DANUBE4all Project: A Brighter Future for our Danube

DANUBE4all seeks to develop a comprehensive, scientifically based, and practically orientated Restoration Action Plan to support the EU's Mission to "Restore our ocean and waters by 2030." With a Science-to-People approach, the project will promote the knowledge, awareness, and participation of local people and business actors in implementing freshwater ecosystem restoration.

The Danube, as a natural and living space, is the responsibility of all of us, regardless of national borders. A principle that is both the spirit and the heart of the international DANUBE4all project. The project will promote using innovative Win-Win Nature Based Solutions to enhance free-flowing rivers and floodplains, reduce flood and drought risks, and improve sediment and biota continuity. The goal is to improve the endangered biodiversity of ecosystems and adapt to climate change. It is an unprecedented co-creation process between many stakeholders, including a consortium of 48 partners and associated partners from 14 European countries, working to develop an integrative action plan for river restoration along the entire Danube on a scientific basis. Another unique aspect of this project is that the renaturation solutions are not only developed in an interdisciplinary way but also implemented with the participation of the local population and various stakeholders, such as the ICPDR.

DANUBE4all and the ICPDR, Partners for Awareness

The DANUBE4all project also focuses on the inclusion of stakeholders and communities in river restoration efforts. The ICPDR is one of the project's associated partners, helping to ensure the translation of the results from science to management and further use of the results even after the project's completion. The project shares the belief with the ICPDR that civil society can be more meaningfully involved with issues concerning the Danube if they are provided with public information, educational initiatives, and outreach activities.

About 70 to 90 percent of European floodplains are now ecologically with a widespread loss of river continuity. Insufficient knowledge and a lack of general awareness among the public have contributed to this problem. DANUBE4all and its associated partners provide the opportunity to bridge this gap by promoting a Science-to-People approach and encouraging the participation of local people and business actors in implementing freshwater ecosystem restoration.

Let's follow DANUBE4all on its mission to restore the Danube River Basin for the flourishing of ecosystems and the well-being of people. This is a collective responsibility we all share, regardless of borders.

Source: Danube4all, Editorial: ICPDR