LIFE RESTORE for MDD – Preserving and restoring floodplain forest habitats along the Mura-Drava-Danube rivers

Project number:
LIFE22-NAT-AT-LIFE RESTORE for MDD/101113557
Duration of the project:
1. 10. 2023. – 30. 9. 2028.
Total value:
20.024.000,00 €
EU co-financing:
13.416.080,00 €
Coordinating beneficiary:
WWF Austria (Austria)
Partners:
Association for nature and environment protection Green Osijek (Croatia), Croatian Waters (Croatia), Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek (Croatia), Public institution for management of protected parts of nature and ecological network of Virovitica-Podravina County (Croatia), Public institution for management of protected parts of nature and ecological network of Koprivnica-Križevci County (Croatia), Public institution for management of protected parts of nature of Varaždin County (Croatia), Međimurska priroda – Public Institution for Nature Protection (Croatia), IRSNC – Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation (Slovenia), Slovenian Water Agency (Slovenia), Slovenian State Forests (Slovenia), National Park Duna-Drava (Hungary), WWF Hungary (Hungary), National Park Balaton-felvidéki (Hungary), Office of the Styrian Provincial Government (Austria), Regional government Südoststeiermark. Steirisches Vulkanland (Austria), Public enterprise Vojvodinašume Petrovaradin (Serbia)
Project description:
“LIFE RESTORE for MDD – Preserving and restoring floodplain forest habitats along the Mura-Drava-Danube rivers” focuses on 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 type HT 91E0* and HT 91F0, by restoring and improving 2,472 ha of floodplains, 45,230 m of water bodies, and by mobilising 966,000 m3 of sediments through river dynamics. 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. River regulation, unsustainable silvicultural practices, spread of IAS, loss of diversity, gene pool depletion, 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 of water managers, nature conservationists, foresters, protected area managers, regional managers and NGOs in an integrative and transboundary restoration effort on 29 sites along the three rivers. River morphology will be restored for natural forest rejuvenation on 4 sites. Side channels will be connected with the river and oxbows restored and thus floodplain forests’ conditions improved 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, awareness raising, education and monitoring will accompany the restoration efforts.
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