RomânăThe first meeting with representatives and communities from a similar area implied an exchange with the National Park Donau-Auen, in Austria. This national park is located between Wien and Bratislava and protects one of the last remaining major wetland in central Europe. The rise and fall of the Danube (up to 7 meters), constantly reshapes and recreates the wetland and forms favorable habitats for a great variety of animals and plants.
The local community of Harman traveled to Orth an der Donau between the 30th of May and 2nd of June, together with the experts of the project. The first day, the administrators of the park presented them the informative center and the innovative methods used to educate children and local communities about the benefits of nature conservation. The problems and threats faced because of the proximity of the urban area and its constant expansion were also tackled. Suggestions about how the communities can deal with similar issues were made, as our project area faces the same pressures of urbanization, being located near the city of Brasov. The second day was devoted to the actual visit of the park. A boat trip on the Danube was an interactive method to present us the species, habitats and visitation infrastructure of the park.
The visit had a great impact on both the representatives of the local community and the project specialists. The first had the chance to see how an effective management of a wetland is undertaken abroad and how it can bring advantages for the local community. The experts had the opportunity to exchange information on habitat improvement, species management and administrative issues.
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