On January 14th and 15th, the Birds Task Force met in the Duna-Drava National Park in Hungary, while the Tourism Task Force held their discussions in Kopacki-Rit Nature Park in Croatia.
At these cross-border meetings, both groups combined a morning of intense discussions with two half days of study visits in both Protected Areas. Finally, a joint working lunch brought together all participants as well as all their outputs of two days´discussion.
Task Force Meeting Birds:
The participation of approximately 40 participants (experts, project managers, rangers, journalists) from 8 Danube countries representing 10 DANUBEPARKS project partners has made this workshop to a full success. Main focus of this workshop was on elaboration of the “Action Plan for the White-tailed Eagle at the Danube river”.
In the morning session all Protected Areas presented the actual status of the White-tailed Eagle in their regions. More than 20 % of all eagle pairs of the Danube region breed in Protected Areas which makes it to a flagship species for the Danube River Network of Protected Areas.
In the evening session, Remo Probst (White-tailed Eagle expert, Austria) presented the outcomes of the questionnaires answered by all Protected Areas in the last months. Based on this data the main objectives of the Action Plan were worked out and discussed in details. Finally, the procedure and timetable for its elaboration has been defined.
A study field trip in the Karapandza region of the Duna-Duna-Drava Nation Park and in the Nature Park Kopacki rit showed the beauty of this region and has underlined the high relevance of these Protected Areas for the conservation of the White-tailed Eagle. As we have learned in the workshop and seen at field no other region in Europe inhabits White-tailed Eagle in such high density!
The Tourism meeting had an intense discussion morning as well: The team of about 15 participants from 6 Danube countries discussed all transnational activities taking place within the year 2010 and decided on the next steps and responsibilities. Activities discussed were:
Joint Ranger Training:
Guides and rangers from Protected Areas will come together for an English course as well as a training on international nature protection. Courses will be held in the Danube-Delta Biosphere Reserve as well as in Donau-Auen National Park.
Mobile Exhibition “A Chance for the Blue Danube”:
The Danube Delta organizes this competition since 10 years, where students from Art High Schools design posters underlining the importance to protect the Danubian ecosystems. This year, the competition and exhibition will be international, and there will be a poster and a video category!
Danube Festival in Duna-Drava National Park on July 3rd-4th 2010:
The Duna-Drava National Park organizes this festival in Mohács together with a Croatian Cultural Organization of the region – it will be a combination of cultural event in natural surroundings and visitor services of the National Park!
Creation of maps:
For better orientation of tourists – especially those visiting more than one Protected Area – new maps will be created and given to tourists in a complete package.
Tourism Workshops with external experts:
For an experience exchange with external experts, a workshop will be organized for the tourism responsibles of our Protected Areas. The topic chosen is “New ways to attract and inform visitors” – which could for example be interactive ways to design visitor centres or using online and mobile information services.
Many thanks to the Duna-Drava National Park and the Nature Park Kopacki rit for the perfect organization of these Task Force Meetings! Also many thanks to all participants for the interesting presentations and fruitful discussions!
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