November the 19th, 2020 – NP Kopacki rit is known for its beauty and natural wealth, and the birds who already live there are set to find additional reasons to continue to remain as hundreds of species will be totally protected within the park’s safe zone.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/HEP writes, NP Kopacki rit is one of the largest wetlands in all of Europe and already very widely known for its bird population. It is also known as a bird’s paradise because, acting as a natural triangle of the Danube and Drava rivers, it is a shelter for hundreds of bird species. It is home to as many as 300 different species of birds, which makes up 80 percent of the species recorded in the ornithofauna of all of Croatia.
More than 140 species are regular or occasional nesting birds at NP Kopacki rit. Of particular interest are those that nest in large colonies, such as the gray heron and the majestic river gull. During the spring and autumn migration periods, NP Kopacki rit acts as an important resting place for many wetland birds, and the largest population of woodpeckers in the entire Danube basin nests there.
Given the current climate and environmental crisis, the protection of wildlife on our planet has become more important than ever before. One of the biggest threats to wild bird species is collisions when in flight with power lines that cause thousands of deaths and injuries to birds each year, all of which can be avoided by applying protective measures. In order to protect Croatia’s many birds, the “LIFE Danube Free Sky” project was launched, which addresses these threats and is a unique example of broad transnational cooperation along one of the most important migration corridors and wintering grounds for many bird species in Europe – the Danube.
Namely, bird mortality caused by interaction with transmission lines and other power facilities has been documented for over 380 bird species. In the area covered by the project “LIFE Danube Free Sky” there are about 2074 km of overhead transmission lines which are very dangerous to birds. This range of transmission lines poses a serious and significant threat to the wintering and reproduction of the population of 12 target species. By installing bird flight diversions on transmission line conductors and isolating dangerous transmission line poles in 23 special protection areas, as well as across nine important areas for birds, the project will prevent the death or injury of about 2,000 target species (and many more species) from collisions with transmission lines each year.
The project officially started on September the 1st, 2020, and funding from the European Union’s LIFE programme has been approved. During the planned five years of project implementation, 15 partners from seven countries will develop strong cooperation and implement the most effective solutions to prevent these existential threats to birds. After this period, the application of protective measures on transmission lines will increase the visibility of bird guides to more than 245 km of sections of the highest priority transmission lines. On top of all of that, more than 3,200 of the most dangerous transmission line poles within the project area will be adapted to ensure bird safety.
With the completion of this project, NP Kopacki rit, as the largest inland Danube delta and the place where this mighty river shares its power with lakes, ponds, ridges and marshes, will become an even safer place for hundreds of fantastic bird species.
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