Preserving the Amazon of Europe

UNESCO (UN) has a program called ‘Biosphere Reserves’ that protects vulnerable ecosystems throughout the world. These Reserves give international protection and recognition to important natural habitats which are critical to maintaining our biosphere - the global web of life. UNESCO recently created a Reserve that covers the area around three European rivers: the Danube, Mura, and Drava.
This is a ‘trans-boundary’ reserve as it spans the borders of five nations: Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia. The Mura-Drava-Danube Trans-boundary Reserve (MDD) has 300,000 hectares of pure wilderness, plus 700,000 additional hectares of transitional and buffer zones. The transitional zones have minimal human habitation including small villages, ecotourism businesses, and agriculture. The buffer zones consist of pristine natural microsystems like wetlands, fish ponds, and lakes.
 

“This is the most valuable connected river landscape in Central Europe”, according to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF). No wonder that it is called the ‘Amazon of Europe’. The seeds for this project were sown in 2009 when Croatia and Hungary signed a joint declaration affirming their desire to participate. They were joined two years later by Serbia, Slovenia, and Austria. Together they have created the first Biosphere Reserve to cross the borders of so many nations. The WWF and the UN see this as a landmark for the potential of international cooperation in preserving our natural heritage.