40 rowers from Slovenia, Austria and Croatia have marked the start of a campaign called “Save the Mura – Let the Mura flow freely” and urged the Slovenian government to prevent the destruction of this Slovenian and European natural treasure by stopping the plans for a chain of eight hydropower plants on the Mura river in southeastern Slovenia.

The basin of the Mura is a hotspot of biotic diversity. Over 4,000 species of animals and plants have been discovered here, including a few endangered species such as the white-tailed eagle, the black stork and the kingfisher. In terms of fish fauna diversity, this area is the richest and best preserved river basin in Slovenia and probably Europe, too. Moreover, it is home to the extremely endangered hunchen. The largest expanses of flood-prone forests in Slovenia also grow in the stretch along the Mura. They present a habitat that has been selected at the European level as a priority in terms of conservation plans, emphasize the organisers of the regatta.

“The Mura is a nature protection area in the Natura 2000 network, and a central part of the future Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve ‘Mura-Drava-Danube’, also known as the European Amazon, which unites river basins in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Hungary. The approval for the Hrastje-Mota hydropower plant would open the door wide to plans for building additional seven hydropower plants on the Mura. What is more, this would be the first hydroplant in the Natura 2000 territory, which would certainly lead to increased pressure on other river basins in the Natura 2000, also elsewhere in Europe,” warns Arno Mohl from the WWF.