Description
In the past few decades the Danube floodplain has been and still is damaged by draining of the floodplains, construction of dams and pollution. These actions led to a decline in natural resources, floods, reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services. The project aims to implement a sustainable development model for the Danube floodplain in a pilot area, achieved through a good governing of the ecological restoration and through the active participation of all the stakeholders in what decision-making is concerned, in the benefit of the local communities from the targeted area. Thus, wetland ecosystem services will be promoted to be used in prioritizing investment projects for the ecological restoration of the Danube floodplain, and to develop a viable financial mechanism in order to support ecological and economic restoration of the diked farming areas of the Danube floodplain. The proposed activities will result in enforced laws for implementing a sustainable economic and ecological use of the Danube floodplain, and for adapting, according to local and national needs, the solutions for ecological reconstruction and storing water during floods.
Summary of project results
The Danube floodplain has been subject to continuing deterioration by diking, draining the associated wetlands, damming and pollution. All such actions have resulted in the depletion of natural resources, social and economic inequity, the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and reduced climate change adaptation. The access to information related to the current status of the ecosystems determines citizens’ participation in the decision-making process. It also raises local people’s awareness regarding the positive contribution that the floodplain ecosystems have in relationship with the mitigation of climate changes and the reduction of flood intensity along the Danube. The long-term goal and the added value of the project consist in the involvement of local communities through participative processes, which are essential for the ecological restoration of the pilot area in harmony with the local social and economic interests. Therefore, within the project a model was created for future ecologically restored polders or water retention areas and demonstrated that ecological restoration is beneficial for the social and economic development of local communities and may provide benefits to local councils or landowners. To achieve the planned results, a platform has been set up at local level to enable the active participation of stakeholders in the decision making process. The platform developed a position paper (resolution) concerning the future possibilities of resizing the social and economic development by restoring the wetland in Greaca agricultural polder. At the same time, an assessment of the benefits provided by the wetland ecosystem services in the pilot area was conducted, as well as an analysis to identify alternatives to the legislative proposals facilitating the ecological restoration and a methodology to calculate compensation measures for Greaca pilot area. In order to allow the results of the studies to be integrated within public policies at national level, a working group was formed, for identifying and discussing viable solutions for the implementation of a strategy and a vision on ecological restoration at national level. 25 representatives of ministries and public organisations were informed and actively involved. The platform for the stakeholders' active participation directly involved more than 100 participants in debates and decision-making processes and raised awareness at community level.
Summary of bilateral results