As Community Engagement for Wetland Conservation - Persina4Danube comes to an end, the DANUBEPARKS' project leaves behind more than completed activities and collected data—it leaves a strong foundation for community-driven wetland conservation in Persina Nature Park and beyond.
Over the past months, the project demonstrated how citizen science and environmental education — both digital and hands-on — can work together to build knowledge, skills, and long-term engagement. Children, volunteers, educators, conservation experts, and local authorities were brought together around a shared goal: to better understand and protect the unique wetland ecosystems along the Danube.
A central achievement of Persina4Danube was the Persina Edu Summer Camp 2025, where children learned through direct experience — observing birds and plants, collecting and testing water samples, exploring habitats, and combining field observations with citizen science applications. These activities transformed abstract environmental concepts into real-world understanding, while fostering curiosity, responsibility, and care for nature. Importantly, the project ensured inclusive participation, engaging children with special needs and socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Beyond education, the project generated valuable environmental and biodiversity data, providing baseline information on species and water quality. At the same time, the project expanded its outreach through printed promotional and informational materials, helping to communicate its goals, activities, and results to a wider audience.
Community engagement was further strengthened through a volunteer clean-up action, which encouraged practical involvement in wetland protection, and two stakeholder meetings with local schools, municipalities, and institutions. These meetings provided space to present project results, exchange perspectives, and explore opportunities for future cooperation.
Equally important was the creation of a local ecosystem of collaboration. Schools, municipalities, social institutions, NGOs, volunteers, and protected area managers worked together throughout the project. The professional support of Persina Nature Park was essential at every stage — from planning and fieldwork to data sharing and reflection — ensuring scientific relevance and practical conservation value.
The project also resulted in practical and reusable outputs: a tested 4-day educational program, lesson plans, games, monitoring tools, and organisational know-how. Together, these form a replicable model that can be adapted to other protected areas along the Danube and beyond.
Persina4Danube would not have been possible without the trust, guidance, and financial support of the IMPETUS Accelerator, which enabled the project team to test ideas, strengthen partnerships, and turn a local initiative into a meaningful citizen science experience with wider relevance.
Looking ahead, the project’s legacy lies in its people and its approach. Children who participated are now more confident in their environmental knowledge and more connected to local nature. The park staff have new tools to continue similar activities. Stakeholders have seen the value of citizen science as an inclusive and practical conservation tool.
Persina4Danube shows that meaningful conservation starts locally — with curiosity, participation, and collaboration. By empowering communities to become part of the solution, the project contributes to a future where wetlands are not only protected areas on a map, but shared spaces of learning, care, and responsibility.