Preserving and restoring floodplain forest habitats along the Mura-Drava-Danube rivers

Introduction

“LIFE RESTORE for MDD - Preserving and restoring floodplain forest habitats along the Mura-Drava-Danube rivers” focuses on the conservation and restoration of the largest contiguous riparian forest system in the Danube River Basin. For 5 years, 17 partners from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia will jointly work against the degradation of the priority floodplain forest habitat types HT 91E0* and HT 91F0. This will be achieved by restoring and improving:

• 2,472 ha of floodplains
• 45,230 m of water bodies
• Mobilising 966,000 m³ of sediments through river dynamics

Project Area

The project area is a 2,071.6 km² large river corridor connecting 17 Natura 2000 sites and further protected areas in the UNESCO 5-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube. The sites line up as a continuous string along 700 km of the three rivers.

Riparian forests HT 91E0* and HT 91F0 (bad conservation status, trend declining (U2-)) account for 49.4% (435 km²) of the area’s forest structure.

Threats to Habitats

River regulation, unsustainable silvicultural practices, spread of invasive alien species (IAS), loss of diversity, gene pool depletion, and weakly harmonised cross-border restoration planning have the highest negative effects on the status of these habitats.

These threats will be addressed by the intersectoral project consortium, which includes:

1. Water managers
2. Nature conservationists
3. Foresters
4. Protected area managers
5. Regional managers
6. NGOs

This integrative and transboundary restoration effort will take place on 29 sites along the three rivers.

Restoration Activities

River morphology will be restored for natural forest rejuvenation on 4 sites. Side channels will be connected with the river and oxbows restored, thus improving floodplain forests’ conditions on 14 sites.

Natural forests will be preserved, improved, or afforested on 11 sites. Integrative cross-border river restoration planning on 3 pilot river stretches will ensure sustainable results of measures.

Communication and Monitoring

Communication, awareness raising, education, and monitoring will accompany the restoration efforts.