From 13 to 15 October 2025, seven partners of the LIFE WILDisland project from Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania gathered at Lonjsko Polje Nature Park in Croatia – one of the largest and best-preserved floodplain areas in the entire Danube River Basin.
The three-day meeting offered an inspiring setting to exchange experience on flood protection, water retention and forest management, as well as to discuss the shared challenges of conserving highly modified and intensively used river systems.
The visit also fostered stronger ties with six members of the SavaParks Network from Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – a valuable step in linking conservation efforts across the Danube and Sava river corridors.
During the first day, partners presented the WILDisland concept and the ongoing restoration measures implemented along the Danube. The DANUBEPARKS Network introduced its current projects, including DANUBE4all, DANUBEdragonCONSERVATION, and the Citizen Science initiativesPersina4Danube and Osijek-Baranja Citizen Science Hub, as well as the recently established Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative.
A field excursion on the second day offered participants first-hand insights into extensive grazing systems and traditional farming practices that successfully complement conservation management in Lonjsko Polje. The group also explored the Park’s unique hydrological system, where regular natural flooding continues to shape the dynamic mosaic of meadows, forests, and wetlands – a living example of harmony between people and nature. We visited the Lonja River and had a boat trip along the Strug, where natural flooding takes place.
The LIFE WILDisland team extends sincere thanks to the colleagues from Lonjsko Polje Nature Park for their warm hospitality and for sharing their long-standing expertise in managing one of Europe’s most valuable wetland ecosystems.
