WWF and NGO “Moja Mura” organized a film evening for more than 70 friends of the Mura River at the Castle in Murska Sobota. Two films were shown: “Descent on the Mura” by Boris Kočevar which showed the extraordinary natural resources of the Mura; and “Resistance on the Danube” by Robert Epple, which showed the difficult struggle against the construction of hydropower dams in Austria. The event was opened by Murska Sobota’s Mayor Mr Alexander Jevšek and attended by representatives of the movement for the preservation of the Mura from Austria, Croatia and Hungary.

The free flowing Mura in Slovenia is threatened by plans to build eight hydropower dams. The Slovenian government will soon decide on the construction of the first dam at Hrastje-Mota, which would be a “door opener” for a further seven dams. Therefore, WWF and NGO “Moja Mura” launched  the “Save the Mura” Campaign, which now continues with a tour of film evenings around the Pomurje region. By doing so, also residents of small towns and villages will be informed about the consequences of hydropower dam construction on the Mura.

"Mura is the last large Slovenian lowland river which is not dammed by hydropower plants. This is reflected in its exceptional biodiversity, as it hosts the largest number of fish species in Slovenia. Mura is also part of a future UNESCO Biosphere reserve Mura-Drava-Danube, a 700 kilometres long ‘green belt’, connecting more than 1.000.000 hectares of highly valuable natural and cultural landscapes, as well as 15 Natura 2000 sites in five countries," said Andreja Slameršek, coordinator of the “Save the Mura” Campaign at WWF.

The area, which is rightly called the European Amazon, can have a major contribution to the economic development of Pomurje, in particular with the development of tourism, which is one of the fastest growing industries in Slovenia and the world.

"Slovenia does not need new hydropower plants, as the solution to the energy balance is in the efficient use of energy, i.e. in negawatts instead of megawatts. The destruction of rivers and the production of electricity for the sake of profits is in the contradiction with the principles of sustainable development, as well as EU regulations. We want to let the responsible politicians and energy companies know that the Mura is not up for sale. Hands off our Mura and the region," warned Stojan Habjanič from the association “Moja Mura”.

A veteran of the fight for a free flowing Mura from the 80s and the leader of the band Orlek, Mr Vlado Poredoš, also joined the film evening: "The protest against the construction of hydropower plants on the Mura River in 1986 succeeded because environmentalists from Pomurje managed to convince the communist authorities that a construction will do irreparable harm to the environment. Common sense prevailed and the government has waived the intentions. I never thought that I would have to get back to the barricades 30 years later and again fight for our Mura and against the interests of capital and lobbies."

At the film event, the participants were addressed by Dr. Bernard Lötsch, an Austrian biologist, who was one of the main leaders in the fight against dams along the Danube in Hainburg. Dr Lötsch furthermore was one of the leaders establishment of the National Park Danube: “Our rivers have already suffered enough. Too many of them are already destroyed and transformed into lifeless canals. The hydropower lobby cleverly uses the climate protection argument as an excuse for their commercial interests. The Mura between Spielfeld and the Drava is one of the last remaining natural rivers in Europe. It flows like a transnational organism and such beauty and dignity must not be destroyed! CO2 must be reduced where it is emitted, instead of the sacrificing pristine natural areas with such false arguments!"

At the end of the film screening, all participants signed a Mura pledge "No büjrajte mi Muro", in which they pledged to fight for the Mura to remain free flowing without hydropower dams.

The film evening closed with a concert of the Jazz duo (Marjan Farič and Dejan Berden) and a relaxed get-together with food and drink prepared by the chef Bostjan Lačen.