Rising in the Black Forest of southern Germany, the Danube River, the second largest in Europe, winds southeastward for almost 1800 miles before emptying into the Black Sea. At its mouth, the River has created a vast delta, the largest and best preserved wetland on the Continent; covering 2200 square miles and still growing, the delta is a mosaic of braided channels, marsh, reed beds, lakes and riparian woodlands. Most of this vast wetland lies within Romania while its northern section is in the Ukraine; the entire ecosystem, much of which is protected in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, is thought to harbor the 3rd greatest biodiversity on the planet (trailing only the Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef).
Plaur, floating islands of vegetation, make this delta especially attractive to nesting water birds, including 3500 pair of Egyptian white pelicans; of more than 170 birds that nest within the preserve are rare species such as pygmy cormorants, ferruginous ducks, red-crested pochards and purple herons. Migrant and wintering species also include Dalmatian pelicans, white storks, tundra swans and red-breasted geese. Among the other residents are white-tailed eagles, otters, stoat and European mink; 160 species of fish inhabit the lakes and streams of the Delta (45 are freshwater species) and more than 1700 plant species grace this magnificent wetland.
Though sparsely populated, the Danube Delta is threatened in some areas by drainage and dredging. Having formed over 10,000 years, the welfare of the Delta is now in the hands of regional human populations and all of those who live within the vast watershed of the Danube River. Let's hope that this fabulous ecosystem is protected for future generations of humans and wildlife.
