Apatin, 28 September – President of the AP Vojvodina Assembly, dr Juhász Bálint, and President of the Provincial Government, Maja Gojković, attended a ceremony in Apatin today marking 25 years since the Upper Danube was officially designated as a Special Nature Reserve.
The ceremony was organised by the Public Company “Vojvodinašume”, which manages the protected area. Speaking at the event, president Juhász noted that efforts to protect the Upper Danube had begun well before the reserve was formally established 25 years ago, since the forests around Monoštor, as well as the habitats of the White-tailed Eagle and Black Stork, had been under protection since 1955.
“Nature cannot be protected in the short term. Protection is passed down from generation to generation,” Juhász said.
He pointed out that the Upper Danube encompassed nearly 20,000 hectares along the Danube River in the municipalities of Sombor and Apatin, making it one of Serbia’s most important remaining wetland and forest ecosystems.
“For this reason, the AP Vojvodina Assembly adopted a decision last year to prepare a new Spatial Plan for the Special-Purpose Area covering the Upper Danube Special Nature Reserve. Decisions such as these define the point at which the interests of the present give way to our responsibility to the future,” Juhász stated and stressed that nature conservation did not mean putting development on hold, but rather pursuing development in a way that ensures natural values were preserved for generations to come.
“The Upper Danube is not a heritage to be consumed. It is a heritage we should protect and enhance its value for those who come after us,” Juhász added.
Maja Gojković, President of the Provincial Government, said that the Provincial Government was continuously investing in the protection and improvement of natural assets, supporting the management of protected areas, preserving biodiversity, restoring and revitalising natural habitats and promoting education and public awareness of the importance of nature conservation.
“The Upper Danube is particularly valuable in this respect. This area forms part of the wider natural system of the Danube and one of Europe’s most important biodiversity corridors,” Gojković said.
Kókai Roland, Director of PC “Vojvodinašume”, said that 25 years of protection of the Upper Danube Special Nature Reserve represented a major milestone and is of exceptional importance to the company, because it reflected the considerable investment and efforts made by the company, as well as by local, provincial and national institutions.
Since 2017, the Upper Danube has been part of the UNESCO “Bačka Upper Danube” (“Bačko Podunavlje”) Biosphere Reserve. Since 2021, it has also been included in the transboundary UNESCO Mura–Drava–Danube Biosphere Reserve, which brings together protected areas in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.