Our vision

The Danube is an ecological corridor of European importance. Together with its diverse habitats it forms the green lifeline for biodiversity in Central and South-East Europe.

Along the river course, more than 900 islands cover an area of 138,000 hectares. These sites represent still intact river dynamics; they demonstrate the original beauty of natural rivers, hosting valuable habitats with a unique flora and fauna. They differ strongly in their size, structure and origin, but together they form the Danube Wild Island Habitat Corridor.

147 islands were identified as the most natural islands, representing some of the rare wilderness areas in Europe.

This is how the WILDislands - The Danube Wild Island Habitat Corridor initatiative came to LIFE, in order to:

• strengthen the ecological connectivity along the Danube river;

• preserve the natural wilderness in the heart of Europe;

• promote river dynamics as the key driver for undisturbed nature;

• demonstrate good practice for cross-sector and cross-border cooperation;

3,000 river kilometres, 9 Danube countries, 900 islands – the WILDislands act as stepping stones crossing all borders!

The WILDisland initiative inspired the creation of the LIFE WILDisland project.