Search Results

The Danube and its tributaries host a variety of fascinating and diverse ecological territories with many unique plants and animals. The rich and unique biodiversity and riverine habitats have been under severe pressure due to human activities for centuries. However, today the protection of environment and biodiversity is on the political agenda of the different Danubian States.

The status of waters of the Danube River Basin is largely influenced by inputs of pollutants, particularly organic material, nutrients, hazardous substances and plastics. The ICPDR regularly updates specific emission inventories addressing both point source and diffuse emissions. The ICPDR also develops policy guidance documents providing recommendations for Danube countries on how to address pollution problems and the measures that need to be implemented in order to reduce emissions. In addition, the ICPDR supports capacity building activities on issues related to pollution control.

Many people consider droughts to be rare, but in fact they are a normal and recurrent feature of the climate. Drought events are regional phenomena, affecting transnational water management. Unfortunately, droughts have a high damage potential: economic losses, ecological damages, and implications on human health.

19 countries share the Danube River Basin, which makes it the world’s most international river basin. 79 million people of different cultures and languages call the Danube Basin their home. For centuries they have been interconnected through the widely ramified water system of the Danube. All countries sharing over 2,000 km² of the Danube River Basin, as well as the European Union, are contracting parties of the ICPDR.

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) works to ensure the sustainable and equitable use of waters in the Danube River Basin. The work of the ICPDR is based on the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC), the major legal instrument for cooperation and transboundary water management in the Danube River Basin.