Establishing, testing and launching a transboundary system for Monitoring Sturgeons, to manage and safeguard migratory fish in the Danube River Basin

 

MONSTUR IN THE DANUBE

STURGEONS, the most endangered group of species worldwide, are facing a perilous situation in Europe. Two out of the six native species of the Danube River Basin (DRB) have already vanished, and the remaining populations are close to extinction. These migratory species find their ecological corridors severed by multiple barriers. Human interventions - such as hydropower, sediment extraction, navigation, river channelisation, bycatch and illegal fishing - are exerting severe pressure on habitats and populations, calling for immediate, coordinated actions. The current monitoring and data management practices are far from ideal. Data is scattered among countries, project partnerships or single research institutions, leading to inaccessibility and incompatibility. This hampers the assessment of the status of populations and their critical life-cycle habitats. For transboundary migratory species, such information must be assessed on the level of basin-wide populations for proper conservation measures.

MonStur in the Danube addresses this urgent situation by:

  • Developing a common monitoring system that harmonizes methodology and establishes shared databases for populations and habitats across countries
  • Mapping critical habitats from Germany to the Black Sea 
  • Testing joint techniques like eDNA sampling, side scan sonar and telemetry 
  • Providing national and EU policy makers with scientific evidence and shared recommendations
  • Raising public awareness and involving local authorities and communities in sturgeon protection

The project builds on previous efforts - such as the MEASURES project- and will contribute directly to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons (PANEUAP), and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

©George Caracas/WWF-Romania

MonStur in the Danube Specific Objectives

  • Build a joint, transnational sturgeon monitoring system, facilitate expert and data user buy-in
  • Foster shared governance and ensure increased stakeholder cooperation and awareness
  • Applicable monitoring methods, closing knowledge gaps and helping new, targeted conservation measures

 

©George Caracas/WWF-Romania

MonStur in the Danube Targeted Results
  • A sturgeon monitoring system, tested and operational, across the entire Danube Region Basin, integrated into the Transnational Monitoring Network (TMN) of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) consisting of a  common database on sturgeon populations and a habitat inventory, including abiotic parameters and consolidated historical data
  • A transboundary Sturgeon Action Plan for the Middle and Upper Danube for improved cooperation and harmonised conservation actions
  • Public policy recommendations for updating the Danube Basin Management Plan in 2027
  • Joint recommendations for infrastructure planning to reduce the impact of navigation systems and dams
  • Strengthened institutional capacity for over 40 organizations from 12 countries
  • Utilization of project results by national and macro-regional stakeholders, supporting replication and expansion, including in the Black Sea region

ABOUT THE PROJECT 

  • Project title: Establishing, testing and launching a transboundary system for Monitoring Sturgeons, to manage and safeguard migratory fish in the Danube River Basin
  • Project website: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/monstur-in-the-danube 
  • Programme: Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021–2027
  • Programme Priority: A greener, low-carbon Danube Region
  • Duration: 01.04.2025–31.03.2028
  • Total EU contribution: 1.657.573,20 EUR
  • Total budget: 2.071.966,50 EUR
  • Lead partner: Romanian Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forest

Partners

Project partners: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) - Austria, WWF Central and Eastern Europe, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), WWF-Bulgaria, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition – Croatia,  Széchenyi István University – Hungary, Danube Delta National Institute For Research and Development – Romania, WWF Romania Association, University of Belgrade - Institute for Multidisciplinary Research – Serbia, Water Research Institute – Slovakia, Public Union World Wide Fund for Nature Ukraine, Moldova State University.

Associated Strategic Partners: Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management – Austria, Viadonau – Austria, Ministry of the Environment – Czech Republic, Croatian Waters,  Region of Lower Bavaria – Germany, General Water Directorate of Hungary, State Enterprise for Forest Management “Srbijašume” – Serbia, Public Enterprise “Vojvodinašume” Petrovaradin – Serbia, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic, State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic, Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection – Germany, Moldavian Water Agency, Institute for ichthyological and ecological research – Slovenia, The State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Melioration, Fishery and Food Programs, River Administration of the Lower Danube Galati – Romania, Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute – Croatia.

Contact information

Beate Striebel-Greiter, Sturgeon Initiative Lead , WWF Central and Eastern Europe

Email: bstriebel@wwfcee.org

Tel: +43 670 6089660

Find out more about our project – https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/monstur-in-the-danube
This webpage was created within the MonStur in the Danube project, a project under the Interreg Danube Region Programme co-financed by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of WWF-CEE and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

About the Programme
The Interreg Danube Region Programme (DRP) is a transnational funding programme, co-funded by the European Union. We help advance competitiveness and sustainable development of the programme's area through innovation, green transition, social inclusion and better regional governance. 
The MonStur in the Danube project aligns with the objectives of Priority 2 of the Interreg Danube Region Programme – GREEN - A greener, low-carbon Danube Region