From rivers to lakes, across floodplains, swamps, and marshes, wetlands are crucial for the survival of nature and people. However, we lost a third of the world's wetlands since 1970, and we are currently losing them three times faster than forests.

"Value, manage, restore - love", the theme of this year's World Wetlands Day, draws attention to the importance of wetlands and urges leaders to invest in the protection and restoration of wetlands. Exploitation, devastation and harmful projects must stay in the past, and we must turn to nature-based solutions.

Given the huge number of lost habitats over the past decades, the lifelineMDD project is developing a strategic, integrative approach to restore rivers, but is also introducing pilot revitalization measures that lead to a direct and visible, positive effect on river dynamics and on the different habitats within the UNESCO 5-country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube. However, this largest protected river area in Europe will only be truly protected if we make efforts to establish new mechanisms and change the perspective on wetland management.

That is one of the reasons why the UN declared 2021 as the beginning of the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. It is a global initiative to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems, but also an invitation to all individuals to be part of the generation of renewal, and call to raise their voices for habitats that provide us drinking water, food, but also support in activities important for the growth and development of communities.

So join us on this day in valuing, managing, restoring, and loving our Amazon of Europe!

© A. Gugić