Current progress

This is our progress at December 2022:

  • All partners have formed their active working teams;
  • The official kick-off of the LIFE WILDisland project took place on May 10-11th 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;
  • The technical plans for the largest restoration action below the Abwinden-Asten  Hydro 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;
  • The technical plans for forest restoration measures (10x) RO164 island complex, Danube Delta, developed and submitted by Romsilva one year ahead of time, so preparatory on-site activities (removal and destruction of stumps and invasive alien vegetation, ploughing, disking) have already been started;
  • First land purchase of 0.82 ha in the cadastral areas of Sap, Medveďov and Kližská Nemá, Slovakia, BROZ;
  • First forest actions have been successfully started by Duna-Ipoly National Park on Tati islands, Hungary and by Duna-Drava Nature Park on Debrina islands;
  • The LIFE WILDisland team has attended the 14th Conference of the Party of the Ramsar Conventions on Wetlands and has started the preparation of the WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative;
  • All project partners have started developing their project site monitoring strategies to assess the hydrological, morphological and biotic impact of the up-coming restoration actions;
  • A questionnaire to assess the socio-economic effect and perception of wilderness protection along the entire Danube has been set up and the survey will be launched in the spring of 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;
  • First publications and promotion materials have been published;

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned, we have just started...

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 preparationstarted
Restoration of Ingolstadt project area completed21/12/2024UNIPER/DWKin preparation 
Restoration of Langau-Abwinden project area completed19/12/2026VHPin preparationstarted
     
Restoration of Schwalbeninsel project area completed01/11/2025viadonauin preparationstarted
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 preparationstarted
Restoration of Korpádi islands project area completed19/12/2026DDNPDin preparationstarted
     
Restoration of RO164, RO86, RO83, RO109, RO43, RO99, RO172 project area completed28/02/2026DDBRA/ROMSILVAin preparation 
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 preparationstarted
Management of IAS on 56 ha on Táti island completed01/03/2027DINPIin preparation 
Restoration (natural rejuvenation) on Debrina island finalized31/12/2026DDNPDin preparationstarted
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 submitted31/12/2023NPDAin preparationstarted
Experience exchange: capitalization with RRI Carpathian Wetlands Initiative31/12/2023NPDAin preparation 
Experience exchange and know-how transfer: capitalization with RRI BlackSeaWet31/12/2023NPDAin preparation 
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 partnersin preparation 
Final Reports of the project impact on Hydrology31/08/2027all partnersin preparation 
Final Reports of the project impact on Morphology31/08/2027all partnersin preparation 
     
Scientific report on the Socio-economic effect of wilderness protection along the Danube (baseline survey)01/09/2026JUUP KRin preparation 
Restoration of Sap project area completed28/02/2026BROZin preparation 
Scientific report on the Socio-economic effect of wilderness protection along the Danube (final report)31/08/2027JUUP KRin preparation 

Dissemination, communication and networking

Project milestoneDeadlineResponsible beneficiaryStatusComments
project brochure Danube Inside31/12/2022NPDAcompletedsee here
info boards on project sites installed31/12/2024all partnersin preparation 
WILDisland video clip31/12/2025DINPIin preparation 
Nature trail Nagyszentjános near Erebe islands opened31/12/2025FHNPDin preparation 
WILDisland book published30/06/2026 in preparation 
3D installation of Riparian forest habitats in PNPD visitor center opened30/09/2026PNPDAin preparation 
     
LIFE WILDisland kick-off conference (Vienna)27/11/2021NPDAcompletedsee here
WILDisland festival (Mohacs)25/06/2022DDNPDcompletedsee here
LIFE WILDisland public event (Bratislava)27/05/2023BROZpending 
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