Preserving the valuable transboundary ecosystem requires wise conservation efforts.
The Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve combines the cluster of thirteen protected areas along the Mura-Drava-Danube region and jointly manage the shared river ecosystem in a sustainable manner while boosting economic growth and development in the region.
The Biosphere Reserve concept defines about 300,000 hectares of core and buffer zones (existing protected area network) and around 700,000 hectares of transition zones. The core zone is the ecological backbone of the reserve. It primarily covers the river and floodplains areas which are mostly situated within flood control dikes.
The goals and measures in the core zone are pre-dominantly focused on the preservation of natural habitats, species and processes as well as the restoration of already degraded areas. The buffer zone extends along the rivers outside the inundation zone. It is characterised by a mosaic of cultivated land and village areas and also contains some smaller detached zones like oxbow lakes, fish ponds and small wetlands. Extensive agriculture such as cattle grazing, hay making, organic production, local products marketing and ecotourism are some of the key activities in this area. The outer transition zone provides regional economical and scientific support to the buffer zone. The majority of towns and universities are situated within this area.
Green light for the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
In order to preserve the Mura-Drava-Danube area, WWF, EuroNatur and their conservation partners and alliances have endeavoured to form a Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube” (TBR MDD). On March 2011, in the Hungarian town of Gödöllő, near Budapest, in an act of great environmental leadership and transboundary cooperation, the Ministers responsible for environment and nature conservation of Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia signed a joint declaration to establish the reserve. The joint declaration (Ministerial Declaration TBR MDD) was founded in the preliminary bilateral agreement between Croatia and Hungary from 2009. The world’s first 5-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube has been designated by UNESCO on the 15th of September 2021.
