Three international projects led by Bulgarian organizations are working on the climate resilience of the Danube region

The Danube Day, June 29, is the date on which the Convention for the Protection of the Danube River was signed 30 years ago. The Danube is the second largest river in Europe, occupying 817,000 square kilometers, flowing through 10 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine), and its catchment area consists of another 9 (Switzerland, Switzerland Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo).

Since the beginning of 2024, three international projects under the INTERREG Danube Programme, led by Bulgarian organizations, have been working to transform the Danube River Basin into a greener, more adaptable, and climate-resilient region. The theme of Danube Day this year is "Water for Peace." It highlights the essential role of water management in fostering understanding, supporting communities, environmental sustainability, and urban development.

In their new projects, the three international consortia, led by Bulgarian organizations, aim to find a balance between human needs, ecosystem health, and climate resilience.

Sofia Development Association leads a consortium of 19 partners from 12 countries who develop tools and policies to tackle urban heat islands. The Be Ready project aims to provide local and regional authorities with tools to identify urban heat islands and understand the causes of their occurrence and their consequences on human health, working capacity, energy consumption, and biodiversity. More about the project can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/be-ready ;

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bereadyprojecteu;

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beready-project/.

The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds is a leading partner in a consortium of 15 organizations from 10 countries. The project, named RESTORIVER (Living Rivers), aims to support climate change adaptation in the Danube region, as well as manage environmental hazards at a transnational level through the implementation of ecosystem-based solutions. One significant activity within the project will be the revitalization of the river bank of Prista Park for the restoration of the semi-natural riparian floodplain. Some of the measures include removing abandoned concrete structures, restoring climate-friendly riparian vegetation, and installing new multifunctional facilities (for nature conservation, educational, and entertainment purposes). More about the RESTORIVER project can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/restoriver.

WWF Bulgaria leads a consortium of 15 organizations from seven countries. The ForestConnect project aims to provide climate-resilient forest corridors for large carnivores, allowing animals to move across state borders in the regions of the Balkan Mountains, the Carpathians, and the Dinaric Mountains, following their biological processes. More about the ForestConnect project can be found here:

https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/forestconnect and here: https://www.wwf.bg/kakvo-pravim/divi-zhivotni/forest-connect/.

Follow and join Be Ready, RESTORIVER and ForestConnect in their mission for a more sustainable Danube region.

For further information:

Sofia Development Association

Уебсайт: https://sofia-da.eu/

Имейл: office@sofia-da.eu

Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds

Уебсайт: https://bspb.org/

Имейл: milena.ivanova@bspb.org

WWF Bulgaria

Уебсайт: https://www.wwf.bg/

Имейл: office@wwf.bg