Novi Sad, Serbia - WWF and Serbia’s forest Public Enterprise (PE) Vojvodinašume signed a memorandum to continue their long-standing cooperation on nature protection for an indefinite period.

The focus of the partnership in 2015 and 2016 will be on restoring 3 wetlands in the Special Nature Reserve ”Gornje Podunavlje” – Semenjača, Štrbac and Bestrement.  The work is part of WWF’s Living Danube Partnership with The Coca-Cola Company which will bring back 12 million m3 of freshwater to the Danube. WWF and Vojvodinašume will also cooperate on forest management, public awareness and tourism.

In the past, the Special Nature Reserve ”Gornje Podunavlje”, which is part of the future UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Mura-Drava-Danube” (the so-called Amazon of Europe), was once a very important reproduction and migration stop-over site for 700 pairs of herons and other rare and endangered birds. This changed after the area dried out as it was disconnected from the Danube with dykes and became almost totally overgrown by reeds and willows. The restoration will improve the water regime of the area throughout the year. This will be done by reconstructing existing irrigation channels.

Next to restoring the three wetlands - Semenjača, Štrbac and Bestrement - the partnership will furthermore revitalise the mosaic of natural habitats (wet meadows and shallow ponds) and seek new opportunities for local sustainable ecotourism, particularly bird watching, hiking and nature photography.  In turn, sustainable tourism would bring economic benefits for local communities.

WWF and PE Vojvodinašume have worked together since 2011, mainly on wetland restoration in the Amazon of Europe, which they later nominated for the future UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Mura-Drava-Danube” together with other partners, as well as the WWF Dinaric Arcs Parks initiative – a network of protected areas and eco corridors in 7 countries in southeastern Europe.

In 2014, PE Vojvodinasume’s support for the Dinaric Arcs Parks helped to put “Gornje Podunavlje” on the list of Europe’s most prestigious protected areas. The manager of the reserve, PE Vojvodinašume received the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism at the European Parliament.

“We firmly believe that new ideas and projects will bring equally good results,” said Marta Takac, PE Vojvodinašume director.

“The cooperation between PE Vojvodinašume and WWF will not only bring multiple benefits for nature and freshwater ecosystems, but also for the people dependent on these ecosystems, such as fresh water, floods mitigation and ecotourism,” said the Director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme Andreas Beckmann.