Fitting the river to the ships
© WWF-DCP
Dredging, diking and damming
A string of planned and ongoing river regulation projects promoted by the EU and national governments seek to dredge, dike and dam the Danube on well over 1000 km of its length, threatening to destroy the river's most valuable remaining natural areas and many of the benefits and services that the river provides.
Planned and ongoing river modification projects include:
EU TEN-T "Corridor No. VII". The EU is seeking to develop the Danube as a priority transport corridor as part of the Trans-European Network for Transportation. But current EU plans for developing this transportation corridor could destroy up to 1000 km of the Danube's most valuable areas.
Germany: Straubing-Vilshofen section. Current plans for building dams to regulate the Danube between Straubing and Vilshofen would have disastrous consequences for this last free-flowing stretch of the river in Germany.
Austria: Vienna-Bratislava section. Plans to deepen the channel for navigation through the Danube Floodplain National Park could have a "domino effect" on the entire Danube.
Hungary: Virtually the entire Hungarian stretch of the Danube is to be regulated, threatening a string of valuable nature areas including Ipoly National Park as well as drinking water for millions.
Bulgarian-Romanian section. Navigation projects threaten the entire section of the Lower Danube between Bulgaria and Romania, one of the most valuable stretches of the river.
Romania: Calarasi-Braile section. An EU-funded project is now moving forward that promises to cut off 90% of migration routes of Danube sturgeon, which is already on the brink of extinction.
Ukraine: Bystroye Canal. The government of Ukraine is constructing the Bystroye Canal through the heart of the Ukrainian Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, an area of global ecological importance.
