The lower Danube green corridor project is a collaboration between Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova to create a green corridor along the entire 1,000+ km stretch of the lower Danube river in order to reduce the risk of major flooding events and bolster local economies.

Nature-based Intervention:

The lower Danube green corridor project was formed as an agreement between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova to restore 224,000 hectares of floodplain as part of a broader green corridor which would include a preserved area of 935,000 hectares along the lower Danube river. As of 2020, more than 60,000 hectares of floodplains have been restored. Alongside this restoration there have been dike removals along the river to allow for it to resume its natural flow patterns and causing over 750 hectares of land to naturally return to a flooded state. Invasive plants were also an issue along the river, so investments were made to clear these plants and traditional cattle breeds were brought in to graze the invasive plants. Native vegetation was also planted along the corridor with tens of thousands of native trees planted along the river and areas created for natural forest regeneration.

Overview of context and outcomes:

The lower Danube river is an important regional river which has faced large scale degradation over the last century. The river had been cut-off from three quarters of its natural floodplains due to the construction of dikes which has lead to large changes in its flow course. This puts the region at greater risk as it is highly prone to flooding and this is likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Gravel extraction, dredging and dams construction along the river has also lead to lower water tables in nearby agricultural lands and the erosion of the riverbed. The river has also experienced high levels of eutrophication due to agricultural run-off.