In 2019, DANUBEPARKS Network organized 3rd DANUBE VOLUNTEERS DAY in 8 Danube countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary,
Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.
Results:
Number of countries: 8
Number of actions: 9
Number of volunteers: cca. 400
About 3rd Danube Volunteers Day
This Danube-wide volunteer action was previously organized
within project DANUBEparksCONNECTED, funded by the Interreg Danube
Transnational Programme. However, in 2019 action was organized and co-financed
by Association to keep the tradition of this volunteer action which, we
believe, will become more recognized every year and have a bigger and bigger
impact on the preservation of the Danube as a habitat corridor.
To make this action succesful, main topic of action for each
year was defined. The main idea behind 3rd Danube Volunteers Day was to promote
the significance of SOFTWOOD FOREST.
While the conservation status of habitat type 91E0 Alluvial
forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Pandion, Alnion
incanae, Salicion albae) is generally unsatisfactory across all biogeographic
regions, a lot of softwood forests along the Danubedisplay a near-natural
state; there are even primeval stands of 91E0. This is a unique natural
asset of European importance.
Suggested activities:
- Collection of waste in softwood forests in protected
areas.
- Removal of invasive species from softwood
forests.
- Tree planting activities.
Germany
Number of volunteers: 32
Number of actions: 1
Type of action: fighting alien species
Location: alluvial forest between Neuburg and Ingolstadt
Volunteers from Germany joined 3rd Danube Volunteers Day on
Saturday, 23rd of November. Mowing and bush removal campaign took place in the
alluvial forest between Neuburg and Donau. More than 30 volunteers of all ages
followed the call of the nature conservation authorities of the City of
Ingolstadt and the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen and together cultivated a
"Brenne", a typical and most valuable site in our floodplains.
Austria/Slovakia
Number of volunteers: 30
Number of actions: 1
Type of action: waste collection
Location: WILDisland and 2 kilometars of Danube's river
bank
The Danube constantly carries waste which pollutes the
floodplain landscape. To counteract, Donau-Auen National Park (Austria) and
BROZ - Bratislavské regionálne ochranárske združenie (Slovakia) joined the 3rd
Danube Volunteers Day. 30 volunteers from Austria, Slovakia, Iran and Japan,
students from the University of Applied Arts Vienna (working on sculptures of
endangered species), IVY Volunteers, and an expert from Nationalparks Austria
collected 25 bags full of waste – to clean one WILDisland and 2 kilometers of
valuable river banks. The 3rd Danube Volunteers Day was organized in
cooperation with the cross-border Interreg project #PlasticFreeDanube - the
project aims to establish a well-founded knowledge about plastics pollution
through analysis of the collected waste.
Hungary
Number of volunteers: 24
Number of actions: 1
Type of action: fighting alien species
Location: Kölked
On the 23rd of October 2019. 24 volunteers joined us in
Kölked on the 3rd Danube Volunteers Day.
The meeting point was on dike next to the entrance of the
national park (called Tojta). Volunteers walked together through the Nagy-rét
and arrived at the small (former) hunting castle, which serves now as a rangers
basis.
After a short explanation about the nature conservation
problem with the invasive species in the area, a botanical exercise followed to
determine the target species Amorpha fruticosa. Than every volunteer took part
in an accident prevention education – because there were a lot of special
secateurs to cut the amorpha plants.
After this, all the groups of volunteers started their
active walk along the meadow edge and the softwood gallery forest and cut the
small amorpha plants. It was a nice opportunity to talk with each other and to
meet the families of the other members of the national park team.
Croatia
Number of volunteers: 35
Number of actions: 2
Type of action: waste collection/building of
educational trail
Location: Kopački rit
In Croatia, 3rd Danube Volunteers Day was held in Nature
Park "Kopački rit". Action was organized in October with support of
volunteers from 2 partners from the corporate sector: Kaufland Hrvatska k.d.
and GRAWE Hrvatska d.d. 15 employees of Kaufland joined us within their action
"Green week" and along with our colleagues from DANUBEPARKS
secretariat, they collected improperly disposed waste that has been dumped
along the forest path. The waste that was removed was located in poplar and
willow forests at the edge of the nature park, so we used this opportunity to
promote the importance of softwood forests. In the second part of action, under
the slogan "We are proudly volunteering", 20 volunteers from Grawe
were arranging a new "Danube Parks Alley" that leads from the
reception center of nature park to the entrance to the village of Kopačevo
through an avenue of fruit trees (old varieties) donated by visitors to the
Park. Danube shaped walkway is installed to remind visitors that Kopački rit is
a part of the larger eco-system and Danube region in which every Protected Area
in Natura 2000 Network is important.
Serbia
Number of volunteers: 53
Number of actions: 1
Type of action: Waste collection
Location: Bajski Kanal
On the 13th of October, 2019 in the area of Bajski Kanal in
the Gornje Podunavlje region, a volunteer action was held to collect inorganic
waste on the banks of the channel. The Bajski Kanal, as part of the old Danube
stream, is one of the cleanest and most beautiful side branch of the Danube in
the Gornje Podunavlje region. On the bank of the channel, the Eco-center
"Karapandža" is located for the reception of visitors. The eco-center
space was used to gather participants and for the afternoon activities. More
than 50 participants (25 children and 25 parents) participated in the volunteer
action organized by the management of the „PE Vojvodinašume“. In addition to
waste collection, the children participated in an educational program to learn
about the basic values of the Gornje Podunavlje region. By visiting the
educational course "World of Water", the expert guide brought
participants closer to the topic of the importance of water and its role in the
ecosystem as also in the life of all of us with an interesting and interactive
approach.
Bulgaria
Number of volunteers: 71
Number of actions: 2
Type of action: fighting alien species and maintenance
of trees and bushes
Location: PA Kalimok-Brashlen and NP Persina
In Bulgaria, 2 volunteer actions were held on the occasion
of the 3rd Danube Volunteers Day.
The first action was held on September 21st, 2019.
Volunteers from „Club Friends of Public Park Rusenski Lom“ visited the newly
afforested Black poplar site under DANUBEparksCONNECTED. It is located near PA
Kalimok-Brashlen, covering 2.5 ha municipal grounds. Volunteers managed to
clear all unwanted plants surrounding the young Black poplars, to assess their
status and to plan the next steps to grow the young saplings into a sustainable
forest.
On the 5th of December (on International Volunteers Day)
volunteer action was held in front of the Persina Nature Park visitor center.
Young volunteers helped to removed unwanted bushes and branches in front of the
visitor center which is placed on the Danube riverbank.
The groups participated in different time of the day, in the
morning group from kindergarten started with volunteering activities, in the
early afternoon children from the local high school continued with activities
and in the afternoon group from primary school finished activities.
Romania
Number of volunteers: 150
Number of actions: 1
Type of action: Education/Plant identification
Location: Sulina
On 29th of August 2019 during the event in Romania
organizator of Danube Volunteers Day focused on educational activity within the
Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve in Sulina. The 150 participating teenagers of
the "Friends of Danube Delta" National Youth Camp, coming from all
over Romania, found out about the medicinal plants of the Delta, the most common
ones, and their curative properties. Afterward, they went along Danube river
banks to recognize the species, verifying their knowledge and checking it using
a plant identification app. It was a "citizen science" activity that
actively involved all the participants making them aware of the diversity of
plants and their benefit for human health.
Another successful campaign is behind us! Looking forward to
the DANUBE VOLUNTEERS DAY 2020!