Following a new regulation plan of the Croatian Ministry responsible for Water Management (MRDFWM) twelve concerned NGOs call upon the European Commission to finally STOP further Drava destruction.

Recently, the MRDFWM has issued an extensive plan for further regulation of 56 km of the lower course of the ecological important Drava River. According to the plan the natural river course should be fixed (by embankments, groins and by cutting off natural river banks) and the natural river dynamics of the lower Drava stopped.

This new attempt clearly indicates once again the ministries ongoing resistance to comply with EU environmental law and it is against the recent agreement of the new Croatian government to protect the Drava as a “Regional Park”.

See Open complaint to the European Commission and Map.

The programme of the new Croatian government plans to protect the Drava as a Regional Park. On page 32 of the “Programme of the Government of Croatia 2008-11” it says: “- zaštititi rijeke Unu, Muru, Dravu, Mrežnicu, u kategoriji regionalnih parkova – Rok: preventivna zaštita do kraja 2008 godine, konacna zaštita prema zakonskoj obvezi”.

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The decree for preliminary protection of the Danube, Drava and Mura as a “Regional Park”, which was elaborated by the Ministry of Culture and the State Institute for Nature Protection (SINP), has recently been signed by Minister Božo Biškupic.

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This is a very important step to protect more than 250.000 ha of one of Croatia´s and overall Europe´s most valuable river ecosystem as part of the proposed Trans-Boundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Danube-Drava-Mura".

The State Institute for Nature Protection (SINP) has developed a proposal for a national Biosphere Reserve "Danube - Drava - Mura", comprising more than 250.000 ha of natural and cultural landscape along the rivers.

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It seems that the Drava is not allowed to calm down! At the end of September 2007 a new plan for more sand extraction - 800 000 m³ in the next 2-4 years - along the meandering stretch of the lower Drava has been issued by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. The natural Drava River within the planned Regional Park and the Kopacki Rit Nature Park is threatened. The ministries decision is a big scandal! It is against EU environmental law and undermines the plan by the Ministry of Culture to protect the Drava as a Regional Park. As a first reaction eleven international and local NGOs have immediately appealed to Commissioner Stavros Dimas and Commissioner Olli Rehn not to tolerate the ongoing ministries rejection to apply with EU law and to help to stop this plan from being implemented.

See Open letter to the European Commission and Map.

Photo credit (Drava-Danube confluence and Kopacki Rit Nature Park): Mario Romulic (www.romulic.com)

TISKOVNA KONFERENCIJA POVODOM NASTAVKA RADOVA NA UNIŠTAVANJU STANIŠTA ZAŠTIĆENIH PTICA NA RIJECI DRAVI Poštovani, pozivamo vas na tiskovnu konferenciju u petak 21. rujna u 10 sati u Domu mladih, Ulica hrvatske državnosti 10/I u Koprivnici. Povod za konferenciju je nastavak radova na učvršćivanju desne obale rijeke Drave kod mjesta Sigetec, koje se provodi u suprotnosti s nacionalnim i međunarodnim zakonima o okolišu. Radovima se ugrožava opstanak bregunica - zaštićenih ptica i prirodni tok rijeke. Isti je postupak i ranije bio zaustavljen upravo zahvaljujući pritisku javnosti i medija, a Hrvatske vode su kažnjene novčanom kaznom. Ovim nadasve neodgovornim i krajnje drskim ponašanjem uništavaju se posljednje preostale kolonije, a o Hrvatskoj se na međunarodnom nivou stvara ružna slika primitivnog i destruktivnog ponašanja. Uz sve to zbog nepoštivanja konvencija i direktiva kojih smo potpisnici, prijete nam i međunarodne sankcije. Konferenciji će uz predstavnike Dravske lige i međunarodne mreže udruga Spasimo Dravu nazočiti i predstavnici Državnog zavoda za zaštitu prirode te Hrvatskog ornitološkog društva Nakon konferencije predviđen je obilazak terena. Srdačan pozdrav, Ivan Darko Grlica, v.r.