The first Task Force Meeting of the DANUBEPARKS Network took place in Tulcea, Romania, on December 10th-11th. The discussions and field trips were relating to the transnational activities of preparing a Life+ Project on the Danube Sturgeon, as well as to the establishment of a transnational fish database.
Beside the representatives of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, the Kalimok-Brushlen Protected Site, the Duna-Ipoly National Park and the Donau-Auen National Park, also Romanian Sturgeon experts from the University of Galati as well as from the Danube Delta National Research and Development Institute took part in the meetings and study visits.
The main outcomes of the meeting were:
- Next steps towards the development of the Sturgeon project agreed on
- Clarification of priorities of the partners concerning the Sturgeon project
- Relevant feedback on and approval of the first proposal for the transnational fish database
- Clarification of the role of each protected area concerning the fish database
- Experience exchange on sturgeon farming and restocking
- Discussions on project management
The first study visit took the task group to a sturgeon farm, where a lot of information on restocking activities, gene pool maintenance, and other issues concerning sturgeon protection activities in Romania could be gained.
The second study visit was a boat tour on the Sulina branch of the Danube Delta, where the main focus was experience-exchange in fish monitoring. However, the all-day-trip also gave a chance to discuss other topics aside that were important for several of the partners, including tourism activities such as the joint ranger training, communication activities such as the mobile exhibition “A chance for the Blue Danube”, and to exchange ideas and experiences about the first pilot projects and small investments in the various Protected Areas.
The next Task Force Meetings are taking place on January 14th-15th in Duna-Drava National Park (Task Force Birds) and Kopacki-Rit Nature Park (Task Force Tourism) and on January 27th-28th in Bratislava (Task Forces Revitalization and Habitat Networks) organized by BROZ.
