Dry habitats of the Danube from the source to the delta

Interreg project for the DANUBEparks network for the identification and protection of dry habitats

The international network DANUBEparks - Network Of Protected Areas - is an existing and growing association of different protected areas along the Danube, from its origin to the delta. Through intensive exchange of experience and joint projects, the network aims to contribute to better protection of the common natural heritage.

Under the leadership of the Passau District Office, the 16 participating protected areas from nine countries placed the otherwise little-noticed dry habitats along the Danube at the center of their cooperation for the first time as part of an Interreg project.

Not only rare and protected Danube dry biotopes such as burns or salt steppes should be taken into account. As a basis for measures to develop and strengthen a Danube-wide habitat network of dry habitats, PSU compiled all areas along the entire Danube that are considered dry biotopes in the broadest sense into overview maps. A special focus was put on orchid species of dry habitats as flagship species.

For this purpose, it was necessary to bring the different data bases of the participating Danube riparians Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania to a common denominator.

In addition, a separate protected area map was created for each network member, which shows the existing dry habitats on a smaller scale.

In a further central step a common strategy paper was compiled with the participation of all network members. This formulates a practical catalogue of measures for the protection and development of dry habitats. These include, for example, mowing, grazing, scrub clearance or high-profile volunteer activities. Furthermore, the strategy paper contains a compilation of already implemented projects of the network partners in the form of a best- and worst-practice overview of measures.