Current progress

This is our progress at October 2023:

  • All partners have formed their active working teams;
  • The official kick-off of the LIFE WILDisland project took place on May 10-11th 2022 in Vienna, Austria;
  • All partners have started the planning, preparation and legal permits for their direct conservation measures;
  • The approval plans and documents for the Mouth Ussel project area in Germany have been finalized and submitted by Uniper to the relevant authorities;
  • Uniper completed some obligatory dam rehabilitation works in preparation of the project measures in Ingolstadt, Germany;
  • The technical plans for the largest restoration action below the Abwinden-AstenHydro Power Plant, Austria have been prepared by Verbund and submitted for approval a whole year earlier than originally provided;
  • The detailed geodetic survey and riverbed survey of the Korpádi island and the technical plans required to achieve the water construction permission have been elaborated by Aduvizig and approved in March 2023;
  • The technical plans for forest restoration measures (10x) RO164 island complex, Danube Delta, developed and submitted by Romsilva one year ahead of time;
  • First land purchase of 0.82 ha in the cadastral areas of Sap, Medveďov and Kližská Nemá, Slovakia, BROZ;
  • JP "Vojvodinašume", Serbia purchased a long-arm excavator in July 2023,  which will be used for sediment removal and dredging for the restoration of old side arms and channels in the area of SRP "Gornje Podunavlje";
  • First forest actions have been successfully started by Duna-Ipoly National Park on Tati islands, Hungary, Duna-Drava Nature Park on Debrina islands and Romsilva, Romania on RO164 island complex, Romania;
  • A Cooperation Agreement  was signed with the Lower Prut Natural Reserve in May 2023;
  • The LIFE WILDisland team attended the 14th Conference of the Party of the Ramsar Conventions on Wetlands and started the preparation of the WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative;
  • The future Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative was presented at the "40 Years Ramsar in Austria" celebration held in September 2023;
  • All project partners have started their project site monitoring efforts to assess the hydrological, morphological and biotic impact of the up-coming restoration actions;
  • The firstphase of the survey on the socio-economic effect and perception of wilderness protection along the entire Danube was completed in September 2023;
  • There have been a number of cross-border field visits and experience exchange by the project partners to optimize their own planning and conservation;
  • LIFE WILDisland has been presented on a number of international, national and local conferences, meetings and events;
  • First cross-border WILDisland Festival in Mohács (“Washing the Danube festival”, co-organised with City of Mohács) was jointly organised by Duna-Drava Nature Park, Hungary and Kopacki rit Nature Park, Croatia in July 2022;
  • Second cross-border  WILDisland Annual Meeting and Festival was jointly organised by Fertő-Hanság National Park, Hungary and BROZ, Slovakia in October 2023;
  • First information signboards were installed on site (Donau-Auen National Park, Austrtia) in August 2023;
  • The construction of a 3D installation of Riparian forest habitats  started in the Visitor Center of Persina Nature Park, Bulgaria in August 2023;
  • First publications and promotion materials have been published;

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Milestones and deliverables

Find our milestones and main deliverables and deadlines below, as follows:

Land purchase

Project milestoneDeadlineResponsible beneficiaryStatusComments
Purchase of land for softwood restoration in Slovakia31/12/2023BROZin preparationstarted

Direct conservation measures

Project milestoneDeadlineResponsible beneficiaryStatusComments
Restoration of mouth of Ussel project area completed28/02/2026UNIPER/DWKin progressstarted
Restoration of Ingolstadt project area completed21/12/2024UNIPER/DWKin progressstarted
Restoration of Langau-Abwinden project area completed19/12/2026VHPin progressstarted
     
Restoration of Schwalbeninsel project area completed01/11/2025viadonauin progressstarted
Restoration of Sap project area completed28/02/2026BROZin preparation 
Restoration of Klizska Nema project area completed31/03/2026BROZin preparation 
Restoration of Erebe island project area completed31/12/2025FHNPDin progressstarted
Restoration of Korpádi islands project area completed19/12/2026DDNPDin progressstarted
     
Restoration of RO164, RO86, RO83, RO109, RO43, RO99, RO172 project area completed28/02/2026DDBRA/ROMSILVAin progressstarted
Restoration of RS84 and RS85 project area completed31/03/2026Vsumein preparation 
     
IAS management on Vének islands completed01/01/2027FHNPDin preparation 
Hybrid poplar plantation transfered into 91E0* on Táti island completed31/12/2026DINPIin progressstarted
Management of IAS on 56 ha on Táti island completed01/03/2027DINPIin progressstarted
Restoration (natural rejuvenation) on Debrina island finalized31/12/2026DDNPDin progressstarted
44 ha softwood forests restored on RS8530/12/2025Vsumein preparation 
Persin island forest restoration finalized31/12/2025PNPDin preparation 
IAS management on island in the Danube Delta finalized30/09/2026DDBRAin preparation 
     
Application Document for the Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative submitted31/12/2023NPDAcompletedstarted
Experience exchange: capitalization with RRI Carpathian Wetlands Initiative31/12/2023NPDAcompleted 
Experience exchange and know-how transfer: capitalization with RRI BlackSeaWet31/12/2023NPDAin progress 
Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative office established30/06/2024NPDAin preparation 
Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative officially adopted31/08/2027NPDAin preparation 
feasibility concept for Mulitlateral WILDisland Ramsar Site developed31/08/2027NPDAin preparation 
Enlargement of (strictly) protection on min. 3 islands and 196,7 ha completed31/08/2027NPDAin preparation 
Min 40 WILDislands (min. 400 ha) designated as WILDislands31/08/2027NPDAin preparation 

Monitoring measures

Project milestoneDeadlineResponsible beneficiaryStatusComments
Final Reports of the project impact on Biota31/08/2027all partnerspending 
Final Reports of the project impact on Hydrology31/08/2027all partnerspending 
Final Reports of the project impact on Morphology31/08/2027all partnerspending 
     
Scientific report on the Socio-economic effect of wilderness protection along the Danube (baseline survey)01/09/2026JUUP KRpending 
Restoration of Sap project area completed28/02/2026BROZpending 
Scientific report on the Socio-economic effect of wilderness protection along the Danube (final report)31/08/2027JUUP KRpending 

Dissemination, communication and networking

Project milestoneDeadlineResponsible beneficiaryStatusComments
project brochure Danube Inside31/12/2022NPDAcompletedsee here
info boards on project sites installed31/12/2024all partnersin progressstarted
WILDisland video clip31/12/2025DINPIpending 
Nature trail Nagyszentjános near Erebe islands opened31/12/2025FHNPDpending 
WILDisland book published30/06/2026 pending 
3D installation of Riparian forest habitats in PNPD visitor center opened30/09/2026PNPDAin progressstarted
     
LIFE WILDisland kick-off conference (Vienna)27/11/2021NPDAcompletedsee here
WILDisland festival (Mohacs)25/06/2022DDNPDcompletedsee here
LIFE WILDisland public event (Bratislava)27/05/2023BROZcompletedsee here
LIFE WILDisland public event (Tulcea)15/06/2024DDBRApending 
LIFE WILDisland public event (Belene)30/05/2025PNPDpending 
LIFE WILDisland public event (Belgrade)28/05/2026Vsumepending 
LIFE WILDisland final conference and public event (Budapest, Dömös)30/06/2027DINPIpending 
     
Action Plan for the cooperation ADC Net with focus on riverine habitats updated31/08/2027NPDApending 
concept note for follow-up actions at partner rivers (Rhine, Sava, Prut) developed31/08/2027NPDApending 
WILDisland photo exhibition (addressing Bularian Ramsar sites) set up31/08/2027PNPDpending 
WILDisland policy strategy developed31/08/2027NPDApending