Preparing for climate change in the Danube Delta
Preparing for climate change in the Danube Delta
A new strategy to adapt to the effects of climate change will help communities in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine face coming challenges to protect the natural resources of the Danube Delta as well as their own livelihoods.
The likely consequences of climate change – frequent floods, long periods of drought, deteriorating water quality and declining fish reserves – are jeopardising the welfare of the communities living in the region and the unique biodiversity of the Danube Delta.
© Cristian Mititelu-Răileanu
The Danube Delta is a World Heritage site and a UN - ESCO Biosphere Reserve – rich in biodiversity and home to around 6000 species of flora and fauna. At the same time, the Danube Delta sub-basin is a centre of economic and cultural activities shared by Romania, Ukraine and Moldova and home to a large human population which depends on the Danube Delta for their livelihood.
However, recent years have brought increasing threats from climate change jeopardising the welfare of the humans and wildlife living in the region. To reduce the risks of climate change and to protect the Danube Delta and those who depend on it, the three countries sharing the Danube Delta (Romania, Moldova and Ukraine) have endorsed a new Danube Delta Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
The adaptation strategy and action plan builds on the ICPDR Strategy on Adaption to Climate Change for the Danube Basin, and will help governments and environmental organisations better understand the expected changes and the steps to adapt the region to those changes.
“The strategy isn’t limited to the future, it also takes into consideration the past and the present”, says Camelia Ionescu, of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme and manager of the project to develop the strategy. “It looks deeper into peoples’ needs, while at the same time considering nature’s conditions; it is both a visionary document and a tool which can be applied on long term”, says Ionescu.
Climate Change in the Danube Delta
According to forecasts, air temperature in the Danube Delta will increase by 1-1.5° C, leading to more frequent heat waves and milder winters. Water temperature will rise by 2° C, dramatically affecting fish stocks because of algae growth and reduced oxygen levels in the water. The water level in the Black Sea will rise up to 0.5m by 2050 and small rivers will have 5-25% less water, especially in the summer.
Strategies that strengthen the community
The strategy and action plan are the result of a fouryear, European Community-funded regional project launched in March 2011, ‘Climate proofing the Danube Delta through integrated land and water management’. The project aimed to address climate change issues and increase the resilience of Danube Delta ecosystems, while improving local communities’ livelihoods.
The project team developed a pilot programme for generating green energy from waste reed in Vilkovo, Ukraine, which will generate income and reduce heating costs for local communities and promote the wetland ecological reconstruction. The project also included a training programme on techniques and tools to facilitate adaptation of economic and management practices.
The final event of the project was the International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in the Danube Delta held in September in Tulcea, Romania to endorse the strategy and action plan. “With this project ending, the most important thing is to continue to work in the same direction, to build on the foundation that the project helped to set up,” says Ionescu. “Cooperation between different institutions from the Danube Delta sub-basin is crucial and should be strengthened, especially through other integrated projects.”
