Over one million barriers on Europe's rivers have resulted in extensive loss of river connectivity, and 70-90% of Europe's floodplain areas are ecologically degraded due to human modifications. Despite having an ambitious EU policy framework in place, implementation of freshwater and transitional water ecosystem restoration is lagging behind. Reasons for this lie among others in the lack of knowledge, awareness and participation of local people and business actors. The overall goal of DANUBE4all (a 5-year Innovation Action funded by the EU) is the development of a comprehensive Restoration Action Plan for the Danube River basin developed in an unprecedented co-creation process with stakeholders, integrating citizens' interests to support the EU Mission "Restore our ocean and waters by 2030".
On the 17th of January 2023, an online kick-off meeting of the new DANUBEPARKS' Horizon Europe project - DANUBE4all - was organized by lead partner BOKU (Austria).
Work package leaders presented our ambitious plan for the next 5 years:
WP1: Project Management (BOKU)
WP5: Empowered inhabitants, communities and Citizen Science (Pulsaqua)
WP2: Reconnect Rivers, Floodplains and Delta (BME)
WP3: Improve Water (Ecological) Status and Key Species Populations (IMSI)
WP4: Win2 – Create Multiple Benefits and Business Models from NBS (FVB-IGB)
WP6: Demonstration Sites for Restoration (GeoEcoMar)
WP7: Danube Restoration Actions Upscaling & Replication (BOKU)
WP 8: Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication (UCC)
The DANUBEPARKS role in the project
Although the DANUBEPARKS will contribute to all work packages, the majority of the budget will be invested in planning and implementation of the innovative demonstration activities at two sites in the Upper and Middle Danube. Also, during the project, GIS and Citizen Science tools will be provided for upscaling these restoration actions via ten Synergy Sites to the Danube Basin, and will also transfer the outcomes to five Associated Regions for further replication of restoration action.