For the very first time, WWF Adria in Croatia filmed Mura, Drava and Danube within the area of the so-called "Amazon of Europe” by using a modern 360° camera, which was lend to WWF by Samsung. The video was made in order to gain information about state of the three rivers, which is vital for their conservation.

"This is such a beautiful area - even without binoculars it is very easy to spot an eagle soaring high up in the sky", said Peter Boić Petrac from WWF Adria.

Boić Petrac explained that they have decided to carry out the filming in order to have a video which could also be used to demonstrate the beauty of the landscape to European Commission and other potential donors, so they can see why this area was nicknamed the “Amazon of Europe”.  

This video will be used to see the status of all three rivers and we will be able to spot changes along the rivers, and also if there are any irregularities. The video will be placed on 3 WWF websites and it will also be offered to the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection.
Petra Boić Petrač said that it would be good to repeat this filming in about 2 years’ time to see what has happened in the meantime and in addition it  would be great to have such videos of all Croatian rivers.

According to Ms Boić Petrac, WWF knows about the quality of Croatian rivers, as well as their great biodiversity, and this video will provide an additional lobbying tool to fight for natural rivers. Furthermore, Croatian rivers have a great potential for sustainable tourism.

Two Croatian river experts were involved in the filming process: biologist and travel writer Goran Šafarek and civil engineer, Tomislav Šolić, who are also co-authors of the book "Croatian Rivers". In addition to the river experts, Dr. Michel Jelic who is also a biologist, as well as an expert on fish, otters and crabs was also part of the team. Dr Jelic is a professor at the Faculty of Science, Biology Department, in Zagreb. Šafarek said that they were an amazing team who shared great knowledge about rivers and their wildlife.

"The biggest part of filming was done from a canoe, even though it is much slower than a motorboat, but that way we actually had a chance to experience those beautiful rivers and their surrounding forests. Only at the final stage – while filming the Danube – we decided to use a motorboat, which was mainly due to the size of the river, as it is easier to travel in a motorboat along the Danube", said Šafarek.

He pointed out that the whole trip was beautiful, they enjoyed sleeping in tents, but also stayed over at an Eco-centre Zlatna Greda and at the Public Institution for Nature Protection in Noskovačka Dubrava.  

Šafarek gained a lot of experiences on Croatian rivers and around the world, but he loves to kayak along Drava with its beautiful sandbanks, unfortunately they couldn’t see any during their trip due to very high water levels.

"This beautiful, free flowing river has, with the exception of Osijek and some small villages, many vast flood plains and forests along its entire length. At the Nature Park Kopacki Rit, one can see or hear deer, see large bee-eater flocks, swallows and other birds and one gets the impression to be somewhere in the Amazonian jungle, Africa or Southeast Asia and not in Europe", he noted.