lifelineMDD Protecting and restoring ecological connectivity in the Mura-Drava-Danube river corridor through cross-sectoral cooperation
Mura, Drava and Danube (MDD) form the lifeline of one of the most valuable river corridors in the Danube Basin. However, connectivity within the corridor is reduced due to human-made changes to rivers and their natural processes. While DTP-project coopMDD established a living cooperation between Protected Area managers and a Transboundary Management Programme for the planned 5-country Biosphere Reserve MDD, the knowledge base and transboundary cross-sectoral cooperation stays insufficient. This leads to unused opportunities for synergies between multiple aims in river management.
lifelineMDD addresses these issues with a cross-sectoral partnership, aiming to improve connectivity and biodiversity within the MDD river corridor by restoration of natural river dynamics. The development of a strategic integrated approach to river restoration in the transboundary bio-corridor will be based on scientific studies of bio-indicators fish and river birds and abiotic framework conditions sediment transport and climate change. A cross-sectoral learning process between nature protection and water management authorities based on pilot restoration actions will raise institutional competences and cooperation between key stakeholders. Involvement of NGOs, local and national policy levels will ensure sustainability of results by awareness raising in the local population and development of lasting stakeholder platforms.
By providing an integrated transboundary strategic framework for river restoration based on research, pilot restoration and joint learning, lifelineMDD will strongly contribute to the DTP objective of protecting and restoring ecological corridors and raise cooperation between main actors. The project contributes to close connectivity gaps defined in the EUSDR study “Ecological Connectivity in the Danube Region”, e.g. research gaps on complex ecological processes, cooperation gap between nature protection and other sectors, geographic gap on tributary rivers.

- Start date
- 01-07-2020
- End date
- 31-12-2022
- Budget in Euro
- Overall: 2987789.19
- ERDF Contribution: 2277239.14
- IPA Contribution: 262381.65
- ENI Contribution: 0
- Call number
- Call 3
- Priority
- Environment and culture responsible Danube region
- Specific objective
- Foster the restoration and management of ecological corridors
Library
Filename | Date of upload | |
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lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 09:04:48 | |
DE_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 09:29:54 | |
HU_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 10:07:46 | |
HR_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 10:10:01 | |
SLO_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 10:37:50 | |
SRB_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 10:38:27 | |
ENG_lifelineMDD leaflet | 21-12-2020 10:41:51 |
Project Partners
Name | Type | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
World Wide Fund for Nature Austria - WWF Austria | Lead partner | kerstin.boeck@wwf.at | Austria |
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna | ERDF partner | helmut.habersack@boku.ac.at | Austria |
Regional Management SO | ERDF partner | meier@vulkanland.at | Austria |
Office of the Styrian Government – Department 14 Water Management, Resources and Sustainability | ERDF partner | tanja.schriebl@stmk.gv.at | Austria |
Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation | ERDF partner | aleksander.koren@zrsvn.si | Slovenia |
Project News
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lifelineMDD - WWF Adria is looking for two education experts on lifelineMDD
- 23-12-2020WWF Adria is looking for two education experts to be temporarily engaged in environmental education topics and activities related to Interreg lifelineMDD project as external experts. They are expected to work as a team during the preparation and...
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lifelineMDD - Working together for protection and restoration of ecological connectivity in the TBR MDD
- 15-12-2020Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia – Despite many challenges set by the COVID 19 pandemic, the lifelineMDD project team managed to continue their work as planned. Although field activities such as fish sampling and live workshops were...
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lifelineMDD - New EEA report shines a light on the poor state of nature in the EU
- 23-10-2020State of nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the nature directives 2013-2018, published by European Environment Agency on 19th of October, describes the state of nature in the EU during the period from 2013 to 2018, based on Member...
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lifelineMDD - UNESCO certificate for the Lower Mura Valley Biosphere Reserve
- 15-10-2020Bad Radkersburg, Austria - Dr Miguel Clüsener-Godt, the director of the Department of Ecological and Earth Sciences of UNESCO and secretary of the research program "Man and the Biosphere", on 28th of September awarded the UNESCO certificate to...
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lifelineMDD - World Migratory Bird Day
- 09-10-2020Did you know that 1/5 of all bird species migrate? Bird migrations are some of the longest journeys taken by any animal, and migrating birds face many dangers along the way. In 2020 the World Migratory Bird Day, which we mark on 10th of...