Facts & Figures More about the Value of the Danube
Some 20 million people depend directly on the basin as a source of clean drinking water. The WWF Green Danube Initiative focused its efforts on halting the destruction of the Danube ecosystem.
The Danube is an international waterway running 2,414 km from Bavaria to the Danube Delta. It is part of the Rhine-Main-Danube link between the North Sea and Black Sea. The Danube River Basin is the most international river basin in the world, draining the lands of 17 countries and home to 80 million people. Flowing from Germany’s Black Forest, past the capitals of Vienna and Budapest, down to the Black Sea delta in Romania and Ukraine, the Danube River is Europe’s second-largest river. The world-famous delta harbours the largest reed system in the world, providing breeding, resting and feeding grounds for more than 300 bird species.
A large part of the Danube’s catchment area is situated in the Carpathian mountains. Covering an area of more than 200,000 square kilometres, the Carpathians are of exceptional natural value.
The Danube has been historically threatened by human activity – dam-building and unsustainable land-use have altered and damaged its natural flow; pollution from industry and agriculture have degraded it. The Green Danube Initiative, launched by WWF in 1992, focused its efforts on halting the destruction of the Danube ecosystem, restoring damaged wetlands and reducing everyday pollution through sustainable use and wise management of resources. (WWF / January 2002)
Information & Contact:
WWF Danube-Carpathian Office Ottakringer Straße 114 1160 Vienna Austria Phone +43/1 488 17 257 Fax +43/1 488 17 276
