Don’t lose Europe’s unique biodiversity backbone.

The Danube River Delta is home to a rich and diverse range of species and ecosystems.  Its ongoing protection is vital to the health of European biodiversity, particularly at-risk species like the Danube sturgeon and the White-tailed Eagle, the largest Eagle in Europe.

To mark the occasion of the International Day of Biodiversity, 22 May 2011, we are offering a fully edited, 13-minute mini-documentary showcasing both the thriving and threatened wildlife along Europe’s ‘biodiversity backbone’: the River Danube.

The European Commission recently adopted its Biodiversity Strategy 2020, committing to stop the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020. The strategy is a crucial pillar to the EU’s efforts to preserve and conserve Europe’s natural environment and endangered species over the next decade.

Currently, one in four species are threatened with extinction and, despite many recent restrictions and quotas, almost 90 per cent of Europe’s fish are depleted through over-exploitation.

The Video News Release highlights some of the extraordinary wildlife found in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, the beautiful and highly-protected site in Romania where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. Wildlife such as the white-tailed eagle, a voracious predator filmed toying with a group of gulls. Or the strange and elegant Danube Beluga sturgeon, a creature whose origins date back 200 million years, which now finds itself struggling for survival.

For 150 years the river has been an important trade channel, first linking Europe’s markets with markets in the Ottoman empire and the Middle East. As many European countries emerge from recession today, it is clear that the river still serves important economic interests.

The film visits some European Union-backed projects in the upper stretch of the Danube that are helping to restore the river’s natural banks and natural flow after 19th century navigation works. The film also tackles some key questions about the balance of trade and renewable energies, for example: how do we strike a balance between these seemingly contradictory forces?