Danubeparks Network of Protected Areas

16/06/2026

🌊 Lights, camera, restoration! 🎥

This week, a German TV crew visited the Nationalpark Donau-Auen to film ongoing and completed river restoration projects along the Danube.

Why? Because the Paradeiserinsel and Spittelauer Arm sites are becoming inspiring examples of how international cooperation and multiple funding programmes can work together to bring rivers back to life.

Look out for the feature in Quarks on SWR/WDR this August!

👉 More information: https://danubeparks.org/news/danube4all-lost-paradeis-danubeparks-restoration-sites-featured-for-german-science-tv

10/06/2026

🌿 DANUBEPARKS at the RESTORIVER Final Conference 2026

On 9 June 2026, the Secretary General of DANUBEPARKS, Mr. Matej Marušić, was invited to contribute as an external expert to the Final Conference of the RESTORIVER project.

During the panel discussion, experts exchanged views on the importance of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, highlighted successful implementation examples, discussed barriers to wider uptake, and shared recommendations for future policy development. Drawing on experiences from the Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative, the Secretary General presented examples demonstrating how transnational cooperation and wetland restoration can contribute to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable river management.

💧 RESTORIVER is an Interreg Danube Region project dedicated to restoring river and floodplain ecosystems through nature-based solutions that enhance climate resilience, support biodiversity, and improve ecosystem services across the Danube region.

While DANUBEPARKS is not a partner in the RESTORIVER project, we strongly support initiatives that contribute to shared goals of river and wetland restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience across the Danube Region. We are grateful for the invitation to participate in this important discussion and congratulate all project partners on the successful implementation of these valuable activities and their contribution to a more resilient Danube.

More information about the project: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/restoriver

03/06/2026

🏆🎉 ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC NEWS! 🎉🏆

Huge congratulations to our dear colleagues at BROZ - ochranárske združenie and Duna-Ipoly Nemzeti Park ( DINPI ) on winning the LIFE Award! What an incredible achievement and a truly well-deserved recognition of your long-term dedication, hard work and passion for nature conservation and river restoration.

We are extremely proud and happy to call you our partners and friends. Your success is an inspiration to all of us working to restore and protect Europe's rivers and wetlands.

Congratulations from the entire DANUBEPARKS team! 🌿💙

Taking home the in category Nature Protection & Biodiversity prize…📢

Big ups for Danube floodplains 🏆 - which has successfully restored and managed threatened and degraded Danube floodplain habitats.

03/06/2026

🌿 Cross-border cooperation in action!

On 2 June, the LIFE WILDisland team from Nationalpark Donau-Auen and joined a study visit organized by BROZ - ochranárske združenie within the INTERREG DanubeRest project in Slovakia. From planned side-arm restoration at Šihot Island to a successfully restored 2.2 km river section along the Rudava River, the excursion offered valuable insights and inspiration for our shared restoration efforts.

LIFE WILDisland and DanubeRest share partners, objectives and a common vision for healthier, more resilient river ecosystems. Together, we are multiplying our impact across the Slovak-Austrian Danube region.

A big thank you to BROZ for the excellent organization and hospitality!

👉 Read more: https://wildisland.danubeparks.org/news-media/detail/news/wildislands-visit-danuberest/

27/05/2026

Yesterday, DANUBEPARKS participated in the LIFE RESTORE for MDD Stakeholder Workshop and Forum in Osijek 🇭🇷, focused on the Drava River pilot section between Martinci Miholjački and Osijek. 🌊

The workshop brought together experts, institutions, protected area managers, and other local stakeholders to discuss concrete restoration measures and future priorities for the Drava River. DANUBEPARKS contributed with experiences and perspectives from the transnational level.

This type of co-creation process, which we also actively promote through many projects such as , is essential for developing realistic and effective restoration actions.

"River restoration is much more than restoring habitats – it is about reconnecting rivers with their natural dynamics, strengthening biodiversity, improving ecosystem resilience, and creating benefits for both nature and people."

Looking forward to seeing ideas become actions on the ground. 🌊🌱

21/05/2026

🌿 What do WILDislands and Rewilding Europe have in common?
A shared vision: giving rivers more space, restoring natural dynamics, and letting nature lead the way.

In May, one of the founding organisations behind Rewilding Europe, the Dutch NGO ARK Nature visited Nationalpark Donau-Auen and the LIFE WILDisland restoration sites along the Austrian Danube.

From side-arm reconnection to riverbank restoration and floodplain forests, the exchange focused on how large-scale restoration can support biodiversity and healthier rivers across Europe 🌊

Read more in our latest news update 👇

20/05/2026

🐉 Exploring eDNA Methods for Monitoring the Danube Crested Newt at SiSB 2026

During the Symposium of Students in Biology (SiSB 2026), held on 16–17 May 2026 in Zagreb, Croatia, the oral session:

“Application of Environmental DNA (eDNA) Analysis in Monitoring the Danube Crested Newt (Triturus dobrogicus Kiritzescu, 1903)”

was presented by Fran Fišer on behalf of the research team consisting of Nikolina Bek, Tomislav Mandir, Marin Škoro, Kristina Romanjek, Matej Marušić, Lidija Kalinić and Alma Mikuška, representing the following institutions:

📍 Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Department of Biology, Croatia
📍 Public Institution Agency for the Management of Protected Natural Values in Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia
📍 Public Institution Nature Park Kopački rit, Croatia
📍 DANUBEPARKS – Danube River Network of Protected Areas, Austria

The presentation highlighted the use of eDNA analysis and qPCR as effective, non-invasive tools for monitoring the Danube crested newt across the Danube River Basin.

The results emphasise the importance of innovative molecular methods in biodiversity monitoring and wetland conservation, while supporting international cooperation in protecting amphibian species and their habitats. 🌿💧

15/05/2026

🌿 Support Danube floodplain restoration! 🌍

DANUBEPARKS member BROZ - conservation association is a finalist in the Awards 2026 for their project focused on the restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitats — an initiative strongly aligned with the shared goals of the region and wetland conservation.

You can support them in the “Citizens’ Award” by voting here:
https://www.lifeawards.eu/project/danube-floodplains/

✅ Don’t forget to confirm your vote via the email you receive afterwards.

A quick vote can really help — thank you! 💚

Photos: BROZ - ochranárske združenie

13/05/2026

🇦🇹🌿 The LIFE WILDisland project was presented at the 27th Austrian LIFE Platform Meeting in Braunau am Inn!

It was also a great opportunity for the Austrian WILDisland partners: Nationalpark Donau-Auen, and VERBUND to meet and coordinate in person.

A big thank you to the LIFE Riverscape Lower Inn project for the warm hospitality — we are already looking forward to the next exchange! 🌊
Read more here: https://wildisland.danubeparks.org/news-media/detail/news/a-plattform-meeting/

12/05/2026

🐉 The Danube Dragon Action Plan for the Danube Crested Newt (Triturus dobrogicus) is now officially completed and published.

Developed by international experts from Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH) for DANUBEPARKS, the plan brings together the latest science, key threats, and conservation priorities for this unique “Danube Dragon” 🐉 and its wetland habitats 🌿💧

Although the species is currently listed as "Least Concern" (European and EU IUCN assessment lists), many local populations are declining and face serious pressures such as habitat loss, river regulation, pollution, invasive species, and climate change 🌍⚠️

The Action Plan outlines concrete measures, including habitat restoration, wetland protection, long-term monitoring (including eDNA methods), and strengthened international cooperation across the Danube Basin 🤝

📄 All details, including the full Action Plan, are available on the official website. Link in the comments ⬇

🌿