The Danube is Europe’s second longest river, flowing through ten countries with a drainage basin that extends to nine other countries, making it the most international river in the world.
The river was once the northern frontier of the Roman Empire and until the end of the 19th century it was largely free flowing, with vibrant flood plains and deep gorges. It is also the spawning waters for the Beluga Sturgeon, the source of the world’s finest caviar; the fish is now endangered due to habitat loss and overfishing. Like most of the world’s rivers, the health, biodiversity and cultures of the Danube are heavily impacted by hydroelectric dams, canalization for commerce, industrial agriculture and other anthropogenic threats. Join us in this forum as we discuss the challenges the river now faces and strategies for preserving its biodiversity and cultures.
Speakers:
Tiberiu Cazacioc: Slow Food Convivium Leader, member of Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 association, a Romanian NGO for sustainable development of the Danube Delta
Eugenio Berra: Belgrade-based researcher working with ViaggieMiraggi, OBC Transeuropa and Slow Food International. Founding member of Confluenze, an organization of researchers, journalists and artists in Italy and the Balkans working to restore value to these lands through cultural activities and responsible tourism.
Anca Simion: Fish-processing factory worker and independent fisheries researcher from Tulcea, Romania.
Moderator:
Gary Granata, PhD, is the host of Rivers Connect the World and creator of Vanishing Foodways, an ongoing adventure to explore, collect and share stories of food systems along the river basins of the world. Gary is the former Chair of Slow Food New Orleans and now resides at Granata Woods, a permaculture food forest near his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
