The 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, hosted under the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathered stakeholders from across the region to discuss shared challenges and future opportunities related to sustainability, water security, and climate resilience.
On 6 November 2025, the side event “Restoring Nature – Water-Driven Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems” took place, jointly organised by EUSDR Priority Areas 4, 5, 6 and DANUBEPARKS. The session put water at the core of sustainable development—highlighting its essential role for ecosystem health, community well-being and climate adaptation.
Key speakers:
Ana Kobaslic, EUSDR Priority Area 6 Coordinator (Croatia)
Matej Marušić, Secretary General of DANUBEPARKS
The speakers emphasised a shared vision: working with nature, not against it, by restoring wetlands, rivers and floodplains to strengthen natural water retention, enhance resilience to floods and droughts, and safeguard biodiversity.
A major highlight of the session was the presentation of the Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative, coordinated by DANUBEPARKS, which was showcased as an “EUSDR Flagship Initiative”.
As a flagship regional cooperation platform, RRI drives and supports:
- Wetland and river ecosystem restoration across borders
- Biodiversity monitoring and conservation
- Community empowerment and youth engagement through citizen science
- Collaboration between protected areas, institutions and local stakeholders
- A long-term shared vision for resilient wetlands in the Danube Basin
The key message of the event resonated clearly:
Healthy aquatic and riparian ecosystems are not only nature’s backbone — they are our strongest solution to climate and water challenges in the Danube Region.
More about the Annual Forum:
https://danube-region.eu/events/14th-eusdr-annual-forum/