Based on existing partnership among Protected Areas (PA) along the river Danube the "Danube River Network of Protected Areas" will be established in accordance with the appeal launched by the "Declaration of Tulcea" in April 2007 (http://www.ramsar.org/mtg/mtg_danube_regional_2007a.htm). For the first step, the partnership includes 10 PAs from 6 Danube countries, additional partners (e.g. in Germany, Croatia, Ukraine) will be invited in the future. All PP work on site and are leading actors in the management of natural heritage with full political support by relevant ministries which is underlined by the numerous ministries joining "Danubeparks" as observer partners. As platform to address transnational challenges the Network will develop and implement joint conservation strategies, coherent management practice and a common corporate identity of Danube River PA. Project management, Steering Committee and the establishment of standing technical task forces will ensure active cooperation, communication and know-how transfer among PPs. This will be the base for the planning and implementation of pilot projects of transnational relevance focussing on following modules: 1. improvement of river morphology, 2. floodplain management & habitat network, 3. conservation of flagship species, 4. implementation of NATURA 2000 & transnational monitoring, 5. Danube nature tourism. Fostering an integrated approach of managing PA the Network will involve a wide range of local, national and international stakeholders. A main focus will be on raising public awareness on the common natural heritage of the Danube and the dissimination of project results. The established framework of the "Danube River Network of Protected Areas" and the generation of transnational follow-up projects ensure continous transnational cooperation in the long term. Achievements: • Analysis of possibilities for improvement of the water regime of Srebarna Maintained Reserve as pilot activity of DANUBEPARKS project• Concept for restoration of Natura 2000 sites in Bratislava region• Conservation management plan of the Táti Islands protected area as pilot activity of DANUBEPARKS project• DANUBEPARKS strategic position on tourism, environmental education and regional development• DANUBEPARKS strategy on reconciling conservation and navigation projects along the Danube• Joint nature conservation and management plan for Karapancsa (HU) - Karapandža (RS)• Joint nature conservation and management plan for Ostrováci Duna (HU) - Topoljski Dunavac (HR)• Joint principles for conservation and management of Danube flood plain forests• Management concept for purchased land in the Slovak Danube floodplains based on DANUBEPARKS transnational conservation strategy• Manual of beaver management for the Danube river basin• Natura 2000 sites in the Danube River network of protected areas - management and conservation measures (EN/RO)• Past and present experiences from projects restoring Danube river morphology• Re-assessment of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve functional zones• Reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver in Hungary as a pilot action of DANUBEPARKS• Report from Danube-wide monitoring of little-ringed plover and sand martin • Report from monitoring of European mink habitats along the river Danube• The Action Plan for the conservation of the white-tailed sea eagle along the Danube• The green twin-city lifeline: joint conservation along the Danube (AT/SK)• Tourist map of protected areas along the Danube• Transnational Danube fish database• White-tailed sea eagle online database of observations including mapFor more information see:http://www.southeast-europe.net/en/projects/approved_projects/?id=88