European Young Rewilders could not have chosen a more symbolic landscape for the first in-person meetup that took place between 7 and 9 of September than the Oder Delta at the German and Polish border, seeking to strengthen an emerging movement with a bold vision: to make Europe a wilder, more biodiverse place.
“Over several days, we explored firsthand the significance of freshwater ecosystems for nature-based water management, sustainable forestry, waterway management, environmental accident mitigation, the practical challenges of rewilding, and so much more. It was a truly immersive experience that highlighted the beauty and fragility of rivers and reinforced the need to protect these ecosystems” commented Valerie Kendall, from MKO Ireland and one of the lecturers of the 4th edition of River University, which took place in the unique Oder Delta landscape, on the Polish-German border, on 31 July-4 August 2023.
On 2 July 2023, the city of Goleniów (Poland) organised a protest against the poisoning of the Ina River that took the form of a ‘black’ kayak trip. Participants – residents of Goleniów and friends of the river, as well as municipal authorities, local politicians and entrepreneurs – met on the stream’s banks to express their indignation at the ecological disasters repeated over the years in the catchment area of this beautiful river.
The River University is an international and interdisciplinary course for participants from the Baltic Sea Region and Europe. Its objective is to disseminate knowledge about river ecosystems through an open-access platform, presenting information in comprehensible scientific format. The upcoming 4th edition of the event is scheduled to take place in Germany from July 31 to August 4, 2023, with a primary focus on water pollution and risk management.
Under the motto “Natural treasures between Pasewalk and Szczecin,” we are looking for the most beautiful photos of the Oder Delta from May 1st to May 31st.
On April 22, 2023, the Polish NGO “Friends of the Ina and Gowienica Rivers” initiated a successful action to collect trash on the banks of the Ina River. This was the second time that a trash collection action was held on the riverbanks, which was coordinated and carried out by the Rewilding Oder Delta team. Notably, this year’s riverbank cleaning was scheduled to coincide with a significant event: Earth Day 2023. On this date, public actions are held worldwide to draw attention to the state of the environment and our landscapes.
For many years, the partner organisation Society of Friends of the Ina and Gowienica Rivers (TPRIiG) has been organising symbolic river clean-up events in the Oder Delta. Thanks to strong community involvement and support from other regional organisations and institutions, hundreds of bags of rubbish, which had lain on the banks and in the riverbeds, were collected.