The crucial role of wild animals in wetland ecosystems and the services they provide

Today, on the World Danube Day, we would like to share some good news: as a result of the work to reconnect the Danube with the lakes, large amounts of clean water are flowing into Lake Katlabuh for the first time in many years. The Rewilding Ukraine team have been working together with local partners to restore the connectivity of floodplains in the Danube Delta since 2019. By connecting Katlabuh Lake with the Danube River, our latest efforts are a step towards revitalising an entire chain of water bodies, with wide-ranging benefits for nature, local communities and society.

The Danube Delta is one of Europe’s largest and most important wetlands. Efforts by the Rewilding Ukraine team to restore natural water flow here are great news for Dalmatian pelicans and great news for local communities.

Two and a half years ago, 10 obsolete dams and obstacles built in Soviet times were demolished on the Kogilnik, Kagach and Sarata rivers in the upper reaches of the Sasyk Lagoon. The monitoring of the natural system, which is carried out together with the Danube Biosphere Reserve after the restoration of the watercourse, shows that nature is gradually coming back to life.

Dear friends, partners, and supporters, with the year approaching to an end we would like to look back and reflect on some of the major achievements we have made together this year from restoring the swathes of delta landscape, return of the wildlife, and to support of local economies and awareness-raising.

At the beginning of November, the work on restoring the connection of the Staronekrasovsky floodplains in Ukraine with the Danube River was completed. For the first time in many years, the Hromadsky canal has become flowing again, which will bring Staronekrasovsky floodplains back to life. The work, carried out by the Izmail Department of Water Management, Rewilding Ukraine and the Center for Regional Studies, is the first step towards restoring the Lung, Safyany and Katlabuh lakes.

2020 was not an easy year and you have probably also suffered from it in one way or another. The work and lives of our team were disturbed significantly, starting from few team members got sick with the COVID-19 and following the quarantine restrictions such as closed borders, many bureaucratic obstacles, ban on public events like festivals, education campaigns, press-tours and else.