News
To celebrate Earth Day, the Danube-Drava National Park Directorate brought communities, conservationists and nature lovers of all ages together for the annual Biosphere Reserve Day in Pécs. Held on 26 April 2025, the event highlighted the UNESCO Five-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube, a shared natural heritage uniting Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.
Organised within the framework of the LIFE RESTORE for MDD project, the event offered a vibrant programme for all ages. Project partners including WWF-Austria, WWF-Hungary, Green Osijek, and the ecological network of Virovitica-Podravina County (JU VP), joined forces to demonstrate the crucial function of floodplain forests in ensuring clean air, healthy soils, and fresh water for millions, and to explain the essential work of all project partners within the biosphere reserve.
In her opening remarks, Lisa Wolf (WWF-Austria and project manager of LIFE RESTORE for MDD) reminded the audience of the importance of these dynamic riverscapes:
‘The floodplain forests along the Mura, Drava, and Danube rivers are not just scenic landscapes – they are living systems that sustain life. It is fantastic that so many of us are here today to celebrate and protect this treasure together.’
The event also featured an award ceremony for the popular children’s drawing contest, ‘The Wildlife of the Floodplain’, with an exhibition of the best entries on display. Hands-on educational activities, nature quizzes, puzzles, 3D-printed animal skulls and composting demonstrations made environmental learning fun for all the family.
As part of the LIFE RESTORE for MDD initiative, the Biosphere Reserve Day in Pécs continues to grow as a meaningful platform for celebrating transboundary cooperation, biodiversity and the shared responsibility of preserving Europe’s last great floodplains. Take a look at the photos below or watch the event highlight here on YouTube.
