facilities built on the river, one major threat to biodiversity has to do with plans to expand inland navigation, Andreas Beckmann explains.
Written by Maria Dimitrova. English version Daniela Konstantinova