At DANUBE4all, part of addressing the big challenges and threats to our Danube ecosystems means highlighting and educating around the pressures facing some of the river's littlest inhabitants.
To this end, a team of scientists, researchers and designers have been working on the Danube Dragon Travelling Exhibition, which tells the story of the Danube Crested Newt (Latin - Triturus dobrogicus) or the 'Danube Dragon', as it is fondly known. This charismatic and resiliant little creature is a flagship species for habitat restoration and ecological connectivity; therefore its declining numbers, mainly due to habitat loss, are of growing concern to ecologists.
The exhibition was designed and first exhibited in the Donau-Auen National Park in Austria, after which it traveled to Germany (Passau, Ingolstadt, Neuburg) and Croatia (Kopački rit Nature Park). June heralded its arrival in Serbia, where it was officially launched at the DANUBE4all Second General Assembly, before moving onto the "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden in Belgrade from the 11-14 June.
Photos courtesy of Marija Smederevac-Lalić, IMSI
Throughout the storyboards and images, vistors will gain insight into the ecology and behavior of this vulnerable species, as well as other amphibians, and learn how we can better protect and conserve them.
In tandem with the exhibition, our DANUBE4all partner DANUBEPARKS has started the Danube Dragon Conservation project. Within this project, concrete conservation measures will be implemented in 6 Protected Areas along the Danube River: Persina Nature Park (Bulgaria), Koviljsko-petrovaradinski rit and Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve (Serbia), Kopački rit Nature Park (Croatia), Duna-Drava National Park (Hungary), Dunajské luhy Protected Landscape Area (Slovakia).
The latest venue in Serbia is the Djerdap National Park Visitor Center, where the exhibition will remain for a period before moving on to Bulgaria and Romania over the summer and autumn.
Check out some regional coverage on the exhibition!
A special report on the exhibition also featured on the Serbian N1 news channel!