Protected Wetland Areas Along the Danube River

in SerbiaBiljana Panjkovic Ph.D.

Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia

Tulcea, Romania18-20 April 2007

Protected Areas along the Danube

• Protected areas – 16

• Areas proposed for protection – 5

• Ramsar site - 1

• IBAs – 7

• IPAs – 5

IPA

SNR “Gornje Podunavlje”

• Transboundary protected area (20 000 ha in Serbia)• Nominated for Ramsar site (2007)• IPA (2005)• IBA (1989)• ICPDR (2004)• Proposal for Biosphere Reserve• Ongoing conservation projects:

– Establishing EMERALD network in Serbia and Montenegro - EMERALD network in Serbia

– Ecotourism as a tool for improoving nature management in the Middle Danube Floodplains spanning Hungary, Croatia and Serbia (WWF)

– Integrating local communities and nature protection in the European Green Belt – Habitat mapping (IUCN)

Habitat types

Code EUNIS Code description

SNR “Gornje Podunavlje”

SNR “Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski rit”

• Protected area of 4840 ha, threatened by water regime changes and water pollution

• Potential Ramsar site

• IPA (2005)

• IBA (1989)

1. Evaluation of ecological characteristics of site 2. Ecological restoration of flooded meadows

3. Management of hydrological regime in accordance of the interests of nature conservation

4. Construction of educational paths for visitors 5. Presentations and promotions of natural values

Goals:

Ongoing project Ecological Wetlands Restoration

Ongoing project Ecological Wetlands Restoration

Main tasks:• Oxbow revitalisation • Removal of overgrowth of

invasive plant species from wet meadows

• Special measures of conservation for autochtonous willow and poplar forests

Area restorated by project: 50 ha (“Kurjacke grede”)

NP “Djerdap”

• Total area: 63500 ha

• The Djerdap gorge is the largest and the most famous water breakthrough in Europe.

• On a relatively limited space are many geological, geomorphologic, mineralogical, petrographic, paleontologic, climatic, edaphic, phyto-cenological, phyto-geographical, floral, faunal but also cultural-historical and archeological phenomena.

NP “Djerdap” • INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

– UNESCO (World natural heritage)– BIOSPHERE RESERVE– Proposal for Biosphere Reserve Network (UNESCO,

MaB, Project “Man and biosphere”)– IBA National Park “Djerdap” – YU 34 SE (65000 ha)

• Project by IUCN & EUROPARC: “Support to Protected Border Areas” that is contained in the Action Plan “Parks for Life”. Protected Border Area is being considered within the scope of joint protection with neighboring area in Romania.

“Radujevac” wetland site proposed for protection

• The construction of “Djerdap” accumulations in the 1980s cut the migration route of some fish species,

• Only spawning site in Serbia for fishes from family Acipenseridae - beluga (Huso huso), Danubian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedti), sturgeon (Acipenser sturio), stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) and ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris), and from family Clupeidae - Black Sea shad (Alosa pontica) and Danubian shad (Alosa caspia nordmani).

e- mail: panjkovic@ natureprotection.org.yu

http://www.natureprotection.org.yu

Thank you for your attention!