The annual platform meeting of the Austrian LIFE projects took place in September 8-9th in Krems, Austria, hosted by the LIFE Blue Belt and LIFE Auenwildnis Wachau projects.
The event gathered a total of 12 Nature and Biodiversity, Climate Change Adaptation, Integrated, Environmental Governance and Information and Clean Energy Technologies projects on a common table to present their goals and actions, learn from each other and exchange ideas and contacts. Among them, the LIFE WILDisland project was also presented.
The meeting was co-hosted and attended by representatives of the Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management, the Austrian waterway authority verbund and Austria's largest electricity provider Verbund.
Both companies are partners of the LIFE WILDisland project and presented their current experience with a number of exciting conservation projects.
Among the other participants were representatives of the Austrian research promoting agency FFG, the company doing the monitoring and communication of LIFE projects NEEMO, as well as the NÖ Landesfischereiverband.
Following the presentations, the group managed to visit the LIFE Auenwildnis Wachau project site at Dürrenstein, as well as the new fish pass, constructed within the LIFE Network Danube Plus project at Altenwörth. It was really exciting to see what our colleagues there have done in order to improve the hydrological regime and revitalize the old meanders in a heavily used narrow territory as well as provide additional shelter and opportunities for fishes to finally move upstream.
We are very grateful to the organizers for the chance to present our work, meet our colleagues and exchange experience and ideas.
