It’s official: On Sunday, Herbert Brückner, President of International Friends of Nature (IFN), formally proclaimed the Danube Delta “Landscape of the Year 2007 – 2009” in the Romanian seaport of Tulcea.

In their addresses, Lucia Varga, current President of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, well-known politicians of the region and an Ukrainian delegation welcomed the project and confirmed their support to it. The kick-off event was the hub of a “Fish & Culture” festival on the sea promenade, which went on for the entire weekend.

And there was fish and culture galore!
Over a dozen folk dance ensembles, representing the different ethnic groups –Aromuns, Greeks, Bulgarians, Lipovans, Italians, Turks, Roma, Ukrainians – gave an impressive demonstration of the Danube Delta’s cultural diversity, dancing in their colourful costumes unfazed by sweltering temperatures of 36 degrees in the shade.
The typical dishes served by people from the local minorities covered the full spectrum of the region’s culinary diversity.

Visitors were invited to prepare a very special type of fish: Together with the two land artists Karin van der Molen and Patrick van Boeckel they were weaving fish scales from osier stakes: On Sunday afternoon the job was completed, when eventually also the skeletal head of the fish was nicely covered with scales. In the meantime, the almost six metres high, prefabricated fish’s tail had become the most popular photographic motif as well as place of refuge for people seeking shade along the sea promenade.

The local sculptor Mihai Florea created a lasting work of art: As of now, a pelican on the sea promenade will spread the message of cross-border cooperation – one of the Landscape-of-the-Year’s guiding ideas – in four languages – Romanian, Ukrainian, English, and German.

After this upbeat note sounded by the kick-off event, hopes are high for the years ahead, in which IFN will be actively involved in boosting sustainable development in the Danube Delta, building on close cooperation with the local population, with local initiatives, associations and institutions. The ground is well prepared.