JU ZDP VŽ organized the volunteering action on the river Drava in Varaždin county, on the location where sand martins nested in the past years. In cooperation with the local community, JU ZDP gathered 16 volunteers for this action, aiming to return sand martins to this location.

Sand martins most often nest in the upper part of the steep, eroded coast, because the steepness and inaccessibility protect them from predators. Such habitats can survive only in the presence of natural river dynamics and constant erosion of the coast, which is no longer the case due to the interventions in the upper course of the Drava. Overgrowing of steep banks with vegetation prevents the colonization of sand martins, which is why such actions are extremely important.

With the help of the tools, volunteers have manually cleaned the coast in order to ensure suitable nesting conditions, which also contributes to the survival of the species. The upper layer of the coast has been cleaned, unnecessary vegetation has been removed from the coast so that sand martins can more easily find a suitable nesting place. During the volunteering action, about a hundred meters of steep coast were cleaned. The goal of the volunteer action is to increase the awareness of the local population about the importance of sand martins and other birds for the entire ecosystem.

Prepared by JU ZDP VŽ, Pictures by JU ZDP VŽ