Slovenian section of the Mur river becomes UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Good news for Central Europe's largest river landscape: UNESCO has acknowledged 29,000 hectares of floodplain of the Slovenian Mur river as a biosphere reserve. This is a further important step towards the trans-border nature protection of the "Amazon of Europe".

Countless old arms of the Mur are surrounded by natural floodplain forests. © Martin Schneider-Jacoby

Already in In July 2018, UNESCO declared a river corridor of about 100 kilometers at the Mur river in Slovenia as part of the global network of biosphere reserves. The new biosphere reserve comprises Slovenia's largest alluvial forests with ideal habitats for white tailed eagles and black storks. 

The area is part of the last intact dynamic river landscapes of Europe. The goal for the Danube-Drava-Mur region between Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbias is the realization of a five-country biosphere reserve. With the acknowledgment of the Slovenian area, this vision is within reach.