Stories / Anatomy of the stream
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The Danube, the backbone of Europe, is drying up under the weight of overexploitation, pollution, and industrial development. Every drop that vanishes impacts trade, food production, and drives up the cost of essential goods across the continent. To counter this crisis, a 700 km green belt around the Mura, Drava, and Danube rivers, stretching from Austria to Serbia, has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Known as the Amazon of Europe, this region is home to the largest and richest natural river system in Central Europe, with unique biodiversity. It is threatened by climate change and poor management, leading to recurring droughts and floods.
Restoring these ecosystems is no easy task. Following the designation, the EU launched the ‘LIFE RESTORE for MDD’ project in 2023 with a €20 million budget, 67% funded by the EU. The initiative plans restoration at 29 sites along the rivers, covering 2,100 km², including reconnecting river branches, widening beds, and enhancing floodplain forests.But experts says it is too little and too late. Nevertheless, implementation has been slow, plagued by corruption and competing economic interests, such as the construction of hydropower plants upstream. A complex and conflicting balance that countries like Croatia and Serbia are navigating to align with the EU goals for 2050, given hydropower's critical role in their climate adaptation strategies. Local communities hesitate to fully commit to conservation, torn between traditional fishing, the lucrative hunting trade, and frequent illegal construction, fearing the loss of their cultural heritage. Moreover, governments are often reluctant to make the environment a priority.
This photographic series explores the intimate relationship local inhabitants have with these rivers and their efforts to preserve this vital connection at the gates of the European Union, encompassing Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia—EU members—and Serbia, which remains on the sidelines. The Mura, Drava, and Danube rivers, silent witnesses to a tumultuous history, have long shaped the borders and destinies of nations. They separated Romans from barbarians, marked the boundary between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottomans, and more recently, served as a frontline during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.
This photographic series delves into the heart of the Mura, Drava, and the crossroads of the Danube, lifelines of Central Europe. It highlights the challenges faced by men and women striving to preserve a unique natural heritage, a biodiversity threatened by short-sighted political and economic choices. These images reveal not only the fragile beauty of these landscapes but also the urgency to act to protect what remains, before these rivers become mere memories.