Exactly four years after the establishment of the DANUBEPARKS secretariat in Croatia, confirmation of our commitment to nature protection has arrived in the form of a "Green Charter" awarded by Osijek-Baranja County!
This award was given as a sign of recognition for the contribution to the preservation of the environment, ensuring and improving the quality of life, for the benefit of current and future generations in the area of this county in eastern Croatia.
Among many DANUBEPARKS' projects and initiatives, Osijek-Baranja County especially recognized the following:
- Danube Volunteers Day - a campaign during which more than 1,500 volunteers were mobilized in 50 volunteer actions. Volunteers invested almost 6,000 hours in concrete nature conservation and restoration activities.
- Development of a new international tourist trail "Returning to the Last Danube" - which is starting at the Kopački rit Nature Park and passing through 8 Protected Areas along the Danube River. This new trail was developed within the Transdanube Travel Stories project, as well as the Danube Travel Challenge promotional campaign, and new green tourist products which promoted the offer of the City of Osijek and Kopački rit Nature Park.
- And generally, the preparation and implementation of international projects (such as: DANUBEparksCONNECTED, LIFE Danube WILDisland, LIFE Danube Free Sky...) and representation of the interests of Croatian protected areas at the international level (EUSDR, ICPDP, Ramsar...).
The president of DANUBEPARKS, Dr. Vlatko Rožac, received the award on behalf of the Network.
The other 2 winners of this award are the famous Croatian photographer Mario Romulić and the Croatian Mountaineering Society "Bršljan-Jankovac".
This award is certainly a great incentive to continue working on the preservation of the Danube River as one of the most important bioecological corridors in Europe.