The area of the Mura-Drava Regional Park also represents the core of today's Five-State UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Mura-Drava-Danube". The term "biosphere reserve" does not mean strict protection of the area, but rather the name of an international concept of area management based on the UNESCO program "Man and Biosphere (MAB)".
The Croatian-Hungarian Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve is the second Croatian biosphere reserve (the Velebit mountain became part of this global network back in 1977). Hydrotechnical works related to flood protection, land reclamation and the construction of hydroelectric power plants over the past three centuries have significantly changed and shortened the course of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers, and their floodplains have been limited by embankments. With appropriate management of the basins of these rivers, it is possible to preserve natural values in this area in the future and enable the unhindered implementation of human activities.
In 2012, the Croatian-Hungarian Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve was proclaimed, which was the first step towards establishing a biosphere reserve of the same name, which from 2021, in addition to Croatia and Hungary, will include three more countries (Austria, Slovenia and Serbia), and represents the first biosphere reserve established between five countries in the world.
Gallery of the Forest Park along the Drava River
Dravoznalac