On 12 June, the team of Donau-Auen National Park and DANUBEPARKS welcomed a television crew from Germany to showcase some of the most ambitious river restoration efforts currently taking place along the Danube.
The visit was initiated through the European Open Rivers Programme, which is supporting the large-scale restoration of the Paradeiserinsel island complex in the Donau-Auen National Park. The site represents an excellent example of how different funding mechanisms can work hand in hand: the restoration is jointly supported by the European Open Rivers Programme, the Horizon Europe project Danube4all and the INTERREG Slovakia–Austria project DanubeRest.
Together with key partners, including viadonau and BOKU University, the project aims to restore natural river dynamics by removing approximately 2.7 km of bank reinforcements and groynes that currently obstruct water flow, accelerate sediment accumulation and reduce habitat quality in the island's side channels.
During the visit, the film crew documented the ongoing restoration works at Paradeiserinsel, compared them with still-regulated river sections and visited the successfully reconnected Spittelauer Arm – a former LIFE project restoration site that demonstrates the long-term benefits of river revitalisation.
The footage will be featured in the popular German science programme Quarks, scheduled for broadcast on SWR and WDR in August.
We are proud that DANUBEPARKS/Donau-Auen NP restoration sites are being presented as examples of successful international cooperation and best practice in restoring highly modified ecosystems along one of Europe's largest navigable rivers.
Photo: Elena Kmetova-Biro