The main goal of the Danube Lifelines (DLL) Horizon project is to restore ecological connectivity and natural habitat conditions in representative river stretches within the Danube River Basin. This involves improving the rivers’ natural flow dynamics, reviving floodplains and wetlands, and enhancing biodiversity, all while engaging local communities and respecting their interests.
To achieve this, the project will explore nature-based solutions at its demonstration sites. These include removing obsolete dams, restoring natural riverbanks, reviving wetlands, and reconnecting tributaries.
The project’s key activities will be carried out at eight demonstration sites across seven countries—Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria—covering the upper, middle, and lower Danube Basin.
These sites, located on the Inn, Pielach, Sava, Ipoly, Rába, and Danube rivers, were selected for their ecological value as potential focal points for reviving valuable habitats and critical migration routes. Through these efforts, the project will contribute to the EU-wide target of restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers as ecological corridors by 2030.