In News
- UNESCO has recently designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve’.
About Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD)
- It is a biosphere reserve which covers 700 kilometres of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers and stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
- It is also called the “Amazon of Europe”.
- The total area of the reserve is around a million hectares which makes it the largest riverine protected area on the continent.
Source: Interreg Danube
Significance
- Diverse Landforms:
- The reserve is home to floodplain forests, gravel and sand banks, river islands, oxbows and meadows.
- Flora and Fauna:
- It is home to continental Europe’s highest density of breeding white-tailed eagles (more than 150 pairs).
- Many endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otters, beavers and sturgeons are also found here.
- It is also an important annual resting and feeding place for more than 250,000 migratory birds, according to WWF.
- Population
- Almost 900,000 people live in the biosphere reserve.
Benefits
- Recognition to Sustainable Environment Efforts
- The new reserve represents an important contribution to the European Green Deal.
- It also contributes to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy in the Mura-Drava-Danube region.
- Aim of the Strategy
- To revitalise 25,000 km of rivers and
- To protect 30 percent of the European Union’s land area by 2030.
- Aim of the Strategy
- Push to Boost Sustainable Business Practices
- MDD’s recognition was a mandate to all five countries to jointly advance the protection and revitalisation of the Mura-Drava-Danube area.
- Cross Border Cooperation for Environment
- The Interreg Danube Transnational Programme-funded Amazon of Europe Bike Trail project is an example of multinational efforts to promote eco-friendly practices.
- This project is a long-distance cycling trail following the Mura, Drava and Danube river landscapes for over 1,250 km.
- When booking this cycling adventure, part of the spending directly supports nature conservation initiatives in the region.
- The Interreg Danube Transnational Programme-funded Amazon of Europe Bike Trail project is an example of multinational efforts to promote eco-friendly practices.
Source: DTE
